Monument Name Purana Qila Location Indraprastha Extension, Near Pragati Maida State Delhi Timings Coordinates 28.623932, 77.290406 Wikipedia Links http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purana_Qila Entrance Fee Citizens of India Rs. 5/- per head US $ 2 or Indian Rs. 100/- per head (Free entry to children up to 15 years) Other Details Purana Qila (Old Fort)

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Humayun- The Mughal Emperor Costructed The Fort

When the second Mughal emperor Humayun decided to make a city of his own he decided on the site of the ancient city of Indraprastha. Humayun was quite a scholar with a fine grasp on such matters and so it is certain that the site was chosen deliberately. When his Sher Shah Suri overthrew him, he destroyed most of Dinpanah (refuge of the faithful) as the city of Humayun was called to make way for his own Dilli Sher Shahi or Shergarh. Incidentally, Humayun was probably the only emperor in history who built a city in Delhi and did not give it his own name this was typical of Humayun's rather sophisticated and dreamy character. The Layout of The Massive Colossal

Purana Qila

In plan the Old fort, now simply called Purana Qila by Delhites, is irregularly orbital. The walls of the immense Qila tower down on the road that takes one to Pragati Maidan from the height of 18m, and run on for about 2km. It has three main gates the Humayun darwaza, Talaqi darwaza and Bara darwaza (which one uses to enter the fort today). The double-storeyed gates are quite huge and are built with red sandstone. of all the gates entry was forbidden from Talaqi (forbidden) darwaza, the northern gate. It is not clear why this was so. Other Attractions of The Fort Sher Shah Suri and his successor could not complete the city, and when Humayun defeated Sher Shah's son to take back his city, he did not deal with Dilli Sher shahi as the latter had done with Dinpanah. In fact the Mughal emperor very handsomely completed the city and even used several of the buildings like the Sher Mandal, a rather pretty two-storeyed octagonal building. Humayun used this as his library and, then tripped to his death from its steps.

Excavation of Grey Ware Pottery

Several excavations have taken place in the Purana Qila in an attempt to prove, or disprove as the case may be, whether it is indeed the site of Indraprastha or not. Diggings have yielded Painted Grey Ware pottery which has been dated to 1000BC. Similar stuff has been noticed in other sites associated with the epic Mahabharata as well, which seem to conclusively prove that this indeed was the place where Indraprastha once flourished. These excavation have also thrown up material, like coins, associated with the Gupta (about 4-5th century AD) and post-Gupta ages (700-800AD) of Indian history as well.

Qila-i-kuhna Masjid

One of the most fascinating buildings, and also one of the few that still survive, in the Purana Qila is the Qila-i-kuhna masjid. Sher Shah Suri built it in 1541 (also see History) and he was obviously out to make a definite style statement. The mosque is quite a place; its prayer hall measures 51.20m by 14.90m and has five doorways with the 'true' horseshoe-shaped arches. Apparently the idea was the build the whole mosque in marble, but the supply ran out and red sandstone had to be used instead. But the builder used the material at hand very skillfully and the result is quite spectacular the red sandstone and the marble contrast beautifully with each other to give the mosque a very distinctive air. The mihrabs (prayer niches) inside the mosque are richly decorated with concentric arches. From the prayer hall, staircases lead you to the second storey where a narrow passage runs along the rectangular hall. The central alcove is topped by a beautifully worked dome. In the courtyard at one time there was a shallow tank, which had a fountain. The mosque has an inscription which says 'As long as there are people on this earth, may this edifice be frequented, and people be happy in it.' A noble thought amen to it.

