Welcome back to another episode of Incredible India. In the previous episode, I talked about one of the largest mosques in India, Jama Masjid. Whereas in this episode we will get to know about one of the oldest structures in Delhi, the Feroz Shah Kotla Fort.
Feroz Shah Kotla
Firoj Shah Kotla is a 14th-century Fortress or Citadel built by Sultan Feroz Shah. According to some historical sources, it was built when Feroz Shah decided to shift his capital from Tughlaqabad to Firozabad due to the scarcity of water at the former capital. Hence, it was built on the banks of the river Yamuna. [source]
How to reach
ama Masjid is situated in Vikram Nagar, Delhi, India. It is located near the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
One can land at the IGI (Indira Gandhi International) Airport and take a private cab/taxi from there. It will likely be an hour journey, less if you can dodge the traffic.
Alternately, you can take the metro, the metro station ITO is a 10 min walking distance from the fortress.
Architecture and Design
It is one of the oldest fortresses in Delhi. Within its high walls, it encompassed a Baoli (old step-well), a magnificent garden complex, Mosques, and Palaces. But most of the structures are in ruins as it was used for building materials in subsequent centuries by different rulers. Let's see some of the aforementioned structures.
Jami Masjid
This mosque was built by Sultan Feroz Shah Tuglaq in A.D. 1354. It is among the few structures still standing inside the fort.
Damaged outer wall of Mosque
Topra Ashokan Pillar
The Ashokan Pillar which is now within Feroz Shah Kotla is towards the north of Jama Masjid [Mosque]. The Pillar was first erected by King Ashoka between 273 and 236 BC in Topra Kalan, Yamunanagar district, Haryana.[source]
As you can see in the pictures, it was installed on top of a three-storied pyramid-shaped structure.
Baoli (The Well)
Boali was one of the most important structure in the whole complex, like in other forts and citadels built during the same period this also served as the source of drinking water. It was circular. Sadly, entry inside the structure is not allowed for visitors.
Ruins of Palace
Much of the structures inside the Citadel are in ruins and it gave a hard time even for historians to identify them. The following shots are believed to be Palace/s for nobles and important people of that time.
Walls and Garden Complex
The Fortress has 15 meters high walls. But most of them are plunged and used as a building material in other nearby structures.
walls near the entry gate of the complex
You can see the narrow slits in the walls used for the purpose of shooting arrows and other projectiles from inside.
It was a very hot and sunny day. It was very bad condition for shooting outdoor. Hence, some of the images are way overexposed but I tried to fix the exposure in editing.
Anyways, Let me know what are your thoughts about the place. Would you like to visit this place when/if you come to Delhi? Constructive criticism is always appreciated. Thanks for reading.
Namaste 🙏
Stay tuned for more episodes...
Previous Episodes
Ep - #2. Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya
Ep - #5. Purana Qila (Old Fort)
Note:
- All the content is mine unless otherwise stated.
- Photos were taken from Sony ZV-1 and edited using the "Snapseed" app.
- Text dividers are from @cryptosharan.
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