Delhi set to flaunt seven cities during Games

“Work has been initiated in the first four cities and it has been just a month now. The entire process will take at least a year,but we will complete it before the Commonwealth Games for sure,” said K K Mohammad,superintending archaeologist,ASI Delhi circle.

Qila Rai Pithora,initially called Lal Kot and built by the Tomars,was later taken over and strengthened by Prithviraj Chauhan roughly in the 10th Century. Considered the first city of Delhi,Qila Rai Pithora currently lies in ruins,but the ASI hopes to carry out extensive fortification on the ruins of the fort ramparts and unearth some of the buried fort walls.

It has also been marked out for scientific clearing and conservation. Scientific clearing,which is a form of partial excavation,is also being carried out in Siri,widely considered the second city of Delhi.

Built by Alauddin Khilji in 1311,the fort housed the Palace of Thousand Pillars,and legend suggests Khilji buried the heads of “infidels” in its foundation. This site might well throw up some surprises,as archaeologists working here are hoping to come across human skulls.

“A major part of the wall is completely buried underground,but scientific clearing of this portion might unearth significant evidence to corroborate arguments regarding Khilji’s rule,” said an ASI official working on the project.

Tughlaqabad and adjoining Adilabad,too,are being given a massive facelift.

Tughlaqabad was built by Ghiasuddin Tughlaq in the 1320s. The fort had high battlements,slanting walls,gigantic towers,palaces,mosques and audience halls. It lost its glory after his death owing to an acute water shortage and the capital was shifted south of the fort to Adilabad by Ghiasuddin’s successor,Mohammad Bin Tughlaq.

This fort retains several structures today,but most of it is in ruins,and the conservation project will focus not just on fortifying the walls but giving the entire fort a facelift.

Adilabad,though not considered a full-fledged city and just a transitory capital leading to Jahanpannah,a city comprising the walled enclosure between Qila Ra Pithora and Siri built by Mohammad Bin Tughlaq as his new capital,it is also part of the ASI’s conservation plans for the seven cities. “There is a lot of work at hand with the largescale conservation work at these four cities but once these are done,we will move on to the cities of Firozabad (Kotla Firoz Shah),Shergarh (Purana Qila) and Shahjahanabad,” a senior ASI official said.

“The conservation of these seven cities will be a great way of showcasing Delhi’s history. It will be of interest not just to the tourists but also residents. It will help them understand the city’s past a little better,” he said.