Places 
The Old Fort – 2
by Ragini Puri

The Backside of the Quila-i-Kunha masjid

All the while we marveled at the amazing architecture of the place, the lovebirds completely ignored us and seemed determined to make the most of the time at hand. And then we chanced upon a beautiful inscription on a plaque, and probably this justified why there was love in the air, in a fort as colossal as this --- The inscription read –

“As long as there are people on this earth, may this edifice be frequented, and people are happy in it.”

Front View of the Quila-i-Kunha Masjid

Inspiring.... Isn’t it? So soaking in the architectural grandeur of the Qila-i-Kunha Masjid, we move on to the right southern side of the fort, wherein stands the Sher Mandal. History says that Sher Shah Suri built the Sher Mandal as a pleasure tower. It is an octagonal building made up of red sandstone. This two-storeyed structure has steep steps leading up to the roof. It is said that more storeys were supposed to be added to the Sher Mandal, but the idea was dropped due Sher Shah Suri’s death. Later, when Humayun recaptured Delhi, he converted the Sher Mndal into his library and observatory Some Mughal documents indicate that it was while descending the stairs of this tower one day in 1556 that Humayun fell and received injuries from which he later died. Rumours exist that after his death, the Mughals considering the fort to be cursed, vacated the structure and built their capital in a new fort, which later came to be known as the Lal Qila, or the Red Fort.

Sher Mandal

A leisurely walk around the peripheral walls of the fort finally brings to the building houses the archeological museum. The exhibits here comprise exhibits unearthed during excavations and dating back to the days of the Mughals, Sultans, Rajputs, Guptas, Kushan and Mauryas. The excavations here also revealed pieces of painted grey ware dating back to about 1000 BC, and is said to be related to Mahabharata, which confirm the beliefs that the Old Fort was built on the site of Indraprastha. The relics found here range from the Mauryan to early Mughal period such as Northern Black Polished Ware, punch-marked coins, human and animal terracotta figurines and inscribed terracotta seals.

So completely soaked in the stories of grand architectural and archaeological heritage of our country, we head back into the chaos of the city…. walking across the sprawling grounds of the mighty fort, with the many dramas staged here, silently playing out in our minds…. The distant echo of many a marching king and generals reverberating in our ears…With the drizzly weather still pleasantly egging us into joining the mad fray of city, we bid adieu to the serenity of the fort…And as the noble thought on the masjid proclaimed, 'As long as there are people on this earth, may this edifice be frequented, and people be happy in it’, even we wish happiness for the world and its people, but more so for the couples inside! May they keep frequenting this edifice, and keep discovering moments of pure bliss, that is till their parents find out!      

February 24, 2007

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All images by Ragini Puri

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