Tughlaqabad Fort

Tughlaqabad Fort, Delhi 

The historic monument of Tughlaqabad Fort is a devastated fortress in Delhi, extending across 4.03 miles, constructed by Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq, founder and first ruler of the Muslim Tughluq sequence of powerful leaders, of the Delhi Sultanate of India in 1321.

Tughluqabad Fort Delhi still comprises of singular, monumental stone defensive structure consisting of walls and mounds built around the stronghold to strengthen it to a great extent. The slanting and damaged surrounds, a distinctive characteristic of memorials of the Tughluq dynasty, are between 10 and 15 meters tall, crowned by castellated breastworks and beefed up by round citadels of up to two floors altitude.

In Tughluqabad fort history, accounts are there, which alleges the structure to have featured almost 52 gates of which only 13 gates remain now. Furthermore, the bastioned city comprised seven rainwater storage tanks.

History of Tughlaqabad Fort

After Alauddin Khilji's death, his successor proved incompetent to rule over the entire Sultanate and very soon was replaced by Khusro Khan. Ghazi Malik was a feudatory and bannerman of the Khilji's and he, with the help of the forces of Multan and Sindh, overthrew Khusro Khan to become the new emperor of Delhi Sultanate assuming the nameGhiyas-ud-din Tughlaq. He established the famous Tughlaq dynasty and built the fort of Tughlaqabad within four years, from 1321-25. The fort was constructed primarily as a stronghold for defensive purposes against the ever-invading Mongols rather than an architectural establishment.

Architecture of Tughlaqabad Fort

The ancient fort had two clear distinctions in its architecture - one was the portion with the citadel and the palatial residences, the other was the old city to the north. The entire fortification is made of granite and stands on a perimeter of roughly 6 kilometers. The southern part of the Tughlaqabad fort with the palace, royal, residences and public halls still stand, but the city is now entirely in ruins. However, parts of it have been refurbished and now encroached with the modern settlement, especially near the lake regions.

Tughlaqabad Fort Haunted!

The fort of Tughlaqabad has an ancient folklore associated with its history. It is said that the founder of the fort and the dynasty Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq was so passionate about building this fort that in spite of being a liberal ruler otherwise, he ordered every labourer, builder and mason to compulsorily work on building it. It upset the famous Indian Sufi, Nizamuddin Auliya who confronted the Sultan and when the emperor refused to budge, he cursed the fort with the words - "Ya rahey ujjar, ya basey Gujjar: which roughly translates to "Either this fort shall remain barren and uninhabited, or it will be taken over by the Gujjars". The truthfulness of this legend is obviously questionable, but this led to the successor of Ghiyas-ud-din to abandon the fort and earned the place the tag of a haunted one. The fact that Gujjars captured the fort after the fall of Sultanate lends believability to the folklore.

Another legend associated with the same Sufi saint is that he also foretold the emperor's death by cursing him with "Hanuz Dilli dur ast" which means "Delhi is still far away". And matching his apparent words, the ruler was killed on his way back home from a conquest in Bengal, allegedly orchestrated by his own son in 1324.

Things To See at Tughlaqabad Fort

• Have a look at its thirteen spectacular gates.
• Enjoy the panoramic view of its premises, royal mausoleum, and adjoining modern settlements, from the top. Don’t forget to take some stunning snapshots, too.
• Walk through various public halls, royal residences, and passageways.
• Learn about the fort’s secret underground passage and try to trace it out while you stroll around.
• See all remnants of 7 manmade rainwater harvesting tanks, inside.
• Travel to the southern walled outpost to explore its tomb-complex of the royal family.

Best Time To Visit Tughlaqabad Fort

Best time to visit the Tughlaqabad Fort is during February to April and September to November. If you live in Delhi then you can visit this place any time round the year according to your preference but if you are planning for Delhi you should avoid the main summer months which are May-June and main winter months that is December-January. Delhi has extreme weather conditions in either of the season.

For Tughlaqabad fort people also avoid the rainy season, which is July and August. If you want to know the best time during the day to visit this place you should try the morning hours as you can also enjoy clicking good pictures here during this hour.

Tips For Visiting Tughlaqabad Fort

• The fort covers a large area, and sometimes intruders enter through the broken perimeter walls and not always with honest intentions. Stay aware of thieves and wrong-doers and be on your guard.
• Keep a watch on your expensive belongings, especially phones and cameras.
• Beware of random monkey attacks on yourself or your food and belongings. Carry a stick for your safety but do not attack them unless they try to harm you.
• Delhi summers are famous for heat and walking around in that will be painful without shades or at least an umbrella. Keep them with you. A bottle of water will also come handy.

How To Reach Tughlaqabad Fort

There are bus routes from Badarpur (Noida) as well as Gurugram (Gurgaon). Buses that make stoppage at nearby local bus stand are 34, 525, 511, and 874 etc.

Govindpuri Metro rail-line is present 5 km away from here. Take an individual or shared autorickshaw-ride from metro to reach this site. The autorickshaw travel will cost you a minimum of 100 INR.