I started my Sunday morning with a visit to the Tuglaqabad fort. It is hardly a 10 minutes drive from my place but I had never entered the fort until now. The fort is open to the public from 7.30 in the morning till late evening everyday. The department of ASI charges a princely sum of Rs 5 for visiting the fort, which Khushwant Singh considers is among the most beautiful ruins of the world. There are many wonderful stories associated with the fort.
Sultan Ghiasuddin was annoyed with a Sufi saint, Nizamuddin Auliya. During one of his expeditions he vowed that he would behead the saint in Delhi. The saint responded, “hunooz Dilli door ast”, which means ‘it’s a long way to Delhi’. (Centuries later, Subhash Chandra Bose used a different adaptation of these words, saying ‘ab Dilli door nahin’ during the struggle for independence). Ghiasuddin died on his way to Delhi, as a pavilion erected in his honour caved in and crushed the monarch. Nizamuddin Auliya lived and the king who swore to see him beheaded, perished instead. This is not the only reason why Ghiasuddin plays an important role in the history of Delhi. He built the strongest fort in Delhi at Tughlaqabad, which was completed within four years of his rule. It is surprising because the Fort is spread in the area of 6.5 square kilometers. Delhi is a combination of eight cities which existed from 900 BC to 1930 AD. Tuglaqabad was the fourth city of Delhi and was built in 1321 AD. It was deserted soon after the death of Ghiasuddin. According to a popular story, Nizamuddin Auliya had cursed the city and it could not prosper and flourish due to the curse. (However, this could also be attributed to the scarcity of water). The majestic 14th century Tuglaqabad Fort is connected to the mausoleum of Ghiyasuddin Tuglaq, by a causeway. Here are some photos of this beautiful fort: from my faithful Nokia N73.
The double storeyed Anarkali bazaar meant for the Begamat
‘Pani ki Bawaadi’ These water sources are common here in Delhi.
The mausoleum of Ghiasudin.
from Vishesh :)
from Reema :)
A nice tour Prerna. Thanks.
Beautiful pictures and a nice way to spend a Sunday.
Prerna: Good pictures! Nokia should really recruit the amateur photographers for its campaigns rather than Raghu Rai.
By the way – pani ki baawadi – khari ya meethi?
hey, nice pictures you have got there. They reveal more that a detailed description in book could have done.
Thanks for this wonderful tour Prerna. Dilli holds its own cultural heritage. I dont know how the New Delhi is linked with the old Dilli in terms of culture.
But nevertheless you took some awesome pictures with your cell phone. My fav. “The mausoleum of Ghiasudin.”
Thanks Nita, Amit and Rajiv.
the ground water in our area is sweet too.
Shefaly thanks.It should have been Meethi paani ki bawdi. Like the inhabitants
Thanks Ammar, old Delhi is Shahjehanabad.One of the 8 cities of Delhi. People have moved to new residential areas from the walled city and have spread the culture. Old Delhi looks like Old City of Lahore( as seen in the documentaries). That too was built by Shahjehan I guess.
Thanks Poonam.
Shandaar pr3rna..read it twice and i felt like taking a tour myself…maybe one day, when Ill visit India..I’ll put this on top in my ‘things you must see in india’ list. Its one of my favorite post of yours…
Wow tts really nice.. I sure will visit this fort whenevr i come to Delhi IA.
Thanks Lubna and Assem.
Pingback: A “Restful” Sunday « Vidha
Pingback: mausoleum
Lovely place it is. Hope u had a gud time thr.
I read the phrase “Dilli door ast” in an editorial by Hasan Suroor, but was not aware of it’s origin. Did a google search and ta-da landed to this wonderful post. Thanks for sharing!
Welcome and thanks Arif.
Brilliant piece. Delhi’s history is fascinating and one of the richest in the world.
Btw, is there a way to get an RSS feed of your posts?
Looking forward to reading more of your blog.
Cheers,
Aman
Informative and interesting
Wonderful Ajubas of India
Hmm…sorry but Prerna is a woman’s name I presume? If not, apologies. I got here, like someone else, googling “Delhi Door Ast” but learned something new in the roundabout trip. We read so much about the Mughal dynasties but the slave dynasties are at least to my mind, often forgotten. So thanks much for your photos and weblog. You mentioned, eight cities of Delhi, is it possible that you could tour all eight and enlighten us about the hidden gems like the one you discovered here?
Warm regards.
Pradeep