Tughlaqabad Fort

A must-see during your travel to New Delhi, the Tughlaqabad Fort is not only symbolic of the might of the Tughlaq dynasty, but it is a piece of architectural marvel. In an advanced state of ruin today, the massive Tughlaqabad Fort was a part of the dream project of Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq (the founder of the Tughlaq dynasty) when he built the capital at Tughlaqabad (the third city of Delhi). However, this powerful edifice did not last long and fell to the curse of a saint.

The crumbling ruins of the Tughlaqabad Fort convey a sense of lost grandeur. The massive ramparts, battlements, and the mammoth stonework of this fort speak highly of the engineering skills of the workers who constructed it. The fort served the dual purpose of a defensive structure as well as the imperial capital of Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq, the founder of the Tughlaq dynasty. There are a number of monuments within the precincts of this massive fort.

The origin of the historic city of Tughlaqabad and the Tughlaqabad Fort goes to the period of the Delhi Sultanate (AD 1191-1526). The Tughlaqs (AD 1321-1414) who followed the Khiljis (AD 1290-1321) were great builders and the city of Tughlaqabad and Tughlaqabad Fort were their first major architectural achievement. Tourists on vacations in New Delhi will see that even in its ruined state, Tughlaqabad Fort is the most colossal and awesome fort in New Delhi.

On the southern side of the fort is a causeway that takes one across the (now) dry bed of a lake to the tomb of Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq. The tomb was built by the ruler himself and is enclosed in a private courtyard with fortified walls. The structure of this simple but elegant building reminds one of the Alai Darwaza - an elegant gateway built by the erstwhile Khilji ruler Ala-ud-din Khilji, near Qutab Minar, in his endeavor to beautify the Qutab complex. The style of the tomb conforms to the Indo-Islamic style of architecture, which was in vogue at that time and was the hallmark of the buildings belonging to the period of the Delhi Sultanate. Tourists looking forward to understand the intricacies that the Tughlaqabad Fort is founded on should surely visit the place on their travel to New Delhi.