The first city of Delhi: The Tomar Rajputs came to rule Delhi in the seventh and the eighth centuries. Surajpal Tomar, one of their foremost chieftains founded Surajkund in Delhi, now the site of an annual arts and crafts fair. In 1020, King Anangpal, a descendant of Surajpal Tomar built the city of Anangpur and established Lal Kot, building a citadel in red sandstone in the vicinity of the where Qutab Minar stands today. He also installed an iron Pillar of Vishnu in the middle of the city of Lal Kot. Anangpal is often described as the founder of Delhi . Around this time, Turk war lord annexed north India. In 1022 he made Lahore his provincial capital and invaded India 17 times.
| The Tomars ruled for almost a century till the Chauhan Rajputs conquered Delhi. Prithviraj Chauhan massive ramparts around the area and renamed Lal Kot as Quila Rai Pithora. The Chauhans ruled till the end of the twelveth century when the legendary Prithvi Raj Chauhan was defeated and killed by Mohammed Ghor, the Turkish invader in 1192. Prithviraj Chauhan, the last Hindu ruler of Delhi. Ghor returned to Afghanistan after installing his trusted slave Qutab ud din Aibak as General in charge of Delhi. Qutb ud din Aibak built India 's first mosque Quwwatul Islam Masjid at this site. It is said that many of the pillars are from the Hindu and Jain temples that stood within the city of Rai Pithora. The mosque was completed in 1198. One attractive feature of the mosque is the sandstone screen that forms the faade of the mosque. It is carved in a fusion of Hindu and Islamic styles. The iron pillar that stands in the |
courtyard is the one that Anangpal installed. The Sanskrit inscription on the pillar dates it to the Gupta period of the 4 th century AD. The pillar, in its 1700 years of existence, has neither rusted nor decomposed - a tribute to the metallurgical know-how of the times. In 1199, Aibak began work on a victory tower, the famous Qutab Minar. It is said that the original construction was the work of Prithviraj. The tower was part of a temple, which also housed the Iron Pillar. The Minar rises 238 feet in five stories. Aibak's original structure had only three stories. The fourth was added by Iltutmish, the fifth by Firoz Tughlaq. In 1829 a Major Smith added a cupola at the top, which was removed for aesthetic reasons in 1848. |
| After the death of Mohammad Ghor in 1206, Qutab ud din Aibak proclaimed himself as Sultan of Delhi. He was succeeded by his son-in-law Shams ud din Iltutmish who built the the mausoleum of Saint Qutub-ud-din Bakhtiyar Kaki and also built Shamsi Talab, the site where the Sultan saw the footprints of the Holy Prophet's horse Buraq. He completed the fourth storey of Qutub Minar and work on his tomb within the Qutab Minar complex. After his death in 1236, his daughter, Razia Sultana, ruled Delhi for three and a half years. Delhi saw much strife before Ghiasuddin Balban ascended to reign for twenty two years from 1265 to 1287. The next long reign was of Alauddin Khilji who ruled Delhi for almost 20 years from 1296 to 1316 |
Old Fort
The northern one is called the 'Talaqi-Darwaza' (the Forbidden Gate) and has a carving of marble lions engaged in combat with a man in its front. One can still see the remnants of the colored tiles which used to ornament its exteriors. However, it is said that Sher Shah could not complete the construction of Old Fort and it was finished by Humayun. Thus, the southern gate of the fort is known as Humayun Darwaza. There is a wide moat on the northern and western sides of the fortress and a causeway connected the fortress with the main land.
Excavations in the Old Fort area have revealed pieces of painted greyware dated around 1000 BC, said to be related to Mahabharata. Relics and remains of later period found here confirm the belief that Purana Quila was built on the site of Indraprastha, the capital of Pandavas. These artifacts range from the Mauryan to early Mughal period, such as Northern Black polished ware, punch-marked coins, human and animal terracotta figurines and inscribed terracotta seals. Sher Shah built a mosque in 1541, with traits of Lodhi to Mughal architecture style.
Sher-Mandal, a double-storey octagonal tower of red sandstone and marble, surmounted by an octagonal chhatri and decorated with glazed tiles and painted plasterwork was also built by him. The latter was said to be used as a library by Humayun. It was from here that Humayun fell down and died. Besides these, there is a Sound and Light Show at Old Fort, presenting the 5000 years of history of Delhi. Other attractions near the Old Fort are a lake with paddle-boating facility and the Zoological Park situated just adjacent to it
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