Kotla Feroze Shah Documentation report

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Detailed Listing and Inventory

Name of the site Kotla Firoz Shah fort

Date of Listing 17 October, 2019

Address Balmiki Basti, Vikram Nagar, New Delhi, Delhi 110002

Ownership

The Kotla is a Protected Monument under Archaeological Survey of India. It is a public

property. The palace fortress is a Precincts or Multiple Property.

Age/Date

The Kotla Firoz Shah was commissioned by Firoz Shah Tughluq in the month of Rajab 732

AH according to A Comprehensive History of India - The Delhi Sultanate. Analysis of

monumental epigraphy like Futuhat-i-Firuz Shahi inscribed in Jami Masjid must reveal

tentative date of the structure. Other primary sources which are useful in ascertaining the age

are Sirat-i-Firuz Shahi and Tarikh-Firuz Shahi.

Property Category

The historic site of Kotla is a Precinct or Multiple Property Structure. However, the listers of

this project have dealt with individual structures of the Precinct.

Historical significance

The construction of Kotla began in AD 1354. It marked a shift of geographic focus away

from South Delhi region, as Firozabad was located nine kilometres to the north, extending

from Yamuna river in the north west to the Northern ridge. It is associated with the personage

of the last effective Tughluq Sultan Firoz Shah Tughluq (AD 1351-1388). It is marked by

architectural asceticism having features like walling consisting of random rubble work,
untrimmed surfaces coated with a substantial layer of cement, roughly dressed monoliths and

decorative works moulded in plaster rather than being carved in stone. Contemporary beliefs

attached to monument consist of djinn worshipping and djinn-saints like Nanhe Miyan

Chishti and Lat Wale Baba are popularly known and revered.

Stage of preservation

The Precincts show signs of deterioration with improper and frugal restoration work even as

it has not survived intact.

Grading

In terms of Architecture, the structure can be graded C or Fair because it doesn't exhibit fine

workmanship, but does portray local architectural traditions.

In terms of historical/associational value, the structure has regional historical significance due

to a functioning mosque and popular devotional practices of djinn worship.

Contributions of listers

Priya Sharma- The section on Jami Masjid, Jinnealogy and photography credits

Pema Yangchin - The section on Sat Dar, Jinnealogy and photography credits

Kiran - The section on Hawa mahal, the Ashokan Pillar and photography credits

Lydia S.M.- The section on Baoli

Ashutosh - The Section on Kushk-i-Firoz and Jinnealogy

Introduction

The documentation report of Firozabad or Kotla Firuz Shah fort is based upon the guidelines

provided in the booklet published by INTACH and authored by conservation architect Mr

Divay Gupta. The booklet titled Identification and Documentation of Built Heritage in India

provides comprehensive and instructive details on the meaning, significance and typologies

of documentation or recording.
 The three primary parameters which make this historic site worthy of documentation

as a built heritage are it's cultural significance, historical integrity and context. All these

aspects, though primarily perceived and analysed in terms of its tangible manifestations, have

as we shall see, intangible repercussions. Therefore, the material conditions of Firozabad is

linked not only to those who managed, controlled, inhabited and used it during 14th century

Sultanate era, but also how over the years it has been treated and utilised by those

commanding power and resources to conserve the site, and those seeking the same to sustain

their daily lives. It is this historical development of Firozabad and the phases of development

of its structures as well as the cultural landscape of which it forms a part, that this report

aims at compiling.

The significance of Kotla Feroze Shah is multifold - for reasons, both historical and

contemporary. In historical terms, firstly, the architectural characteristics of the Firuzian

period are too sombre and ascetic marking a break from preceding plasticated ornamentation.

John Burton-Page observes that red sandstone and marble were no longer used, and in Delhi

the favourite materials were the local quartzite for columns, jambs, arches and reveals, with

the other elements built of compact plaster, usually whitewashed, over a random rubble core.

Ornament is generally reduced to a minimum, and where it exists it is more usually of

moulded plaster than of carved stone. Percy Brown traces the roots of "somewhat dull and

featureless form of expression" and "a scheme of sombre monochromes and half tones" to the

rule of Mohammad bin Tughluq. While on one hand, a scarcity of skilled stonemasons and

experienced workmen due to the dispersal on the transfer of capital by Muhammad bin

Tughlaq precluded any building scheme that required special technical knowledge, on the

other the general political extravagances of the same ruler ushered Firuzian era into adopting

measures of financial stringency (one of which was also the established of Diwan-i-Wizarat

i.e. Department of Finance).

