Old Fort/Purana Qila in Delhi India

Sight Seeing. By cruisingindia.com on Jan 03, 2006.

Purana Qila in Delhi stands on a small hill that once stood on the banks of the River Yamuna. The site that the fort was built on has great historical significance, with the earliest reference to it made in The Mahabharata. This Delhi thing to do is a must for those looking to experience a piece of ancient India. It is believed that the fort was built on the ruins of Indraprastha, the abode of the Pandavas. Pottery dating back to 1000BC has recently been excavated from the fort site. The fort itself, though, was built by Sher Shah Suri somewhere around 1538AD. This structure has a mosque called Kulla Maszid which has a two-storeyed octagonal tower. The inner west wall of the building has five arched openings richly ornamented in black and white marble. A marble slab in the mosque is an inscription which when translated reads: “So long as there are humans on earth, may this edifice be frequented and may they be happy in it”. On the walls there are holes which were apparently meant to be nesting spaces for birds. There are three gates, or darwazas – Humayun, Talaqi and Bara – through which you can enter the fort. Humayun is believed to have accidentally fallen to his death from the octagonal tower of the fort.The area is extremely visually appealing as there is a lake at the base of the hill. There are arrangements for boating, and a sound and light show here every evening between 7 and 8pm is popular draw for Delhi tourism.

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