Firozabad-Third city of Delhi

Abstract

The history of Delhi shows us a great deal, it is about rising like a phoenix from the fiery remains. William Dalrymple, the writer of ‘City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi‘, writes in the preface – “Generally as the Hindus trust that a body will be resurrected again and again until it gets to be impeccable. So it appeared Delhi was bound to show up in another incarnation century after century”. Delhi has been ravaged, plundered and burnt to the ground just to become more grounded, wealthier and more mind-blowing. Yet in a way unwittingly getting to be alluding to the following intruder. Delhi shows us flexibility and the capacity to bounce back. This essay is a detailed study of Firozabad the third city of Delhi which came into existence under the reign of Firoz Shah Tughlaq.

Firoz Shah Tughlaq, third well-known ruler from Tughlaq dynasty decided to build his own capital away from Tughlaqabad and Jahanpanah. It was like a tradition to proclaim own magnificence by building cities, especially under the Tughlaqs. Firoz Shah Tughlaq was a renowned builder as well as a restorer of history. Who built and restored many mosques, reservoirs and so on around Delhi.

Introduction

The third city, Firozabad is presently known as Kotla Firoz Shah. It was built in the year 1354 and according to Gordon Risley Hearn, “The limits of the city of Firozabad are extremely difficult to trace, because the city of Shahjahanabad was built at such a short distance as to make it easier for the inhabitants to pillage the building materials of the older city than to obtain them from further afield”. A part of the older city was included within the newer, but the greater part was abandoned. As per the sources, Firozabad was extended from Hauz Khas to north ridge area. It was the first city that was built on the banks of river Yamuna partly to solve the problem of water scarcity experienced in Tughlakabad.

Firozabad Kotla’s western gate is ensured by bastioned walls. Once inside you see that the greater part of the fortress is in ruin state. There are few structures with surviving rooftops. All you see are the shells of destroyed structures, uncovered underground sections, low rubble masonry walls, and stumps that were once columns to grand royal residences and corridors. Additionally seen are few structures with pyramid rooftops. The surrounding walls of this have been removed. In order to provide materials for the walls of the new city. But a few fragments still stand here and there. The masonry is of a very rough type, and the local quartzite is used. The rooms must have been dark and inconvenient; the vaulted roofs depend on the mortar for their strength.

The architecture of the city

The buildings within the city of Firozabad have fallen into ruin, and it is difficult to trace the uses to which they were put. A few still stand, noteworthy among which are the building on which was set up the Pillar of Asoka; the Jama Masjid and the Baoli. As compared to other cities and rulers Tughlaqs did not generally use the costly red sandstone in their buildings but the cheaper and more easily available grey stone. According to Satish Chandra, the main feature of the Tughlaq architecture was the deliberate attempt to combine the principles of arches and the lintel and beam in their buildings, found in a marked manner in the buildings of Firoz Shah They used less decorative devices in their buildings. Lotus is found in all buildings of Firoz Shah.

The pillar

Pyramid of Cells is a three-layered diminishing pyramid-like structure with the Ashok Pillar. That  Pillar towering on top engraved with declarations in Pali. The pillar was initially raised in Ambala by Emperor Ashok. The thirteen-meter tall pillar is made of cleaned sandstone and weighs around 27 tons. At the point when the sunbeams fall on the pillar, it gleams like metal. According to Gordon, “the inscriptions of Asoka on the pillar are in four compartments, at the four cardinal points, and also around the lower part. They are edicts, couched in rather an egotistic language, and were given in the twenty-seventh year of his reign, after his conversion to Buddhism”.

Jami Masjid and Baoli

Alongside the pillar is the Jami Masjid, which is a standout amongst the most antiquated and biggest surviving mosque landmark, still being used. Structurally it was based on a progression of underground cells and made of quartzite stone, covered with limestone. It is encompassed by a vast yard with orders and a Prayer Hall. The Prayer Hall now in complete remnants was once utilized by the Royal Ladies. The masjid has a passage from the north with stairs driving up. Just the south & west walls survive. Friday prayers are held in the courtyard. Timur was much struck by the beauty of this mosque when he saw it in 1398, twenty years after it was built. He too prayed there and was so impressed with the architecture that he built a similar mosque in Samarkand. The loot financed it and the Delhi workers were taken prisoners as spoils of war.

Few stages far from the pillar and the Masjid is the Baoli or a step well. Probably there used to be elaborate piping system interfacing the baoli to the Yamuna. The fortress walls on the east were flanked by the streaming waterway. Presently the Yamuna has moved eastwards, so it is hard to get an essence of that look.

Summary

In the sum, there was a time when the city had immense wealth and grandeur, whose remnants have left now. It faced a dark age which led to its demise. With the coming of Timur, the grandeur of that time started diminishing. He arrived in December 1398, plundered the city, prayed at the mosque and deserted with the treats. Later, progressive rulers disassembled the surviving structures and utilized the stone as a part of the development of Shahjahanabad and different structures. Kotla Firoz Shah is a desert garden amidst the city. It is difficult to imagine that precisely 614 years back on a lovely December day this fortification was being ravaged. Absorb the environment sprawled on the green grass under the fluttering sun.

Firoz Shah Kotla was utilized by progressive rulers to manufacture their own particular buildings. Without further ado changed into a lavish green area which homes the remaining parts of some fabulous chronicled structures changing over it into a standout amongst the most fascinating visitor goal in Delhi.

The Remains of other unidentified Monumental structures are likewise found in a frail state inside the fortification. To call attention to a couple is the remaining parts of a square lobby on an establishment structure. It lying simply behind Ashokan Pillar towards the northern side of Jami Masjid and a building lying on the southernmost portion of the Central fenced in area delineating mosaic workmanship. Though it is ruined today, it is believed that it was the place where the djinns come from heaven and accept requests and grant wishes. Today on every Thursdays people come there and make their wishes. A lot of wishes can be seen on the walls penned down on paper.

References

Chandra, S. History of Medieval India. Delhi: Orient black swan, 2007.

Hearn, G. R. The seven cities of Delhi. London: William clove and sons limited, 1906.

http://www.ghumakkar.com/firozabad-fifth-city-of-delhi/ retrieved on 27th September 2016.