| Tughlaqabad Fort | |
|---|---|
| Part ofDelhi | |
| Delhi, India | |
 Panoramic view of the massive bastions of Tughluqabad Fort | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Ruined Fort |
| Condition | Ruins |
 | |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1321 |
| Built by | Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq |
| Materials | GraniteStones andlime mortar |
Tughluqabad Fort is a ruinedfort inDelhi, India.Ghiyasuddin Tughluq, the founder of theTughlaq dynasty and ruler of theDelhi Sultanate, constructed it in 1321 when he established the third historic city of Delhi. However, it was later abandoned in 1327.
The fort lends its name to the nearby Tughluqabad residential-commercial area as well as the Tughluqabad Institutional Area. Ghiyasuddin Tughluq also built theQutub-Badarpur Road, which connected the new city to theGrand Trunk Road. The road is now known asMehrauli-Badarpur Road.[1]
Its environs are an importantbiodiversity area within theNorthern Aravalli leopard wildlife corridor stretching fromSariska Tiger Reserve to Delhi. Historical places around the sanctuary areBadkhal Lake, 6 km (3.7 mi) northeast, the tenth century ancientSurajkund reservoir andAnangpur Dam,Damdama Lake, Tughlaqabad Fort andAdilabad ruins (both in Delhi).[2] It is contiguous to the seasonalwaterfalls in Pali-Dhuaj-Kot villages of Faridabad,[3] the sacredMangar Bani and theAsola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary. There are several dozen lakes formed in the abandonedopen pit mines in the forested hilly area of Delhi Ridge.
Ghazi Malik was afeudatory of theKhalji rulers of Delhi, India. The Khaliji dynasty is aTurco-Afghan[4] dynasty which ruled India. Once, while on a walk with his Khalji master, Ghazi Malik suggested that the king build afort on a hillock in the southern portion ofDelhi. The king jokingly told Ghazi Malik to build the fort himself when he would become king.[citation needed]
In 1321, Ghazi Malik drove away the Khaljis and assumed the title of Ghias-ud-din Tughlaq, commencing theTughlaq dynasty. He promptly ordered the construction of his legendary city, envisioning it as a beautiful yet impregnable fortress that would ward off Mongol marauders. However, destiny would not be as he would have liked.[citation needed]
Ghias-ud-din is usually perceived as a liberal ruler. However, he was so inordinately passionate about his dream fort that he issued adictate that all labourers in Delhi must work on his fort.Nizamuddin Auliya, a revered Sufi saint of the 13th century, got incensed owing to the cessation of construction of hisbaoli (step-well) triggered by the labour requisitioning. The confrontation between the Sufi saint and the royal emperor eventually transmogrified into a legend in India. The saint uttered a curse which was to resonate throughout history until today.[citation needed]
Another of the saint's curses was "Hunuz Dilli door ast" (Delhi is still far away). The Emperor was engrossed in a campaign inBengal at this time. He was successful and was on his way to Delhi. However, his son,Muhammad bin Tughlaq, met him atKara inUttar Pradesh. Allegedly at the prince's orders, aShamiana (Tent) was made to fall on the Emperor, who was crushed to death (1324).
The 'Mausoleum of Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq' is connected by a causeway to the southern outpost of the fortification. This elevated causeway 180 metres (600 ft) in length, supported by 27 arches, leads across a former artificial lake. However, sometime around the twentieth century, a portion of the causeway was pierced by theMehrauli-Badarpur road.[5] After passing an oldPipal tree, the complex of Ghiyas ud-din Tughluq's tomb is entered by a high gateway made up of redsandstone with a flight of steps.[6]
The actual mausoleum is made up of a single-domed squaretomb about 8 by 8 metres (26 ft × 26 ft) with sloping walls crowned byparapets. In contrast to the walls of the fortification made up of granite, the sides of the mausoleum are faced by smooth red sandstone and inlaid with inscribed panels and arch borders frommarble. The edifice is topped by an elegantdome resting on an octagonal drum that is covered with white slabs of marble and slate.[6]
Inside the mausoleum reside three graves: the central one belongs toGhiyas ud-din Tughluq, whereas the other two are believed to be those of his wife and his son (and successor)Muhammad bin Tughluq. In the north-westernbastion of the enclosure wall with its pillared corridors is anotheroctagonal tomb in a similar style with a smaller marble dome and inscribed marble and sandstone slabs over its arched doors. According to aninscription over its southern entrance, this tomb houses the remains ofZafar Khan. His grave was at the site prior to the construction of the outpost and was consciously integrated into the design of the mausoleum by Ghiyath al-Din himself.[citation needed]
Tughluqabad still consists of remarkable, massive stone fortifications that surround the irregular ground plan of the city. The sloping rubble-filled city walls, a characteristic endemic to monuments of theTughluq dynasty, are between 10 and 15 metres (33 and 49 ft) high, topped by battlementedparapets and strengthened by circularbastions of up to two stories height. The city is supposed to once have had as many as 52 gates, of which only 13 remain standing today. The fortified city contained seven rainwater tanks. The fort is a half hexagon in shape with a base of 2.4 km (1.5 mi), and a whole circuit of about 6.4 km (4 mi).[6]
Tughluqabad is trifurcated into the following sections:
Today, the vast majority of the city is inaccessible owing to dense thorny vegetation and neglect. An ever increasing part of the former city area is occupied by a burgeoning modern illegal settlement, especially in the vicinity of its lakes.
South of Tughlaqabad was a vast artificialwater reservoir within the fortified outpost ofGhiyath al-Din Tughluq's Tomb. This well-preservedmausoleum remains connected to the fort by an elevated causeway that still stands today.
Visible to the southeast are the remains of the Fortress of Adilabad, built years later by Ghiyath al-Din's successor,Muhammad bin Tughluq (1325–1351). It shares the main construction characteristics with the Tughlaqabad Fort.[7]
28°30′43″N77°15′39″E / 28.51194°N 77.26083°E /28.51194; 77.26083