 This despite sultan's self - confessed passion and reverential attitude to construction

projects as recorded in Futuhat-i-Firuz Shahi, "Among the gifts which God bestowed upon

me, His humble servant, was a desire to erect public buildings." Shams Siraz Afif also talks

about the three abiding interests of Firuz shah - hunting, governing and building. In Malik

Ghazi Shahna and Abd-al Hakk, Firuz Shah had no mean architects, who employed and

immense staff of skilled workmen, all duly paid from the treasury after the plans had been

approved and necessary grants assigned.

Contemporary relevance of Firuz Shah had its beginnings in the post-Emergency

period. After the imposition of Emergency in 1977 and state ordered brutalities that followed,

Kotla became a popular site seeking refuge from the upheaval caused in their lives.

Coexisting with an organised and institutionalised religious space of Jami Masjid with

seminary trained Deobandi scholars, djinn worship defies scriptural authority. Since through

the practice of their faith, people rework the spaces that they inhabit, it becomes relevant to

any documentation attempt on Kotla to explore this peculiar mix of religion, politics and

history.

Secondly, the palace-fortresses of Feroze Shah Tughluq and in fact, the building

projects of all the Tughlaq dynasty anticipated and gave birth to the Indo-Islamic architecture

in the fourteenth century itself. Antony Welch and Howard Crane sum it very well, "Muslim

Indian architecture was transformed from a provincial variation of Ghurid forms to a distinct

and self-generating style of its own". This stylistic syncretism reached heights of perfection

and finesse during the Mughal era from 16th to 18th century. However, the Multani influence

was not altogether dispensed with.

A reference to the historic context in which Firuz Shah was enthroned as Sultan gave

a definite shape to his ideas of kingship and patronage appears necessary. Firstly, the famous
brutalities, the turbulence initiated and sustained by Muhammad bin Tughluq was replaced by

placidity. Firuz Shah was given more to acquiescence than struggle and his long reign was

marked by affordable market prices of basic commodities, absence of plagues and pestilence,

placated and non-rebellious nobility owing to voluntary devolution of royal authority (and

rights of regal architectural patronage) to capable viziers like Khan-i-Jahan Maqbul and

Khan-i-Jahan Junan Shah.

This last feature was also evident in architectural bureaucracy. There was a general

dispersal of royal patronage and style. The number of architects, engineers and artists

employed in the sultan's administration was larger than ever before.

Another significant aspect in the discussion of context is the Hindu influence pervading the

dynasty of Tughluqs. From Ghiyasuddin Tughluq, whose father was a Turk and mother most

likely a Hindu, subsequent Tughluq rulers also married Hindu wives. Tughluqs were also the

first Delhi sultans to bring substantial number of Hindus into governmental and military

service, a move which had a marked effect on the shape of Tughluq culture.

When it comes to judging the monument on its integrity, which basically means

survival of physical characteristics and significant elements, monument leaves much to be

desired and disappoints us. Kotla Firuz Shah's fort has been commonly labelled in colonial

memoirs as well as historic accounts of independent India as fragmentary ruins and the

precise function of many of its structures remains enigmatic. Many of the pillars are broken

to an amazingly equal height. The quarrying of construction materials for use in Shergarh and

Shahjahanabad is confirmed by primary sources.

The complex is divided for convenience into four main structures: Kushk-i-Firuz

(Palace of Firuz), Jami Masjid, Baoli and Hawa Mahal. Such a consideration of separate
elements of Kotla Firoz Shah complex is inspired by Gordon Risley Hearn's account in his

book The Seven Cities of Delhi :

"The buildings within the castle have fallen into ruin, and it is difficult to trace the uses to

which they were put; a few still stand, noteworthy among which are the building on which

was set up the Pillar of Asoka ; the Jami Masjid ; a circular building with a number of

underground rooms ; and some ruins which are supposed to have comprised the emperor's

palace. "

Hawa Mahal or lat pyramid

District:- Central Delhi

Sub division:- Daryaganj

Locality:- Delhi (Lat.28" 38' N; Long. 77" 14'E)

