Purana Qila: Tales of chronicle past

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Purana Qila, formerly called Shergarh or Sher Fort, reminds me of a quote written by Shobhana Basnet- “The cities having fort are privileged for these are rare gems amidst the sprawling beads of a mall.” And last weekend, I decided to put my “wandering shoes” on & explore the mysteries of the Old Fort.

 The Purana Qila, or the Old Fort, straddles quite a significant part of the space between the Supreme Court and Sunder Nagar in Delhi. However, I warned my mom about the public at the Fort. Since very few people visit this citadel. The only ones that do are the love-struck couples who find the madding crowds of Delhi challenging to handle. I took a ticket of Rs35 that included the museum & entered the fortress. 

Bada Darwaza

The west entrance with double-story structures surrounded by two large semi-circular towers. I adorned it with blue tile works and coloured marble embellishments. Even at the North and South gates of the Qila, you will find ornate overhanging balconies known as Jharokhas, Chatteris, and pavilions with Rajasthani architecture. The entire Fort is made of red sandstone.

Though the walls of the Qila are so old and rugged, it feels like they have a story to tell—a story to convey to the upcoming generations. I loved the elegant Jharokas with extended pavilions that enhanced this medieval entrance’s beauty—a fantastic blend of Afghan, Mughal, Hindu, and Rajasthani styles. Therefore I decided to walk past all the gates.

Talaqi Darwaza

As I turned left from the Bada Darwaza and walked to the periphery of the Qila, comes to the North facing the third gate. Talaqi Darwaza is also called the forbidden gate. Quite a strange name!

Well, history confirms only one could pass through the gateway once the king returned victoriously. Only the royal family members, including the harem and their children, could use the gate. And the gate was completely abandoned after the death of the emperor. The entrance is embellished with white marble decorates and is done well with overhanging galleries. Well, only some were allowed to pass through the Talaqi Darwaza.

Humayun Gate

Further, I walked up to the next gate, which is believed that the South facing gate of Purana Qila. Emperor Humayun built it; hence it is called the Humayun gate. 

While others believe because Humayun’s Tomb is visible from this place, it got its name. Whatever the reason, the beautiful hanging jharokhas on either side of the Humayun gate were architectural.

There has been this question of who built Purana Qila. Abul Fazl states the Purana Qila was once the venue of the capital of the mighty Pandavas of the Mahabharata fame. And many astrological studies have determined that Mahabharata occurred well over 5000 years back; hence Purana Qila has quite a hoary past. In those days, it was called Indraprastha. 

In the 16th century, Sher Shah Suri, an Afghan king, captured it. After realizing the strategic advantage of the site, he decided to build a bastion. Hence, the Fort was named Shergarh. In the interregnum, the area was inhabited by the Guptas, Rajputs and other clans. Sher Shah Suri was defeated Humayun. He later made changes in the Fort to strengthen its fortification. At the same time, it was Islam Shah who completed the construction of the Fort. It was built on a raised platform.

Later Hindu king, Hem Chandra Vikramaditya, was crowned on 7th October 1556 in Purana Qila after defeating Akbar’s forces decisively at the Battle of Delhi (1556), declaring “Hindu Raj” in North India. The impressive and grand edifice blends Mughal, Afghan and Hindu architectural styles.

As I entered the Fort, I walked along with the walls before finally resting our base on lush green grasses in the Fort’s precincts. Well, the Old Fort was known as Dinpanah during medieval times. The defence is roughly rectangular, with three main entrances — The West facing Bada Darwaza, the South facing Humayun Darwaza and Talaqi Darwaza or the forbidden gate. In contrast, the walls are around 18 meters in height and 4 meters in thickness, enclosed by two walls and spreads over 2.41 kilometres.

The solitude of the place, along the green lawns complemented by the backdrop of the ancient imposing structure, is mesmerizing. Hence I decided to explore each part carefully. 

Qila-i-Kuhna Mosque

Built by Sher Shah Suri in the year 1541, it is a single-domed mosque within Purana Qila. With true horseshoe-shaped, the mosque has five pointed arched doorways along with 51.2 meters by 14.9 meters Prayer Hall inside the mosque. It has separate passages surrounded by ornate jharokhas for the female and the Royal Family members.

