Jahanpanah




Delhi has been a favorite place for the tourists for it gives a glimpse of India’s glorious past and the fast and furious modern city. Delhi has numerous monuments and buildings that narrate different stories about the Mughal era and other dynasties that ruled India in the past. There are so many places to visit in Delhi that people love to comeback to this place again and again. Jahanpanah is one such historical monument that was built during the rule of Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq.

Jahanpanah was one of the medieval cities that were built in Delhi during 1326-1327 by the Sultanate of Delhi, Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq. The emperor tried to build a fort covering all the existing cites in Delhi to protect them from the attacks of Mongols. The emperor built the fort around the cities like Siri and Lal Kot and also built 13 gates around them. But neither the fort nor the city survived the changes that happened after that, only the remains of the great wall can be seen today. The tourists can see the remains of this great city wall built by the Sultan along many parts of Delhi.  There are remains of the fort walls that run from Siri to Qutub Minar. The fort walls are so large that they are used as store rooms. The fort itself stands as a magnificent structure narrating the story of brilliance of the Mughal era. Great travelers like Ibn Batuta has described the beauty and magnificence of the forts and palaces built during the Mughal era.

The historians site many reasons for the destruction of this magnificent fort. The main reason sited is about the feckless and immature decision taken by Tughlaq to shift the capital from Delhi to Daulatabad in Maharashtra. He returned to Delhi after a short span of time and Tughlaqbad continued to be the center for administration of affairs. As per the descriptions given by Ibn Batuta, Tughlaq wanted to bring whole of the city under the fort but due to increase in cost he discarded the plan midway. He narrates the palatial 1000 pillared palace which was the residence of the Sultan at that time. This 1000 pillared palace was outside the fort but in Siri area but within the area of the Jahanpanah. Batuta also described the splendid architecture of the grand palace.

The major structures within the Jahanpanah are the Begumpur Mosque, Adilabad, Bijay Mandal, Kalusarai Masjid, Serai, Shaji Mahal. There is also the tomb of Sufi Saint, Shaikh Kabburuddin Auliya who lived in the 14th century.

The parts of the fort can be seen in the various parts of the South Delhi. There are many archeological excavations are done and the parts of the forts are conserved by ASI.

Best Time to Visit

The best time to visit the fort is during morning at any time of the year.

How to Reach

By Road

There are Delhi transport service buses are available that frequently ply between Saket, Press Enclave Road and Malviya Nagar. Alternately one can hire a rickshaw available from Malviya Nagar. 

By Rail

The nearest railway station is the metro station in Malviya Nagar.

By Air

The nearest airport is the Indira International airport.

OUR PLANING

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