Ownership:- Government

Administrative control:- Archaeological

Survey of India, Delhi Circle

Hawa Mahal is built on the left side of Jami Masjid and is situated on the north side of the

palace.And it is also known as Lat Pyramid. Hawa mahal is a three-storey pyramid building

and was a royal residence and had a special path leading to the private rooms. Hawa mahal or

lat Pyramid was constructed to systematically erect the Ashoka Pillar. Apart from this, the

structure of Hawa mahal is very attractive, its floor is lower than the lower floor, which gives

it a systematic shape. Hawa Mahal and the entire palace were demolished after the death of

Feroz Shah and the structure of Hawa Mahal was also damaged, But at the present time the

important structure of Hawa Mahal can be seen, apart from this, the Ashoka Pillar still exists.
 The lat pyramid has received more attention by contemporary historians and modem

scholars than the mosque itself. It is a peculiar monument of Indo-Muslim architecture, not

only in form but also in function.

The present-day pyramidal foundation conforms closely to the description of it in the

Sirat-i Firuz Shahi. The structure is a solid rubble core surrounded by a series of vaulted cells

on each level. The lowest or ground level plan is 118 feet square. The ground level consists

of a series of interconnected vaulted cells, two in depth, with arched openings providing

access to each cell along the perimeter. The Sirat illustration depicting the plan of the first

storey shows multiple entrances along each side which open into long corridors. This latter

plan approximates the actual plan of the building. A cross-section of the monument also

shows the double row of cells of the ground level. The floor of the first storey was originally

raised above ground level and the respective entrances were approached by stairs. Cells at the

comers contained stairs which provided access to the upper levels and subterranean tunnel.

The cells are constructed of ashlar masonry and vaulted. The purpose of this complex of

cells, like those in the ground level of the mosque, is uncertain.

The second floor plan of the lat pyramid is 85-86 feet square. Foundations of four

comer chambers indicate that originally the stairwells were enclosed at this level. These no

longer survive except for fragments at the southwest and southeast comers . A nineteenth

century Company artist’s rendering of the structure before the Mutiny of 1857 A.D. depicts

the comer towers of the monument intact. Also, other nineteenth century illustrations of the

lat pyramid reveal that the low flat domes of these chambers were still intact. A

reconstructed elevation perhaps best illustrates the profile of the monument with its comer

chambers. The condition of the monument today is considerably dilapidated from its original

form. The comer towers were 20 feet square in plan and the vaulted cells on this level are

much larger with wider arched openings .The cells, only one deep on this level, are
interconnected with wider passageways so that the effect is that of a continuous chamber, 45

feet 4 inches long and 9 feet 9 inches wide. Stairs permitting access to the upper storey are

located at the four comers of this level. Narrow openings at the left of each facade allowed

access to the stairwells but the comers where these stairs were located have crumbled away.

The corridor which connected the lat pyramid to the mosque originally probably joined the

former at its south side near the west end of this storey, but the Archaeological Survey has

expressed doubts as to whether a bridge existed at all.

The third level is 54-55 feet square in plan and consists of a ring of eight cells, three per side

(one on each of the four sides and the four comer cells). Each cell is interconnected and is

entered through an arched opening. The size of each cell on this level is 9 feet 9 inches

square. All three stories are constructed of rough ashlar masonry. Any traces of plaster facing

are gone and it is likely that the monument was not intended to have a finished plaster surface

although the Archaeological Survey speculated that it was plastered with chunam (the same

type of plaster which faces the mosque) or, less probable, faced with red sandstone.

An arcade is thought to have once surrounded the lat on its top storey. This level

provides the roof to the web of cells beneath it and is the point at which the column becomes

visible at its base. The arcade no longer exists except for the bases of two of the columns. The

four comers of the arcade were accentuated by four cupolas (chhatris). Beglar indicated that a

gallery in the uppermost storey had been broken through disclosing an inner chamber covered

by a dome, four feet in diam eter.He alleges that the pillar stood on top of this dome. If such a

chamber existed, it is now sealed.

The overall impression of the lat pyramid today is that of an open pavilion. Although

the loss of the comer chambers has diminish the monument’s massive profile, the repetitive

arched openings along the facades conceal the solid mass of its core. The pyramidal shape
and the profusion of arches lend visual emphasis to the height of the column. Viewed from a

distance, the monument appears to sweep upward, no doubt a desired effect and one which

conforms to the exaggerated descriptions of its height in the Sirat-i Firuz Shahi.