Sher Shah Sur seems to have razed to the ground the city of Dinpanah built by Humayun, and on the same site, which was also perhaps the site of Indraprastha, believed to be the capital of the Pandavas, he raised the citadel of Purana-Qal'a with an extensive city-area sprawling around it. Among the seven cities of Delhi, the Purana-Qal'a is the sixth. It seems that the Purana-Qal'a was still incomplete at Sher Shah's death in 1545, and was perhaps completed by Humayun, although it is not exactly certain which parts were built by the latter. On plan the Purana-Qal'a is irregularly oblong with a circuit of 2 km., with its longer sides on the east and west. Its high walls of rubble masonry with a slight batter, 4 m. thick and as much as 21 m. high in places, have a battlemented parapet above the row of arrow-slits, behind which all along the circumference are built a series of chambers in a two-aisle depth. There are massive bastions on the four corners, in addition to five bastions in the western wall, and three gates, all double-storeyed, one on each side except on the east. The gates have a veneer of red and buff sandstones, with an ornamental use of white and black marble and coloured tiles.

The city of Sher Shah around his citadel was extensive, two points on its circumference being perhaps provided by the large and impressive gates to the west of Purana Qal’a and Kotla Firuz Shal on the Delhi-Mathura road, both known as the Kabuli-or Lal-Darwaza.

The Qal'a-i-Kuhna-Masjid, built by Sher Shah Sur inside the Purana-Qal'a, which served as the Chapel Royal, marks a step forward from the Moth-ki-Masjid. It is, on one hand, anticipatory of the mosque-design as it was to take shape in the early Mughal period, and, on the other, emphasizes the ornate phase of Sher Shah's architecture, as distinct from the plain treatment noticed in the tombs raised by him. Its rectangular prayer-hall at the western end of a courtyard with a shallow tank in the middle, which was originally provided with a fountain, is entered through five openings with pointed arches inclining towards the four-centred form.

The central arch, fringed with lotus-cusps, is framed within decorative bands containing inscriptions and geometrical designs, with thin turrets on the corners. The entrance arch on a recessed plane is likewise treated, with an arched window supported on brackets between the larger arch and the entrance. The flanking arches are also ornamented, but not to the same extent as the central one. Below the merloned parapet runs a chhajja supported on brackets. The inner west wall of the hall is also divided into five arched recesses, which are richly decorated with white and black marble set in geometrical patterns and framed within inscribed bands. The design of the mihrab is unique, obtained by the sinking of one recess within another, which multiplies the scope for ornamentation. On the northern and southern j sides, above the side-entrances are oriel windows, which admit light into the narrow gallery on the second storey running all round the mosque. At the two rear comers are semi-octagonal three-storeyed towers, with openings on the sides.

To the south of the above mosque is Sher Mandal, a double-storeyed octagonal tower of red stone relieved by marble, with a recessed rectangular entrance within an arch on each side, the same scheme repeating itself in the second storey. Perhaps originally constructed as a pleasure-tower, it is believed to have been used by Humayun as his library, from the stairs of which he fell down and died.

Old Fort,Delhi

Purana Quila or Old fort,was built by the great Afghan ruler Sher Shah Suri,in the 16th century A.D. It is situated in Delhi.

The structure houses a mosque,which has a double-storeyed octagonal tower. Recent excavations at the fort site have yielded painted grey ware pottery,which dates back to 1000 B.C. The walls of the fort are 18 meters high at some points and there are groups of holes arranged in patterns on the walls,which were apparently meant to be nesting spaces for birds.

Inside the fort is the Kuhna Masjid built by Sher Shah in 1541 and is considered to be a masterpiece of architecture. The inner west wall of the building has five arched openings,which are richly ornamented in white and black marble. On a marble slab inside the mosque is an inscription which when translated reads: ' as long as there are people on this earth,may this edifice be frequented and people be cheerful and happy in it'.

Out of the three gigantic entrance gateways (Humayun Darwaza,Talaqi Darwaza and Bara Darwaza) that Purana Qila had,only one remains open now,the Bara Darwaza. The central section of the mosque made up of white marble and bright red sandstone gives it a real touch of class.