It is one of the most preserved buildings in the Purana Qila. The mosque was designed as a Friday mosque or a Jami mosque, with calligraphic inscriptions on the iwan. Red, white, and slate-coloured marble was used. 

A long marble slab with the inscription, “May this edifice be frequented as long as there are people on the earth. Let them be happy and cheerful in it“, caught my interest. It was an excellent example of the extensive use of the pointed arch and pre-Mughal design.

Sher Mandal

Next, I walked towards Sher Mandal, built by the Mughal emperor Humayun. Located at the highest point of the Purana Qila, it was used as a pleasure tower and later as an astronomical library in 1530-1556. It is a double-storeyed octagonal tower with chhatri made of red sandstone and stands south of the mosque and has steep stairs leading up to the roof. It was intended to be higher than its existing height, but the work was stopped due to the untimely death of Sher Shah. Later, when Humayun recaptured the Fort, he used this building as a library.

Owing to its height, it is one of the first observatories of Delhi. It is also the tragic spot from where Humayun slipped while going for his evening namaz, fell headlong down and died after two days due to his injury. After the Qila-i-Kuhna, it is the second surviving structure within the Old Fort boundary.

Hammam Khana

It is located beside the Sher Mandal, though now in ruins-is brick-walled. The most exciting feature of this structure is the complex system in which hot and cold water are mixed before the bath. 

Hamam is a bathhouse or a community bathhouse. The concept of having a hammam khana came from the Afghan countries. Still, later it was adopted by the Mughal architecture. 

Lal Darwaza

The Darwaza, known as the Sher Shah Suri Gate, was constructed in the 16th century by Sher Shah Suri. This gate is known Khooni Darwaja since the gate was used to put the beheaded heads of the Royal traitors on display.

More than the name, the amalgamation of Mughal Afghan-style construction was worth adorning. Well, quartzite stones were used to build the gate that stands 15.5 meters tall.

Khairul Manazil 

Maham Anga ( the great emperor Akbar’s foster mother ) built Khairul Manazil, or Khair-ul-Manazil mosque, in 1561—her son Adam Khan and Kinsman Shahabuddin Khan helped her.

It is located on the opposite side of Purana Qila and southeast of the Sher Shah Suri gate- the mosque is made of red sandstone. The first Mughal Mosque was promoted and commissioned by a woman. 

The mosque has five high-arched openings in the prayer Hall. The most attractive feature of the mosque is the presence of a madrasa on the east of the building.

Old Fort Baoli

Only a few people know about a Baoli in the old Fort. Well, there is one located between the Sher Mandal and Qila-i-Kuhna. Even I stumbled upon it while exploring the niche & corner. 

It is one of the nine historical Baolis constructed in ancient times to preserve water during monsoon season. It is used to meet water demands and cope with seasonal fluctuations. Later this water was used for irrigation. The Baoli has evidence that the place was used for social gatherings and religious ceremonies.

Archaeological Museum

The ASI carried out many excavations to give us an idea about the history of the place. This museum has evidence found by the archaeologists that the site has been a habitat for many dynasties—from Mauryan to the Shungalu dynasty, the Kushana dynasty, the Gupta dynasty, the Rajputs, Delhi Sultanate, as well as the Mughals.

I saw the potteries of the Kushan and Gupta dynasties, undeciphered coins, idols, semi-precious stones, charred wheat, rice grains and many other antiques recovered from various other parts of Delhi. Even the Traces like the Painted Grey Ware (PGW) found here links the history of Purana Qila with the ancient Iron Age, nearly 1000 BC. 

There is a belief that Delhi is built on the remains of the legendary city of Indraprastha. However, archaeologists still need to find evidence of Indraprastha, consequently considered the ‘First City of Delhi’ here. The remains seen here are mainly from the medieval period onwards. With every excavation, a new fact surfaces about this mysterious old Fort. The ASI unearthed a 12th-century Lord Vishnu sculpture and a seal of the Gupta era in the recent excavation. 

I finally ended my trip by boating, keeping the beautiful and mysterious monument in the background. Yes, there is the perfect place with a deep, broad ditch surrounding Delhi ka Purana Qila which was once full of crocodiles. After sunset, the fountains and the lightings are mesmerizing sights.

This place is full of history and archaeological findings. And it has been frequented by thousands of visitors to witness the chronicle of the past. Every brick echoes in the Qila with past pride- a fortress, once solid and mighty, but now crumbling and broken.