Welcome back to another episode of Incredible India. In the previous episode, I took you to the Garden of Five Senses in the heart of India's capital, New Delhi.
In this episode, we are still exploring one of Delhi's oldest structures, the Hauz Khas Fort Complex.
Hauz Khas Fort Complex
The Hauz Khas Fort, located at the Hauz Khas Village in the southern part of Delhi, was once a well-fortified place built in the 13th century during the rule of Aluaddin Khilji. It is now in ruins and hosts a range of early Islamic era structures such as Mosques, a Tomb and a Madarsa. But the most prominent feature is the large water tank or the "Royal Tank" used for supplying water to the inhabitants of the city back then.
Hauz Khas literally translates to "Royal Tank". A stone plaque installed at the site states that it was originally knowns as Hauz-I-Ilahi after Firuz Shah Tuglag name who later constructed the Madarsa and other buildings around this lake.
You will also find the Tomb of Firuz Shah Tuglaq beside the Tank.
How to reach
As it is located in India's capital city, New Delhi. It is very well connected to every part of the county as well as with the rest of the world.
You can come by road from the neighbouring cities like Faridabad, Gurugram, Noida etc. I took the metro as I was coming from Gurugram, and it took me about an hour, the nearest metro station is Hauz Khas Metro Station. From there you can walk or take a private cab or rickshaw to reach here. I prefer walking especially when it's still early in the morning.
If you are coming from the neighbouring states, you will easily find many Buses routes going in and out from Delhi. If you prefer railways, then New Delhi Railway Station is the main station along with others like Hazrat Nizammudin Station, and Anand Vihar Railway Station.
The nearest airport is the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport. And it is less than half an hour's distance from there. After landing at the airport either you can take the metro or a private cab and get to the park in less than half an hour.
Exploring the Complex
Royal Tank
There are a lot of medieval-era buildings and structures, some are in bad shape now but one of the most prominent is the Hauz Khas or the "Royal Lake" itself. Excavated by the ruler Aludin Khiji when he tried to develop this place as a new city called Siri. This was an important source of water. It has been renovated and maintained by the local authority. It has seen multiple renovations by successive Tuglaq rulers.
Madarsa
A Madarsa is an institute for imparting Islamic education and giving religious training to the students. This was established in the 14th century and was one of the most important Madarsa in India at that time. This was a two-storey building and built in L-shaped is still one of the unique shapes for a Madarsa.
There is a small mosque at one end of the Madarsa (see above picture) and the other end has a large Tomb of Firuz Shah.
Some of the structures and arches have come down with time but most of the structure is still intact. There are staircases which lead down to the reservoir on each side of the structure.
Almost every structure has a Dome on top and some of the Domes look like they have been placed later. You will find a similar style of architecture throughout the City. Domes and arches were a prominent part of the Early Mughals and Tuglaqs architecture style mixed with some Indian motifs.
Pavilions
Many cenotaphs (or chhatris or domed pavilions), in the shape of octagonal and square chhatris, are also standing in the complex, which some suggest was of the teachers who taught in the Madarsa.
There are a total of 6 pavilions adjoining the Tomb which are now placed inside a garden.
All of these are in different shapes and sizes, every feature like the shape and size of the Dome, no. of Pillars and the height of the pavilion are different. These are built on top of graves, which are believed to be of the teachers or other prominent figures during the 14th century.
Tomb of Firoz Shah Tughlaq
Firoz Shah Tughlaq build a lot of structures in and around this area and one of the most prominent was a Tomb for himself. This was a large square structure with an octagonal spherical dome on top. It houses 4 graves including one of Firoz Shah Tughlaq.
It is built on the corner of the L-shaped Madarsa and has a southern entrance gate. The gate is made out of red sandstone while the square walls have used some plaster which is now in bad shape.
There were stone railings outside the southern entryway which is very unique for a Tomb. I have visited a lot of Tombs but haven't seen stone railings like these before.
There is another structure standing opposite the Tomb near the Southern side of the complex. Not sure if this was a later construction but it is now used by the local authority and off the limits of visitors. It blends perfectly with the other structures and looks like it was constructed in the same era along with other buildings.
This complex has now become a good spot for visitors interested in exploring the Old Delhi monuments. Many just come here and walk in the beautiful park or just comes and sit here and take some nice pictures. During the sunrise and sunset, the stones glow with a faint golden light and spending some time and this is a good place to spend some quality time with your friends and loved ones.
Stay tuned for more episodes...
Namaste 🙏
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