Contemporary significance of Hawa Mahal

Today, the Hawa Mahal remains grilled on all sides on account of being structurally unstable,

however visitors are allowed to access it; both Hindu and Muslim devotees come to offer

prayers to the powerful djinns, especially on Thursdays which are considered sacred, to

beseech them to bestow wishes, forgive sins or facilitate exorcisms through the services of

mystic Sufi mendicants; the faithful leave behind reverent offerings of sweets, earthenware

vessels full of milk, colorful pieces of cloth, locks, marigold flowers and incense besides

letters of request and money in the alcoves of the pavilion – one can notice the sites of

prayers even on other days of the week when the devotees aren’t around since the incense and

oil lamps have turned these congested chambers into dark, soot-blackened but fragrant

corners. Notwithstanding the inscriptions etched by Ashoka’s blacksmiths regarding the

pillar’s erection and purpose, people still profess to various supernatural notions regarding its

antiquity and history – one legend even attributes it as being the walking stick of the

mythological Pandava prince Bhima (who, before reigning over much of north India with his

brothers from their mythical grand citadel at Indraprastha (the site of Delhi’s Old Fort, refer

Pixelated Memories - Old Fort), governed five villages – Indrapat, Tilpat, Baghpat, Panipat

and Sonepat – of which Panipat and Baghpat are located close to Ambala and Meerut, the

original site of the two pillars) – he would have been a giant to use a 27-ton pillar as a

walking stick! The generous djinn too is referred to as “Laat wale Baba” (“Saint of the

Pillar”) and it has been argued in print media and elsewhere that the practice of djinn-worship

and religious prayer at these ruins began recently, in fact as late as 1975-77 when, during the
Emergency imposed by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, a mendicant named Laddoo Shah

was evacuated from his residence near Old Delhi’s Turkman Gate locality and began to live

in Kotla Feroz Shah. So much for the claim that worship has been going on here for several

generations! I am naturally disappointed since the place that first inspired me to explore the

magical, mystical side of Delhi has proved to be just a myth, an urban legend, though even

yet I refuse to believe that Delhi ceases to be a residence to mythical creatures, supernatural

entities and spiritually-endowed mendicants (if they all exist). For me, the city shall always

remain an inspiring, magical abode arising out of a conglomeration of mystical legends and

ancient folklore.

Ashokan Pillar

The Ashoka Pillar is installed on the top terrace of Hawa Maha. And this Ashoka pillar is also

a symbol of the policy dhama by Ashoka exposing and developing human values.It also

reflects the politics, social and religious life of the Mauryan Empire.When Feroz Shah went

on a hunting expedition to Topla, near Delhi, he discovered two Ashoka pillars and,

influenced by the discovery of these Ashoka Pillars, Feroz Shah thought of bringing this

number to his new capital.Because Ferozeshah was fond of installing new structure.

He arranged to bring the pillar to Firozabad. He arranged for the pillar to be brought to

Firozabad and to establish the Hawa Mahal or khusk - I - shikar to erect the Ashoka pillar.

The Ashoka Pillar is 27 tons heavy and has a length of 13 meters. It is made of a sandstone.it

is polished.Apart from this, there was a kalash on top of the Ashoka pillar which was

dismantled at the time of the destruction of the palace.And the lower part of Ashoka Pillar is
rough,Regarding it, historians say that when it was being removed from the original place of

Topra, it was located at the lower level of the ground, due to which it was rough when it was

removed.And it can be seen even today on the rough.The most important feature of Ashoka

Pillar is that when the sun's rays fall on it, it shines like gold and that is why it is called Minar

-i - zarin.

The reason why Feroz Shah brought Ashoka Pillar to his capital may also be that he wants to

develop the human values ​of the people of his capital.The great More king Ashoka ruled from

272 - 232 BC According to this Ashoka's pillar is 2200 years old and it is still safe and it

makes our history more establishment and it is our important heritage.

On the Ashoka Pillar is the main inscription quoted by Emperor Ashoka in brami script and

prakrit language, which was first translated by James Prinsep in 1837.

The entire process of bringing the pillar from the Ashoka pillar's original residence to

the Yamuna River :

After removing the Ashoka Pillar from the original place of Topra, a huge silk cotton bed was

first prepared to bring it to Firozabad and then carefully covered the bed of Ashoka Pillar and

covered the pillar with a sheet from the top.So that there is no slight damage to the

column.The pillar was successfully brought to the Yamuna River by placing it on a

42-wheeled vehicle and this vehicle was pulled through a rope with the help of 200 people

and thousands of people were taken in this whole process.

