Feroz Shah Kotla Fort - Quick Guide
Feroz Shah Kotla Fort - Overview
Feroz Shah Kotla Fort was built by Feroz Shah Tughlaq in New Delhi. Prior to this, remains of monuments built by Mauryas are also there and one of them is Ashoka Pillar which was built during the 3rd century by Mauryan king Ashoka. This pillar was brought by Feroz Shah from Pong Ghati in Ambala and was installed in the fort.
Visiting Hours
Feroz Shah Kotla Fort opens for public from 10:00am to 7:00pm. It takes around two and a half hours to visit the whole fort as there are many monuments inside the fort to visit. Though the fort opens at 10:00am, the best time to visit the fort is 4:30pm onwards.
Tickets
The cost of the ticket for Indian people and the countries belonging to SAARC is Rs. 5. The citizens belonging to other countries have to pay a sum of Rs. 100 to buy the ticket. There is no charge for the children up to 15 years.
Where to Stay?
There are more than 2500 hotels in New Delhi which range from inexpensive budget hotels to expensive seven-star hotels. Tourists can also stay in tourist hostels and guest houses which provide a comfortable stay. Good service is offered in all kinds of hotels.
Best Time to Visit
The period between October and March is the best time to visit the fort as the weather is very pleasant. Through the month of December and January are chilly but still the tourists will enjoy their tour. In the rest of the months, the climate is very hot and humid which causes discomfort to the tourists.
Feroz Shah Kotla Fort - History
The location of Feroz Shah Kotla Fort is between Old Delhi and New Delhi. Feroz Shah Tughlaq ruled the city from 1351 to 1384. He got the throne from his uncle Muhammad bin Tughlaq. The fort was built by Feroz Shah Tughlaq in 1354. In the same year, he also founded a city called Ferozabad. The city extended from Pir Ghaib to Old Fort and has the population of around 1,50,000.
The city and the fort was established on the banks of river Yamuna. Many other monuments were constructed in the fort like mosques, palaces, and madrasas. Gardens were also made which were very beautiful. Feroz Shah built the fort and the city because there was problem in water supply in his previous capital Tughlaqabad.
Jinns in the Fort
Feroz Shah Kotla fort is also known for the presence of jinns who fulfil the wishes of the people. According to Islamic mythology, Jinns are made from smokeless fire while humans are made from clay. It is believed that jinns also have the same type of government system as the humans.
People write a letter and bring their photocopies which are attached to the walls of the fort. The letter should go toe the correct department in order to fulfil the wish. During the decade of 1970, a fakir named Laddoo Singh started living here which increased the letter writings to the jinns.
No preference is given to anybody by the jinns. All are equal for them. A legend says that the chief of the jinns is Laat Waale Baba who lived in Minar-e-Zarin a pyramid like structure. People try to touch the railing around the pillar as they believe that their wishes will be fulfilled soon.
Feroz Shah Kotla Fort - Architecture
Feroz Shah Kotla fort was also called Khusk-i-Feroz which means palace of Feroz. It was built in an irregular polygon shape Yamuna river is on the east of the fort. Malik Ghazi and Abdul Hakk designed the fort. The fort is mostly ruined but is still visited by the tourists. The entrance and exit gateways have been ruined.
Sultan Timur was impressed by the design of the fort. The fort was abandoned in 1490 after the defeat of Tughlaq dynasty. Though the fort is ruined but tourists can still find some of the monuments like Ashokan Pillars, Jami Masjid, Baoli etc.
Ashokan Pillar
The Ashokan pillar is placed to the north of the Jami Masjid. King Ashoka of Mauryan Empire built the pillar between 273 and 236 BC in Topra, Ambala. Feroz Shah Tughlaq brought the pillar from Ambala and established it into the fort. The height of the pillar was 13m. In order to install the pillar successfully, a pyramidal structure of three storey was constructed.
The pyramidal structure was built by using black and white stones with a kalash on top of the pillar. The pillar was beautifully decorated and was named Minar-i-Zarin. Some inscriptions can be found in Ashokan Pillar which were written in Prakrit and Brahmi scripts. Ten Commandments of Buddha are also there which led to the spread of Buddhism during Mauryan period. The best time to see the pillar is during the day when sun’s rays directly falls on it and it shines like gold.
Baoli
There is a Baoli which was filled with water. The baoli is three-tiered and is connected to many pipelines. During the period of Tughlaqs, the river flowed below the ramparts. The cisterns were connected to the river which provided water to baoli through pipelines.
Hawa Mahal
Hawa Mahal is pyramid-shaped palace which was linked to the private rooms. The floors of the mahal are linked with private rooms through a corridor. The building has three storeys and there is a staircase at the corner which moves to the terrace of the building.
Jami Masjid
Jami Masjid is very close to the Ashokan Pillar and is one of the oldest mosque which is still in use today. Quartzite stone was used to build the mosque which was plastered with lime. There was a very big courtyard along with a prayer hall which was used by the royal ladies. The prayer hall has now been completely ruined.
