INTRODUCTION:
Purana Qila, Delhi is located in the south of Delhi near the serene Zoological Garden and the Pragati Maidan. Humayun started the construction of the city of his own on the site of the ancient city of Indraprasta, which has been proved beyond doubt by some archaelogical discoveries from its site. Every stone of the fort tells the horrifying drama of the struggle between the Mughal and the Afghans under Sher Shah Suri. Therefore the fort gives the visitors of a blend of the Mughal, Hindu and Afghan architecture. The construction of the fort continued under Sher Shah who defeated Humayun and dethroned him for a short period of time. However, it was very smartly completed by Humayun on his regined his Imperial throne. So the Dinpanah as called by Humayun was converted to Shergarh, as named by SherShah. The walls of the Purana Qila have three double-storeyed gateways built with red sandstone – the Humayun Darwaza, Talaqi Darwaza and the Bara Darwaza. The fouth one was guarde by a moat linked with the river Yamuna. There is a small octagonal redstone tower on the right side of the southern gate which was named as Sher Mandal which was later used by Humayun as his library which ultimately brought about his end when he tripped down from the stairs. One of the most interesting buildings inside the Purana Qila is the Qila-i-Kuhna Masjid, a mosque built by Sher Shah in 1541. The mosque is worth a place for prayer with large halls and has five doorways with horseshoe shaped arches. The apparent idea was to construct the mosque with white marble but to shortage of material it had to be completed with red sandstone. The mihrabs are richly decorated with symmetrical arches and there are staircases from the prayer hall that takes one to the second floor. The central bay is topped with beautifully crafted dome. The mosque bears an inscription which means “As long as there are people on earth, may this edifice be frequented, and people are happy in it.” The inscription is supported well by the Almighty as the structure looks very fresh and exquisite even today. Inside the main gate is the Museum which has some Mughal artifacts and some excavation that prove the site belonging to the age of the Mahabharata and specimens dating back to 1000 B.C. The moat at the fourth gate is used by the tourists for lazy paddle boat ride and is a great attraction for the tourists. The fort remains open from sunrise to sunset.
AsiaRooms.com provides a good deal of information on the Purana Qila, Delhi.
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