Process of bringing the pillar to Firozabad by boat

The pillar was brought to the ghat by means of a 42-wheeled carriage where a huge boat was

tied

The place where the cart had to be parked was dug more so that the wheels of the car could

be pressed into the ground and the pillar could be removed easily from the cart.A wooden

structure was made in the middle of the boat, in which the place remained permanently in the

center.After placing the pillar in the boat,The column is tied with ropes.And along with this,

the other two big boats of the boat were tied as support.It was very hard work.Everyone took

the name of god.And thus the pillar was brought to Firozabad by boat.

Finally, the minar - I - zarin or Ashoka Pillar was installed on 30 September 1367 above the

Hawa Mahal.

The Ashoka Pillar inscription describes Ashoka's policies and moral teachings, and appeals to

the people in this inscription

Inscription on Ashoka Pillar, Translated by James Prinsep in 1837 :-

Ashoka's inscription describes the work done by Ashoka that Ashoka planted fig trees on the

HighRoad which provides shade to animals and people.

All people should be treated with respect and treat children with affection and follow the

instructions of religion.

All the work that I have done should also be done by the coming generation so that its

influence remains and that is the duty of the coming generation.And serve parents and

spiritual people and look at orphans and servants with kindness.

Do not kill any living animals or animals.It should be banned completely.

Similarly, other pillars should be erected so that even distant people can follow it.

Jami Masjid

District:- Central Delhi

Sub division:- Daryaganj

Locality:- Delhi ( Kotla Firoz Shah )

( Lat.28" 38' N; Long. 77" 14'E)

Ownership:- Government

Administrative control:- Archeological

Survey of India, Delhi Circle

Jami masjid is situated between the Ashokan pillar and the royal palace. Firuz Shah ordered

the construction of the mosque early in his reign. Following his return to Delhi in

755/1354-1355 after the first campaign to Bengal, he selected the site and commenced the

building of Firuzabad. Although the original structure has lost its intactness over the years but

the main structure has survived over the years. Firoz Shah’s wazir Malik Khan-i-Jahan Junan

Shah Telingani designed Jami masjid. The masjid still carries a great religious significance as

worshippers still come here on a regular basis to pray. Afif writes in the Ta’rikh-i Firuz

Shahi, "There were eight public mosques and one private mosque,...the public mosques were

each large enough to accommodate 10,000 supplicants”. The material used in the

construction of the structure is the hard Delhi’s stone and rubble. It is a square-plan domed

chamber and is similar in its plan and form to the portal of Muhammad bin Tughluq’s mosque

at Jahanpanah. The structure extends 20 feet 3 inches from the north wall and is 27 feet wide.

The dimensions of the interior chamber are 14 feet 6 inches square and the diameter of the
dome is the same dimension. It is constructed of rubble and ashlar walls faced with plaster.

This domed chamber leads into the courtyard of the mosque. The far side of the courtyard has

a series of low arches where people worship. It is further interesting to note the narrow

connecting staircases which directly led to the main courtyard. These passages indicate

towards the existence of zenana entresols, these could be found in the staircase ascending

from the entresol to the roof above, another one descending to the ground below and finally

in the northern and southern walls.

According to Franklin who visited the mosque in 1793, the structure probably had

four cloisters, the domed roofs of which were supported by 260 stone columns, each about

5m high. The qibla is oriented toward the west as dictated by the direction of prayer towards

Mecca. The elevation of the exterior facade shows a high massive wall. The wall is battered,

a characteristic feature of Tughlaq architecture, and its surface is undecorated except for tiny

light wells which let light into an extremely narrow passageway (zanana) located within it

above the level of the floor.

The centre of the courtyard shows traces of a deep pit where a well could have

existed. It has also been suggested that the well served as deep sunk shaft which supported

the domed structure above it. well is located in the center of the courtyard of the mosque. The

depth was determined to be approximately 25 feet. The remains of six (of eight) column

capital were found in the debris that was strewn around this area when surveyors first

examined the monument. These capitals were described to be the type used in chhatri or

pavilion structures. J.A. Page in his book A memoir of Kotla Firoz Shah mentions that the

well was probably connected with the adjoining galleries with the apartments on the river

front. The ground-level corridor, constructed of rubble walls and covered by groin vaults,
may possibly have been covered with plaster. The walls and ceilings of the interior cells were

originally finished with plaster.

Jami masjid provides view to the Ashokan Pillar, Baoli and the royal palace.