In this mosque, Emadul Mulk, a Mughal Prime Minister, killed Mughal Emperor Alamgir Sani In 1398, Timur came and prayed in the mosque. He was so impressed by the design that he built a mosque with the same design in Samarkand, Iran.
How to Reach Feroz Shah Kotla Fort?
Feroz Shah Kotla Fort is situated in New Delhi which is connected to all parts of India through air, rail, and road transport. Let’s take a look at the nearby cities with their approximate distance.
New Delhi to Kanpur
- By air - 393km
- By rail – 440km
- By road – 468km
New Delhi to Lucknow
- By air - 417km
- By rail – 512km (via Kanpur) 490km (via Bareilly)
- By road – 558km
New Delhi to Agra
- By air - 180km
- By rail – 195km
- By road – 217km
New Delhi to Jaipur
- By air - 241km
- By rail – 288km
- By road – 268km
New Delhi to Bareilly
- By air - 217km
- By rail – 258km
- By road – 259km
New Delhi to Moradabad
- By air - 154km
- By rail – 154km
- By road – 166km
New Delhi to Gwalior
- By air - 285km
- By rail – 313km
- By road – 329km
By Air
Delhi is connected to most of the major cities of India and abroad through air transport. Indira Gandhi International Airport is situated at Palam a place 16km away from New Delhi. Both domestic and international flights land here. There are separate terminals for catching domestic or international flight.
By Rail
Delhi is connected to almost all parts of India except Nagaland, Manipur, and Mizoram by rail. There are many railway stations in Delhi from where many trains originate, terminate or have stoppage. The main railway stations of Delhi are as follows −
- New Delhi
- Old Delhi
- Hazrat Nizamuddin
- Delhi Sarai Rohilla
- Delhi Cantt
- Delhi Safdurjung
There are other stations where only local trains have stoppage.
By Road
Delhi is connected to many cities by road transport. Tourists can catch buses from ISBT Kashmiri Gate, ISBT Anand Vihar, and ISBT at Sarai kale Khan. Tourists can catch buses for Kanpur, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Udaipur, Agra, and many other cities. AC and non-AC buses run from these terminals. Some long distance buses also have sleeper coach.
Local Transport
Tourists can visit Feroz Shah Kotla Fort through various modes of local transport. Tourists can use auto rickshaws, taxis, and local buses to reach the fort. Metro trains also run in the city and the nearest metro station to the fort is Pragati Maidan.
Feroz Shah Kotla Fort - Nearby Places
There are many monuments nearby Feroz Shah Kotla Fort built by various rulers. Tourists can visit these monuments. Description of some of the monuments is given here.
India Gate
India Gate is also known as All India War Memorial. The gate was built in the memory of 82,000 soldiers who were killed in the First World War between 1914 and 1921. Tourists can find names of around 13,300 servicemen including some soldiers and officers inscribed on the gate. Sir Edwin Lutyens was its designer.
Amar Jawan Jyoti was built after the war between India and Pakistan in 1971. In this structure, a black marble plinth with inverted rifle is there on which a war helmet is kept and is surrounded by four eternal flames.
Qutub Minar
Qutub Minar was built by Qutbuddin Aibak and is the tallest brick minaret in the world. In case of height, it is second as Fateh Burj in Punjab comes first. The height of Qutub Minar is around 73m. Mehrauli is the place in Delhi where the monument is located. The minaret is made up of red sandstone and marble. In order to reach at the top of the minaret, tourists have to climb around 379 stairs.
Humayun’s Tomb
Humayun’s Tomb was built by Akbar and designed by Mirak Mirza Ghiyas. The tomb is located nearby Purana Qila or Old Fort. Humayun’s wife ordered to construct the tomb in 1565 and it was completed in 1572. The tomb of Isa Khan is also nearby.
Isa Khan was a courtier of Sher Shah Suri and fought against the Mughals. The tomb also has the graves of Bega Begum, Hamida Begum, and Dara Shikoh. The tomb was built on the banks of river Yamuna.
Red Fort
Red Fort is located in the center of New Delhi and was the home of Mughals for nearly 200 years. The fort was built with red sandstone by Shah Jahan. There were royal apartments connected by Nahr-i-Bisht which was the source of water.
Nadir Shah plundered the fort in 1747 and destroyed many marble structures. The British also destroyed much portion of the fort during the revolt of 1857. Currently, the fort is used to hoist national flag on 15th August and 26th January.
Jama Masjid
Jama Masjid was built by Shah Jahan between 1644 and 1645. The mosque is also known as Masjid-i-Jahan Numa. The mosque has three gates, four towers, and two minarets each having the height of 40 feet. The courtyard of the mosque is very large and more than 25,000 people can simultaneously pray here.
Saadullah Khan was the prime minister of Shah Jahan and he supervised the construction of the mosque. The main entrance of the mosque faces red fort and was used by emperors to enter the mosque.
