Purana Qila

Purana Qila or Old Fort is located on a site which has a long history of habitation. Excavations have revealed definite cultural layers continuously from the fourth/third century BC to the Mughal period. It is believed that Pandavas made Indraprastha their capital which was located at this site.
In 1531, the Mughal ruler Humayun built 'Dinpanah' as his capital and made this citadel now called Purana Qila. Humayun was defeated by Sher Shah who made this fort as his capital and added many structures in the fort. Humayun regained this fort in the year 1555 but died soon after.
The walls of this fort are 20 meters in height and 4 meters in thickness. The perimeter of the fort which is oblong in shape is about 1.9 kilometers. The eastern side of the fort earlier was bounded by Yamuna which has receded further east.
 To see the fort, one can start with visit to Talaqi Gate, the route to which goes by the side of the lake outside the fort.

Talaqi Gate:
Northern gate of this fort is a tall and imposing structure. It has entrance at two levels, at the level of water and the second through a causeway or a drawbridge. The gate has decorative features like sandstone and marble inlay, carving, tile work, jharokhs and chhatris. It is not clear as to why and when it became talaqi or forbidden gate.

Talaqi Gate.

Stone inlay decoration at Talaqi Gate.

Oriel windows or Jharokhas at Talaqi gate.

Inside view of Talaqi Gate with a Chhatri at the top.

Bara Darwaza:
This massive gate at the western side of the fort was probably built by Humayun. It is a triple storeyed structure, 20 meters high. Bastions on both sides of the gate are massive. There are inlay patterns in sandstone and marble, stone carving and tile work on he gate.

Massive Bara Darwaza of Purana Qila with strong bastions.

Bara Darwaza, a closer view..

Arch with stars and rosettes in spandrels and small opening at Bara Darwaza.

Bastion of Bara Darwaza topped by a chhatri.

Layout of the fort:
There is a sketch map of Purana Qila structures and those in the vicinity in the fort. It gives a location layout of all the structures in the fort. It lists the monuments even outside the fort, like Khair-ul-Masjid which is just in front of Purana Qila.

Layout of Purana Qila and adjoining area.

Qila-i-Kuhna Masjid:
This means mosque of the old fort and it was the congregational mosque of the fort. This was built by Sher Shah in 1541. There is profuse decoration in the mosque in the form of stone inlay by the the use of red and yellow sandstone, black and white marble, stone carving and tile work. The large number of jharokhas and the octagonal turrets at the corners of the back wall are distinctive Mughal architecture style.

Beautiful Qila-i-Kuhna Masjid.

Qila-i-Kuhna Masjid.

Prayer hall of Qila-i-Kuhna Masjid measures 51 meters by 15 meters.

Marble lotus bud fringe and inlay decoration at Qila-i-Kuhna Masjid.

Lotus bud fringe and inlay decorations at Qila-i-Kuhna Masjid.

Exquisite inlay decoration at Qila-i-Kuhna Masjid.

Rosette at the mosque.

Mihrab with inlay  pattern decoration.

Central arch with lotus bud fringe at  Qila-i-Kuhna Masjid is exquisite.

Band of calligraphy in marble at Qila-i-Kuhna masjid.

Jharokhas and octagonal turrets at corners of back wall of  Qila-i-Kuhna Masjid.

A close view of octagonal turret at back wall of Qilai-Kuhna Masjid.

Sher Mandal:
Its name suggests it was built by Sher Shah as a pleasure resort but in style it is more similar to early Mughal pavilions. At the top of the structure is a domed chhatri. It is said that Humayun used it as library. It was at this structure where Humayun fell in the stairs in January 1556 and died as a consequence of the injuries he sustained.

Sher Mandal is magnificent.

Sher Mandal

Marble inlay in sandstone over and under arch at Sher Mandal.

Kalash carving at the base of a corner at Sher Mandal.

Star pattern inlay decoration on sandstone at Sher Mandal.

Baoli:
Baoli was the source of water for those who lived in the fort. As the fort is at a height, it necessitated a deep well to go to the source of water. The structure of the baoli is such as to keep the water covered and clean and prevent or lessen evaporation. The baoli goes down to 22 meters and has 8 landings and 89 steps. At the northern side of the baoli is the well.

Baoli at Purana Qila.

Humayun Gate:
The southern gateway to the fort is called Humayun gate though in the upper storey room there is an inscription which uses the name of Sher Shah Suri. Like two other gates this gate also opened at two levels of water and causeway or bridge. There is decorations on the door in the form of inlay work, carving in sandstone, marble and tile work.

Humayun Darwaza with two chhatris at the top.

Hammam:
The Hammam, the bath house, is in ruins. The remains of a water chute and terracota pipes can be seen in the underground chamber of the Hammam. Such bath houses with provisions of hot and cold water and steam is a distinctive style of Mughal architecture and can be seen at much refined form in Red Fort.