Although severe damage has been caused to Jami masjid over the years, the caretakers of the

masjid along with the monument have tried to maintain the sanctity and the intactness of the

structure. Today only portions of the north and south walls of the jami masjid survive and the

east wall has disappeared. The report of the Archaeological Society of Delhi in 1847

indicates that a floor of an apartment, approximately six feet above the prayer hall floor,

existed in the three bays on the north end of the prayer hall and three bays at the south end.

These apartments, which are believed to have joined with the zanana gallery within the qibla

wall have entirely disappeared.

When Timur came to India, he visited Jami Masjid and offered his prayers, he was

highly impressed with the masjid, he commissioned the construction of this impressive Bibi

Khanum mosque at Samarkand, which looked highly similar to Jami masjid. Bibi Khanum

mosque carries significant resemblance with the Jami masjid in terms of the concept derived

from the latter, i.e. a courtyard mosque. Further elements include the adjoining galleries,

main entrance to the courtyard is from the north eastern direction, huge domes, presence of a

stone pedestal in the middle of the courtyard. Jami Masjid was the only structure left

untouched by Shahjahan when he had the entire complex plundered for construction material

and debris. Chambers beneath the mosque were dug up when Shahjanabad was being built

so as to connect the two citadels via deep underground tunnels that still exist, but have been

blocked for the purpose of security.

Thus, Islam was promoted by Sultan's substantial patronage of religious architecture.

However, apart from such grandiose constructions, his personal faith had other expressions -
he had his Futuhat-i-Firuz Shahi inscribed in the interior of Jami Masjid. He had the names

of previous sultan's of India included with his own in the khutba, and several pages of the

Futuhat detail his careful rebuilding of the edifices. He arranged for restoration and

renovation of many of the monuments of his predecessors.

Baoli

District:- Central Delhi

Sub division:- Daryaganj

Locality:- Delhi (Lat.28" 38' N; Long. 77" 14'E)

Ownership:- Government

Administrative control:- Archaeological

● Survey of India, Delhi Circle

Feroz Shah Tughlaq took special interest in strengthening the infrastructure of his empire.

Not only did he build new structures, but also invested time and money in repairing buildings

built by his predecessors. He is also considered the father of the irrigation system in India for

channelizing rivers to provide water through canals to a large part of the country.One of his

commissioned structures is the baoli inside the citadel of Ferozabad.

It lies in the heart of a large garden constructed in the form of subterranean apartments and a

large underground canal built on its eastern side through which the water runs into the

well.This baoli is situated right before the pyramidal structure, containing the Ashokan Pillar,

which Tughlaq brought from Topra near Jagadhri, Haryana. The baoli of Feroz Shah Kotla
measures 33 metres in diameter on the outside, and the water tank is around 9 metres. Area

wise, this makes it the largest baoli in Delhi.

The baoli is three-layered and is associated with numerous pipelines. Amid the time of

Tughlaqs, the stream streamed beneath the bulwarks. The reservoirs were associated with the

waterway which gave water to baoli through pipelines. This Baoli served as a summer retreat

for the Royalties, where they spent time cooling off and bathing in the water of this well. The

baoli lies locked and in ruins but is still used to water the gardens within the Firoz Shah Kotla

complex.

The Firoz shah kotla Baoli is the only circular Baoli or stepwell in the whole of Delhi. It is

also considered as the largest baoli of delhi. The circular baoli at Feroz Shah Kotla consists of

concentric circle, each smaller than the outer one, leading to the water level at the centre

What adds to the uniqueness of this baoli is the fact that it is not like most other baolis of

Delhi, where the well is separated from the tank by a wall. In this case, it is just the well dug

up to form a tank. Other such examples in Delhi are the Nizam-ud-Din Baoli and the baolis of

Tughlaqabad Fort. Feroz Shah Kotla Baoli cannot be compared with a kund, as this one has

subterranean apartments and was once covered with a roof. These two elements are, however,

missing in Nizam-ud-Din and Tughlaqabad baolis. It also has an underground drainpipe

leading to the Yamuna.

There is a possibility that the roof had a small opening in the centre. We cannot be sure of this

though, as the entire roof has collapsed now with no written description of the actual

architecture. Originally, it had entry from the east and the west, but only the west side is open
now for public. As one enters, the flight of steps leads down to the lower level where there is

access to apartments and the water tank. Towards the east and the west, above the entrances,

it once had two domed chhatris with stairs on either side.

