Traversing centuries through a heritage walk of Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi

The Kotla’s currently partially damaged structure, in its pomp, had at least four layers of gate for fortification

New Delhi

A well at Freoz Shah Kotla, which used to get water from the Yamuna. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

As the clock struck 8.30am on Saturday, a group of 30 academicians and history enthusiasts gathered near the gate of the Feroz Shah Kotla to take in the history and architecture of the 14th-century structure.

The Kotla’s currently partially damaged structure, in its pomp, had at least four layers of gate for fortification. Built primarily with quartzite, the walls, just after the point where the fourth gate once stood tall, still have remnants of a flower design above each arch, although these are currently partially eroded.

“The Feroz Shah Kotla was the primary structure of Ferozabad, built by Firoz Shah Tughlaq in 1354. Ferozabad was his version of Delhi. The flower pattern is a primary architectural design found in Sultanate period structures, right until the early Mughal era,” said Sanjeev Kumar Singh, an executive engineer affiliated with the heritage cell of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.

Over the next hour and a half, Singh transported his audience to centuries ago, with his narrative on the history and splendour of the Feroz Shah Kotla, as a part of the MCD’s inaugural heritage walk titled “Safarnama Minar-e-Zarreen (the account of travel of the golden pillar)”. Under MCD’s initiative, such walks will be held every first and third Saturday till March.

Among the most attention-grabbing structures was the Ashokan Pillar, standing atop a structure broken in places, exposing sharp edges of rocks. The polished sandstone structure from the third century BC was moved to the Kotla from Topra Kalan of Yamunanagar under the orders of Feroz Shah Tuglaq, Singh said.

“This is incidentally the seventh Ashokan Pillar and has all the seven inscriptions,” Singh said.

He said the 27-tonne-heavy and 42-foot-long pillar was transported to its current location through the Yamuna, which, according to old photographs and paintings, used to flow right by the monument.

An interesting aspect of the pillar, as visitors on the walk pointed out, was the still-persistent shine and lustre of the stone.

Singh said, “One possibility is that something similar to the Mauryan polish was used on the pillar. In this method, sand from River Ganga is collected and separated using the suspension method till one gets the finest layer of sand.”

The sand, according to Singh, is then put on the stone to be polished and scrubbed using a second stone. The next layer of scrubbing uses glass and a third, wood. The final layer of buffing is done with castor oil to get the glossy finish that remains intact for centuries, he said.

The structure crowned with the pillar was flanked on one side by another damaged structure, which appeared to be a mosque. Singh pointed out that the sloped wall on one side of the mosque was a special feature of Tughlaq-era architecture.

Another interesting structure discovered on the ground was a well, which was once connected with the Yamuna through tunnels but is now filled with stagnant water. Visitors gathered around enthusiastically for a glimpse of a narrow flight of stairs that led down to the water.

“I have been a history student all my life, but this is my first time attending a heritage walk with MCD. The entire history was very well researched and well presented. I found the pillar the best part. The history of it, how it was carried here and how it still stands in all its glory is fascinating,” said 47-year-old Rashmi Singh, a former history teacher.

MCD officials said they have a plethora of walks planned between December and March, covering the search for the grave of Dara Shukoh, a tour of the Humayun Tomb complex, a view of the “first city of Delhi”, covering Lal Kot near Mehrauli and Tomar period. The walks will be free of cost, they said.