Textured water chute Inside Hammam at Purana Qila.

Exterior view of Hammam near Sher Mandal.

Adham Khan Tomb at Mehrauli: Akbar got him killed and then made a memorial for him.

This must be the first memorial erected for the person whom you get killed first. Akbar got Adham Khan killed and then made a memorial for him. 

The attractive Adham Khan Tomb at Mehrauli.

All of us have heard the name of the Mughal emperor Akbar who ruled India for about 50 years from 1556 to 1605 CE and is the most remembered Mughal ruler in India. When he was a child, Akbar was left behind in India by his father Humayun who fled to Iran with his pregnant wife, after having been defeated by Sher Shah Sur. Akbar, that time was about a year old. He was looked after, in absence of his parents, by two wet mothers, Maham Anga and Jiji Anga. They cared for him for the time Humayun was away to Iran and before he came back and won the empire from the successors of Sher Shah who had died in the meanwhile.

The Adham Khan Tomb is more of Lodhi architecture than Mughal architecture.

Because of the immense services of these wet mothers of Akbar, they and their families exercised great influence on Humayun and later, on Akbar when he became King at an early age of 11 years. Maham Anga had two sons, one of whom was named Adham Khan who occupied position of importance in army of Akbar. As it happened, there was competition and jealousies among the wet mothers and their families. When the husband of Jiji Anga was made a minister by Akbar, Adham Khan resented it and killed Ataga Khan, which infuriated Akbar, to the extent that he got him killed by getting him thrown from the ramparts of Agra Fort. After his death, Adham Khan's body was brought to Delhi and buried near Sufi Saint Qutub-ud-din Bakhtiar Kaki in Mehrauli. The mother Maham Anagh could not reconcile to the death of her son and died soon after. Akbar got a massive memorial built for Adham Khan where his mother was also buried after her death.

Beautiful Qutub as seen from Adham Khan Tomb.

This tomb is lying on the walls of Lal Kot at Meharuali town in Delhi  and is also known as Bhul Bhulaia, One gets a fabulous view of Qutub Minar from Adham Khan's tomb which is octagonal in its design and is very attractive. This tomb is more on Lodhi pattern than the Mughal architecture.  The tomb is domed octagonal chamber with a verandah on each side pierced by three openings. It has low towers on each of its corner.

Smith's Folly on top of Qutub Minar.

Word play sometimes can be so amusing. All of us know what Folly means but not many people may be knowing that in architectural terms "Folly" means a whimsical or extravagant structure built to serve as a talking point or a point of interest. 

Smith's Folly

Smith's Folly exactly matches both the meanings. The Qutub Minar, made to commemorate the victory of Islam in India was commenced by Qutub-ud-din Aibak in early 13th century and completed by Iltutmush by adding three more stories. When a lightening struck the Minar after more than one hundred years of its completion, Firuz Tughlaq repaired the tower and added two more stories made of marble to the original. In 1803 the earthquake damaged the Minar and Major Smith, the builder of Kashmere Gate and Saint James Church was tasked to repair the structure.

The Qutub Minar and Smith's Folly.

The structure was repaired and an Indo-Islamic cupola with Bengali features was added at the top of the structure. It was said that the glorious tower of Islamic dominance was capped with a Hindu cupola. There was  massive criticism of the addition and the Governor General got the cupola removed and it was placed at one corner of the complex. Since then Smith's Folly is literally stationed at a distance and must be looking towards the top of the Minar where it used to be earlier. 

The Qutub Minar as seen through Smith's Folly.

When you visit the Qutub next time, do find time to look at the Smith's Folly and remember him. Remember that at least for 10 years this cupola was at the top of the Qutub Minar. 

The tops of Qutub Minar and Smith's Folly.

Tohfewala Gumbad.

 If you are travelling on August Kranti Marg from Siri Fort Auditorium side to Pancheel Enclave, on your left you see a large open area with remnants of Siri Fort walls and the dome of a mosque. This mosque which you spot from the roadside is Tohfewala Gumbad.

Tohfewal Gumbad is at Shahpur Jat village.

It is easy to spot the Gumbad but not that easy to reach the heritage structure. At the intersection of August Kranti Marg with Chaudhary Dalip Singh Marg and Shahpur Jat take a left turn towards the village. Just nearby is an opening which let you explore the wall of the Sirifort. To reach the mosque you have to get in the lanes of the village, walk a bit, turn left in a small street and again turning left you see the mosque structure. It is so congested over there that it is really difficult to locate and reach the structure. On virtually all sides there are built up structures all around this mosque.

Tohfewala Gumbad as it looks from the entrance of the Tomb.

There is construction all around Tohfewal Gumbad, its walls nearly overtaken.