The baoli is fenced and kept under lock and key. It is best photographed from the different

stages of the Pyramidal Structure leading up to the Ashokan Pillar. Each level gives a

different view of the baoli or stepwell, however details of the interior are not visible.

Today, this fort is the favourite destination for those who believe in djinns and want to have

their wishes granted or their problems solved. You can see devotees sitting in almost every

corner, lighting earthen lamps or incense sticks and praying to djinns. But what may amuse

some first-time visitors is that many devotees also write their prayers on a piece of paper and

stick them on the walls. Of late, people have also started lighting a lamp in a small window

on the outer wall of the baoli.

Djinn worship

Firoz Shah Kotla – the remaining parts of the fourteenth century a motor place of Tughluq

Empire, with its thick stronghold dividers encasing time-obscured rubble constructed

remainders of Delhi's first ever since riverside city – is all the more famously viewed as a

venerated Dargah instead of a historical monument; yet who can be the saints invoked in one

lying in utter ruins, through the medium of letter-composing? It is believed that man is made

out of earth from a modified dark mud and the Jinn, created from the scorching fire" ( The

Quran 15:26 and 15:27) .

Interfacing ages and times past all conceivable human recollections, Djinns are portrayed to

be related with the Prophet himself from the earliest starting point.When God created the
universe, man was born out of earth, Angels from light, and Djinns from fire. Made from

vapor & smokeless fire, the Djinns roam around the world on eagle’s wings, and being

mass-less, they can live anywhere. They were the first masters of the earth, mankind being

the second. They are beings of free will – just like humans – and capable of both good and

evil deeds. They do not belong to our universe, nor to the universe of the Angels, they live in

an alternate dimension a universe called Djinnestan in between the two.. However, for a

Djinn to grant someone’s prayer, it must first love and care for the human, and accept him/her

as its master. Djinns can take any form – humans, animals, fire, or any object, but only when

they gain trust and get used to you, will they manifest in some form or maybe in dreams to

the patient and respectful human.

It is also a space of uncommon harmony in the contemporary city: between humans and

nonhumans, men and women, Hindus and Muslims, high caste and low. Yet it is also a site

marked and shaped by conflicts: between the post-Partition state and the city of Muslim

memory that it inherited, between differing visions of Islam, between elite conservation

philosophy and popular religious practice.

It is popular common sense at Firoz Shah Kotla that more Hindus come here than Muslims

do. And many of those who come here, both Hindu and Muslims, come after encountering

the saint in their dreams, an encounter that leads not just to the instrumental resolution of

problems but to signifi-cant changes in their affective lives and ethical choices.What do the

jinn-saints whisper to them among these ruins, and in their dreams?

The jinn-saints, speak of and speak to a deep history that constitutes the North Indian self, a

self far older than the Partition based on the incommensurability of Hindu and Muslim. They

whisper of a past of the Sufi ethic of gharib nawazi, hospitality to strangers, which made Sufi

shrines places of hospitality, open to all.

They speak, of the long histories of translation that have made Islamic ideas and concepts an

indistinguishable part of Indic life and ethics. They speak of the history of Sufi theological

concepts such as fana, the annihilation of the self, opening up possibilities for everyday life:

disentangling of the self from caste and familial identities and obligations (identities

empowered and not dissolved by the politics of the postcolonial state). They speak of Islam

as an ethical inheritance and not a religious identity, the inheritance of a premodern past

shared by Muslims and non-Muslims.

Jinns are linked to deep time, connect-ing human figures thousands of years apart. In these

stories long-lived jinns serve as interlocutors connecting figures as distant in time as Moses,

Jesus, and Muhammad or, in a story directly linked to Firoz Shah Kotla, the Prophet and the

famed theologian Shah Waliullah of eighteenth-century Delhi. In these stories jinns are the

figures of the transmission

of memory beyond all possibility of human history. These stories became in-increasingly

popular in post-Partition Delhi, as did the public veneration of jinn-saints at Firoz Shah Kotla.

The popularity of jinns, and their links to deep time,increased in a city whose landscapes,

public life, and archives were increasingly

marked by the deliberate forgetting of a past—the pre1947 city—barely a generation old. The

jinns are figures, we could say, of apotropaic mnemonics, magical figures of memory who

serve as an antidote to the magical amnesia, the sleight of hand, of the postcolonial state,

which makes things disappear not by keeping them out of its archives but by making them

disappear within.