Old Fort of Delhi is believed to be situated on the same site where the city of Indraprastha once stood. As per the great Indian epic Mahabharta, Indraprastha was the capital city of the Pandavas. Now standing mostly in ruins, the Old Fort of Delhi once served as the seat of administration of a number of glorious emperors. Emperor Sher Shah Suri got the fort constructed after he demolished Humayun's city, Dinpanah. Also known as the Purana Quila, the Old fort is more or less rectangular in shape, with a course of nearly two km. The legend has it that Sher Shah could not complete the construction of Purana Quila during is lifetime.

It was later completed or at least renovated by Humayun. Infact, the southern gate of the fort is known by the name of Humayun Darwaza. This gate as well as Talaqui Darwaza (the forbidden gateway) on the north combines Islamic pointed arch with Hindu Chhatris and brackets. Old Fort has 2-km long fortifications, with three gates that have fortresses on both the sides. Circling the fort is a wide moat, connected to river Yamuna that once used to flow on the eastern side of the fort. Excavations were carried out in the Old Fort area that came up with 1000 BC dated pieces of painted gray ware that were said to be connected with Mahabharata.

The other attractions of the Old Fort of Delhi include the mosque built by Sher Shah in 1541, a lake with boating facilities and Zoological Park situated nearby. Then, there is Sher-Mandal, a double-story, red sandstone and marble octagonal tower. There is an octagonal chhatri crowning the tower, adorned with glazed tiles and incised and painted plasterwork on the inside. Last but not the least, is the sound and light show of the Purana Quila that showcases 5000 years of history of the city of Delhi. The nine pools of water come alive in the light and take you on a journey of the royal past of Delhi.

It is 4 km away from Connaught Circus to the S-East of India Gate, the foundation of this Fort was started by Humayun in 1530 but remained incomplete as he was defeated by Afghan hero Sher-Shah-Suri in 1541. It is located in the pre-historical Indraprastha (as is surveyed and proved in 1955 findings) of the Mahabharata and completed by Sher Shah as the 6th city or Killa or the Fort. Later it was named Shergarh.

On the 3 sides by Jamuna. From 3rd BC to pre-Mughal period, there was fort in Indraprastha. Humayun built a new one. Old Indraprastha became Dinpanaha. The Fort was encircled with high walls having 3 main entrances. Entering through the Zoo Garden or the Talaki Entrance of north, you will see the octogonal peaks made of sand stones on Sher Manzil. After the death of Sher-Shah-Suri in 1548, Humayun recaptured Delhi in 1555 defeating Sher Shah' son Islam Shah. Humayun also destroyed Shergarh. However, Sher Manjil founded by Sher Shah became Humayun's library.

Old Fort or Purana Qila

The Old Fort was the citadel of the city of Dinpanah, Refuge of the Faithful. It was started by Humayun in 1533 AD and completed five years later. When the Afghan King Sher Shah Suri defeated Humayun, he renamed the fort as Shergarh. Sher shah is also credited with adding many more buildings in the complex. There are three entrances to the Purana Qila out of which only one remains open and is used as the entrance these days. It is called the Bara Darwaza. The south gate is called the Humayun Gate probably because it was constructed by Humayun or Humayun's Tomb is visible from there. The third gate is known as the Talaqi Gate.

Qila-I-Kuhna Masjid is an imposing mosque constructed by Sher Shah in 1541 AD. The central portion of the mosque is made up of white marble and bright red sandstone. The inner western wall called the qibla wall of the mosque has five arched openings richly ornamented in white and black marbles. Sher Shah constructed another building, the Sher Mandal, as a pleasure tower. It is an octagonal building made up of red sandstone. The two-storeyed pavilion has steep steps leading up to the roof. The structure was intended to be higher than its existing height but the work was stopped due to untimely death of Sher Shah. When Humayun recaptured Delhi in 1555 AD, he converted the Sher Mandal into his library and observatory. Humayun fell from the steps of this building a year later while he was coming down for his namaz.