PURANA QILA

PURANA QILA

THE OLD FORT

Located south-east of India Gate, the ruins of this majestic fort rise on a small hill in the green parkland of the Delhi Zoo. In 1533 A.D., the second Mughal Emperor, Humayun, laid the first foundation stone for Delhi's sixth city, which he christened 'Dinpanah' (shelter of faith). The three massive gateways and walls of the fort are believed to have been built by Humayun. The Qila-i-Kuhna Masjid (old fort mosque), Sher Mandal and other impressive buildings are said to have been added to by Sher Shah Suri (1538-1545), the Afghan ruler who dethroned Humayun and renamed the city, Shergarh. Humayun, however, reclaimed his throne with a vengeance in 1555. Sher Mandal, a two-storeyed octagonal red sandstone tower, was used by Humayun as his library, and it is here that Humayun, only a few months after reclaiming his throne, met his end after stumbling down the tortuous staircase in his haste to attend the muezzin's call to prayer.

Archaeological excavations in this area suggest that the site beneath Purana Qila may well have been the city of Indraprastha, the legendary site of the Hindu epic, The Mahabharatha. These findings are displayed at the Field Museum.

Delhi Tourism & Transportation Development Corporation Ltd. (DTTDC) organises a 62 minute Sound and Light Show every evening, which depicts events related to the fort from the times of Indraprastha to the Independence. The show is held both in Hindi and in English.