Once inside the enclosure, you can see this mosque which was probably built in 14th century. This is unlike the structures of Alai Darwaja and the mosque at Nizamuddin attributed to Alauddin Khilji which are much finer monuments. This is much simpler structure built of rubble masonry. This was probably the central prayer chamber of the mosque. There are three recessed mihrabs on the western wall of the structure which has a dome on top. There are arched openings on the southern and northern side of the structure.

The interior of Tohfewala Gumbad.

There is not much known as to who built this mosque and why it is called Tohfewala Gumbad which means a gifted mosque. Who gifted this mosque to whom is a mystery. Today it is surrounded by built up structures all around and this may not be the best preserving of the 14th century structure.

Chor Minar at Hauz Khas.

The Chor Minar was to strike terror among the wrong doers.

Chor Minar, which means "Tower for the Thief" may be the only visible symbol of retributive law anywhere in the world. The belief is that it was built by Alauddin Khilji in early 14th century to strike terror in the hearts of thieves and other law violators as those convicted of thefts and other offences punishable with death would be beheaded and their severed heads would be hanged from the holes made in this tower for public display. There is also a belief that a large number of Mongols who attacked Delhi during his regime, they were defeated and captured and their severed heads were hanged all around the holes in the Minar for striking terror in the populace. 

The Chor Minar had three recessed arched openings on each side.

The Chor Minar, built of the rubble masonry stands at the center of a platform which has three arched recesses on all four sides. The central recess on the east has a doorway to the tower through a spiral staircase which leads to its top. The Chor Minar is circular in design and tapers towards the top.

There are a large number of holes all around the tower and their numbers indicate that there used to be a large number of severed heads which were hanged from the tower. It is anybody's guess whether this public display of terror ensured better compliance to the rules and laws of the land. The Khilji regime which stood for striking terror was the most short lived dynasties in the Sultanate period. 

The holes in Chor Minar were for hanging severed heads for display to the populace.

Even today, more than 700 years after it was built, Chor Minar gives a strange feeling to the visitor when one closely looks at the tower and its holes and tries to imagine what would have been the actual scene when one or more heads hanged from holes of the tower which looks so harmless today.

The easiest way to reach Chor Minar is taking Chaudhary Dalip Sing Marg from Aurobindo Marg or August Kranti Marg, turning at the triangle which goes towards Laxman Public School, turn right on Chor Minar Marg and at the roundabout you come across Chor Minar.

Najaf Khan Tomb at Lodhi Colony.

We in Delhi have all heard of Najaf Garh on the South West outskirts of Delhi bordering Haryana but may not know who Najaf Khan was and where his tomb is. Najaf Khan was the highest commander of Mughal army during the reign of Shal Alam II who ruled in the period of 1759-1806 CE.

Najaf Khan Tomb as it looks from the entrance.

Mirza Najaf Khan was a Baloch adventurer who belonged to royal dynasty deposed by Nadir Shah and came to India with his sister who was married to Nawab of Oudh. Najaf Khan led the Mughal army in the battle of Buxar and his main contribution was that he was the highest Mughal commander from 1772 to the time he died in 1782. He reorganized the Mughal army on European pattern and fought the Maraths, the Sikhs, the Jats and the Rohillas and secured the Mughal empire against their threats.

The Najaf Khan Tomb is in an enclosed complex with beautiful laws all around.

Najaf Khan tomb stands at the center of a large garden enclosure with a gateway which is in ruins now.

 The tomb consists of a raised platform veneered with red sandstone, with two inscribed cenotaphs on its top. One cenotaph belongs to Najaf Khan and the other to his daughter Fatima. Graves are located in one of the two chambers in the core of the platform. There is an enclosure wall around the tomb complex.

The entrance to Najaf Khan tomb is all damaged.

To reach the tomb the easiest way is to take Aurobindo Marg coming from Safdarjung tomb side, take a left turn on Data Ram Bhutani Marg, turn right on Najaf Khan road and you can see the tomb complex on your right. 

Nili Masjid at Block A in Hauz Khas.

First let me describe its location as Block A in Hauz Khas. To be more precise, this is on the side of the road connecting August Kranti Marg and Aurobindo Marg. For exact map, location is marked on google map which can be accessed through the link at the bottom of this blog. 

The beautiful 16th century mosque in Hauz Khas.

This plastered rubble built mosque is having a single dome over the center of it.The mosque derives its name "Nili Masjid" Blue Mosque from blue tiles on the facade above the chajja.

The inscription describes its builder and the time of construction.

There is an inscription over its central arch mentioning that it was built in 1505-06 CE during the reign of Sikandar Lodhi. The inscription says it was built by Kusumbhil, a nurse of Fatah Khan who was son of Governor of Delhi, Khan-i-Azam Masnad Ali Khawas Khan.

This is one of the functioning mosque. Devotees can be seen praying inside the mosque.

The mosque, protected by Archaeological Survey of India is a functioning mosque. Lots of devotees come here to pray, particularly on Fridays and festivals.