Tughlaqabad Fort

Tughlaqabad Fort is a ruined fort situated on the main Mehrauli-Badarpur Road in South Delhi. Stretching across more than 6.5 km, this was built by Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq (the founder of the Tughlaq dynasty). Built around 1321 AD and abandoned in 1327 AD, it is considered as the third city of Delhi.

The fort is located in the Tughlaqabad Institutional Area and can be reached easily from South Delhi.

Ghias-ud-din Tughlaq, who was called as Ghazi Malik was the slave of Sultan Mubarak Khilji of Khilji Dynasty. Once during a walk with his Khilji master, Ghazi Malik suggested to his master to build a fort on a hillock in the southern portion of Delhi. The king laughed at his slave and told the slave to build the fort himself there when he became a sultan.

Ghazi Malik conquered Khaljis and eventually become Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq, the first ruler of the Tughlaq dynasty. He then build the fort in 1321. However, the fort was later abandoned in 1327 after a curse given by Nizamuddin Auliya to Ghazi Malik. The fort was completed in a short span of four years.

Now, in a ruined state, it is considered an important example of mediaeval military architecture. The fort is divided into three parts, one is the wider city area with houses built along a rectangular grid between its gates, the second is the citadel with a tower at its highest point and the third is the adjacent palace area containing the royal residences.

It has massive stone fortifications that surround the irregular ground plan of the city.

It has massive battlements and bastions some as high between 10 and 15 meters, built of enormous blocks of stone and walls 10 m thick. The fort supposed to once have had 52 gates of which thirteen gates that are still in operation around the fort.

Traditional stones are used around the fort for the most part. The fortified city contained artificial lakes and other rainwater tanks. These empty spots are places where water was stored for use of people around the fort.

Within the fort has huge walls, double-storied bastions, and gigantic towers were housed grand palaces, splendid mosques, and audience halls. The city lay on the eastern outskirts of the massive fort.

The Bijai-Mandal is the main attraction around the area. This is large tower which is situated inside the fort, along with remains of several halls. It also features a long underground passageway and tunnels which were created as a means of allowing people to move from one part of the fort to another.

There is also a mausoleum right next to the fort. This is located around the southern part of the Tughlaqabad fort. This mausoleum features a large red sandstone gate and a domed tomb that features the graves of Ghiyath-ud-din Tughluq and Muhammad bin Tughluq.

The tughlaqabad fort and the many different parts that were built around the fort make this an appealing part of the city's history.