|
|
 |
|
 |
Purana Qila |
|
| Located on the eastern side of India Gate and
north of Humayun's tomb, the Purana Qila occupies the ancient
mound, which perhaps conceals the ruins of the city of Indraprastha
of the Indian epic, the Mahabharata. Emperor Humayun laid the
foundations of a city named Dinpanah or 'Refuge of the Faithful'
here, in 1534, and the inner citadel of this city is the Purana
Qila. He conceived Dinpanah as 'a southern Samarkand' or refuge
for learned men of all Islamic sects who could discuss theology
at leisure under the patronage of their emperor. However, in
1540, Sher Shah Suri captured the city and renamed it Delhi
Shershahi or Shergarh and built many buildings in it. In 1555,
Humayun recaptured it and lived here until his death. |
| A good example of medieval military architecture,
Purana Qila originally lay on the bank of the Yamuna River.
The ramparts of the Qila cover a perimeter of nearly 2 kilometers.
Also popularly known as Old Fort, the Qila or citadel has massive
and magnificent walls, which are 18 meters in height. Small
spy holes in the walls, provide nesting spaces for hundreds
of birds. Unlike the later forts of the Mughals, Purana Qila
does not have a complex of palaces, administrative or recreational
buildings. |
|
| The whole citadel has three large gateways in
the north, south and west called the Talaqi Darwaza, Humayun
Darwaza and the Bara Darwaza respectively, which are double
storeyed and built with red sand stone and surmounted by chhatris.
Though the reason is not known the Talaqi Darwaza is also known
as the 'forbidden gate'. The exterior of the gate was originally
decorated with colored tiles and the rooms with incised plasterwork.
The gate is said to be either built by Humayun or repaired by
him, as his name is inscribed in ink in the recess of the gate.
The Humayun Darwaza too has inscriptions but the ruler mentioned
here is Sher Shah, which establishes the association with him.
Despite this, the gate is known as Humayun Darwaza because Humayun's
Tomb is visible through it. On the Mathura Road is the western
or Bara Darwaza, which is used by the visitors to enter the
Purana Qila. |
| Excavations at Purana Qila |
| The present site of the Purana Qila is referred
to in the Hindu epic the Mahabharata, which states that the
Pandavas founded a city named Indraprastha beside the Yamuna
River. It is the first city of Delhi and was the capital of
the Pandavas in the great war of Mahabharata. It is believed
that Purana Qila was probably the palace or citadel of Indraprastha
and the city extended over the plain in a radius of 0.25 kilometers.
Pieces of pottery known as Painted Grey Ware and relics dated
to around 1000 B.C. were found in this location. Excavations
in 1955 in the southern area of Purana Qila supports the above
claim, as these characteristics have been noticed at several
sites associated with the story of the Mahabharata. Another
strong reason to believe that Purana Qila is built on the remains
of Indraprastha is the fact that till 1913 there was a village
named Indrapat within the fort walls. |
| Apart from these, continuous stratifications
were found in the area from the Mauryan to Early Mughal period
in the excavations in 1969-1973. The small archaeological museum
in the main gate gives you the brief history of Delhi and Purana
Qila. It also houses objects of different periods found during
the excavation at this site. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
