Ramjas School visits Feroz Shah Kotla

Life gets a fresh breath when history rises from its grave. It happened again on February 9,while we were counting our steps towards Feroz Shah Kotla. Firoz Shah,the third ruler of the Tughluq dynasty,built this fort in the 14th Century. Today,it’s in a dilapidated and wrecked state — surrounded by fallen walls and rocks. But,though the fort has lost its beauty,it still marks the existence of Firoz Shah’s legacy and beliefs. The more we got acquainted with the facts and stories about the fort,the more our life and feelings bonded with the structure. As Firoz Shah was a very peaceful ruler,this fort lacked heavy defence architecture. Though there were slits and small places for soldiers to take aim through,there was no passage for them to take their positions. Being conservative and very keen on history,Firoz Shah also resurrected the Ashoka Pillar,originally found in Ambala. He transported it to Delhi by boat.

Firoz Shah built a house of cells to support the pillar. Though nobody knows why they were actually constructed,it is believed to be the house of djinns.

Even today,people come in the hope that praying here would fulfill their wishes.

*Amandeep Suri,X-C

Featuring arches and weathered walls,the Feroz Shah Kotla offers the visitor quite an unusual experience. The fort,behind which the sacred Yamuna once flowed,once housed many members of the Tuglaq Dynasty. Today,it lies in ruins. My visit to the Feroz Shah Kotla Fort gave me a glimpse of the divine relationship between man and God. While strolling through the Feroz Shah Kotla,I came to know about the pyramidal cell,which was built in 1356 AD. Just above the cell,there was a 13-metre-high pillar,reflecting our centuries-old culture,and the words inscribed on it were in Pali and Brahmin. The Ashoka Pillar,once situated in Ambala,was brought to Delhi by Firoz Shah Tuglaq — and it shows the acceptance of one culture by another. Enhancing the beauty of this palace was a baoli,a step-well where people used to come to relax and write qawwalis on the beauty of Delhi. Giving credence to the fact that time is the great leveller was the Jami Masjid — a weather-beaten structure that has now turned into a two-walled mosque. Though our trip to the “qila of djinns” got over soon,it will remain in my memories forever.

*Akshay Sharma,X-B

When I think about architecture,many visual images come to my mind. And being inside a historical structure gives me an immense feeling of nostalgia. The visit to Feroz Shah Kotla,an erstwhile citadel in Delhi,was a memorable one. It is situated off the Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg,near the Feroz Shah Kotla Cricket Stadium. We were accompanied by our teachers and well-informed guides. Emperor Firoz Shah Tughlaq had built the citadel in 1354. During that time,Feroz Shah Kotla was popularly known as Kushk-I-Feroz,meaning Feroz’s palace. It houses ruins of palaces,pillared halls,mosques,a pigeon-tower and a baoli. According to legend,water from the baoli was even used to light earthen lamps during the construction of the citadel,due to shortage of oil. The main public mosque,Jami Masjid,has a spacious courtyard where local residents still come to offer namaz. Though the place now seems like a fortress,it plays host to the famous Ashoka Pillar,on which the teachings of the great king Ashoka are inscribed. The edicts were written in the Brahmi script of Pali language. The citadel was abandoned in the year 1490. Sadly,it has been lying in ruins since then. Rumours have it that the subsequent rulers of Delhi used most of it for constructing other cities.

*Gopal Gupta,X-D

As we entered the Feroz Shah Kotla on February 9,I felt like I was shooting for a Bollywood movie in the midst of Egypt. Built in 1354 by Sultan Ferozshah Tughlaq,it is truly a magnificent structure. All the while,it gave me the impression that it had been waiting just for me to narrate its story — of baolis,djinns and the gala time that the Sultan had in its midst. The spiritualistic air that flowed out from the mosque filled me with positive vibes. The high-point of my visit was the time when we climbed the crumbling walls of the pyramid-like structure where the Ashoka Pillar was erected. A simple peek into the cells beneath the pillar acquainted me with the life of Firoz Shah. This walk was a great experience for me,because it totally changed my narrow perspective about history and monuments. Despite what I used to think earlier,I have now realised that they more full of life than we can ever hope to be.

*Deepak Aggarwal,X-C

When I hear the name Feroz Shah Kotla,the first image that comes to my mind is the cricket ground where Anil Kumble took 10 wickets against Pakistan in 1999. It was only recently,on February 9,that I realised there exists a fort adjacent to it. Our guide from INTACH provided us with brief facts about various Muslim rulers through history,along with a few interesting incidents related to them. We came to know that this fort,built by Firoz Shah Tughlaq,a Muslim ruler of the Tughlaq dynasty,is unlike most of the monuments we come across. The fort was built with locally available stones. During our walk around the fort area,the sight of broken gates and walls made us imagine what they must have been like during the time of its construction. Another captivating aspect of the fort was the Ashoka pillar,brought by Firoz Shah from Ambala. The fort also houses a functional mosque — the Jami Masjid. It was a great experience.

*Aditi Garg, X-D

“You employ stone,wood and concrete,and with these materials,you build houses and palaces,that is construction. But when you suddenly touch my heart,you do me good,and make me say,‘This is beautiful’,that is architecture. The walls rose towards the heaven in a way that I was moved.”

Near the famous Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium stood the imposing citadel of Ferozabad, the fifth city of Delhi. After entering the Feroz Shah Kotla,we moved on to the Ashoka Pillar — built in the 3rd Century BC. We were amazed to know that Firoz Shah Tuglaq had brought this 27-tonne pillar to Delhi from Topar in Ambala,where the great emperor Ashoka had erected it. The pillar glistens as light falls on it. Next to the pillar was the Jami Masjid. It was an awesome experience to be at the Feroz Shah Kotla.

*Shally Rathor,X-B