Letters written to the jinn-saints are reminiscent of the medieval shikwa, they are often

photocopied multiple times, and deposited in different niches and alcoves all over the ruins,

as if addressed to the different departments of a modern bureaucracy. The letters are almost

always accompanied by a clearly legible and detailed address and, increasingly, with
photographs.These letters written to the jinn-saints create an unusual archive of the struggles

and desires of subaltern life in the contemporary city, voices otherwise unheard by families,

by the media, by the government. It is a unique autobiographical archive, especially of

women’s voices in the contemporary city.As jinns are renowned to be shape-shifters, these

are birds and animals, especially the cats and the snakes, are seen as embodying the saints.

The letters form a strange and transient archive of the challenges and pathos of life in Delhi: a

chronicle of loveless marriages, alcoholism, unemployment, disease, promises broken, debts

unpaid, love unrequited." All this business started when Laddu Shah came here, after

Sikandar Bakht became a minister in 1977. There was no wor-ship here before that.

The main entrance, at a wall darkened by candle soot and incense, the remains of a gateway

into the inner parts of the citadel. This is the place of the jinn known as Nanhe Miyan (Little

Mister a dark basement passage under the fourteenth-century mosque adjacent, where there

are seven vaulted chambers called the Saat-Dar,People traverse this passage, entering each

chamber, turn by turn. The air is thick with incense and bodies and the echo of murmuring

voices and the squeaking of bats and the whirring of their wings overhead. Here the only light

is from flickering candles, so the people thronging the space are apparitions,

appearing and disappearing spectrally through the thick fog of incense.

Nanhe Miyan is also the name of the first jinn-saint one encounters on entering Firoz Shah

Kotla. His special place is a small alcove just off what would have been a large entry gate

into the citadel. Nanhe Miyan was a name well known in eighteenth-century Delhi and

Lucknow.

There were some special named jinns who had achieved a lot of fame among the ladies. They

were Shah Dariya, Shah Sikandar, Zain Khan, Sadar e Jahan, Nanhe Miyan, Chahaltan; but

the most fame was achieved by Shaikh Saddu. Mention of this can be found in the satire of

Sauda[1713–81]. Rangin [1755–1835] has also given a reference to this "Kisi ko ji se hai
ikhlas Shaikh Saddu seKahe hai aap ko" Nanhe Miyan ki haram koi"Someone is sincerely

devoted to Shaikh Saddu with their life.Someone calls themselves the intimate of Nanhe

Miyan.It seems that the fame of Shaikh Saddu and Nanhe Miyan was from Delhi to

Lucknow.

In the 1960s and 1970s the name of Nanhe Miyan reappeared in the landscape of Delhi, at the

shrine of Nanhe Miyan Chishti and at Firoz Shah Kotla. But the customs related to jinns in

Delhi had changed. Nanhe Miyan and all the other named jinns used to be venerated in

do-mestic spaces, in ceremonies held in private gatherings (Jaffur Shurreef 1832, 384–89), as

Rangin documents in the glossary of women’s idioms accompanying his divan of rekhti

poetry: “Baithak ([A] Sitting): They spread a clean carpet and after bathing and washing they

sit on it and Miyan Shaikh Saddu or Miyan Shah Dariya or Sikandar Shah or Zain Khan or

Nanhe Miyan or the fairies or BiBachri come upon their head [possess them]”

Now Nanhe Miyan is a public saint, claiming space and presence in the reconfigured

landscapes of the postcolonial city, not restricted to sit-tings in domestic spaces. How do we

understand the return of the jinns to prominence in the post-Partition city and their

transformation into public saints, when there exists such a strong oppositional discourse

against intimacy with them, similar to discourses in Morocco (Pandolfo 2009; Spadola 2014),

where there has been a shift in Islamic revivalist discourses and their attendant models of

personhood, malady, and cure toward emphasizing the malevolence of the jinn and

foreclosing the po-tentialities of benevolence? benevolent role for the jinn in establishing

connections between prophetic figures centuries apart in time. Jinns allow for the

transmission of knowledge and traditions beyond all possibility of human memory.

Kushk-i-Firuz (Palace of Firuz)

Written Description
The royal palace of the citadel is located to the easternmost interior of the premises

overlooking the Yamuna river which since then has shifted it's course further eastwards. The

then riverbed has given way over the years to what was termed in the site map as 'Rose

Gardens' and further ahead to the iconic Feroze Shah Kotla stadium. The vertical height of

the platform of the palace area labelled as 'Zenana Mahal' is marginally above the

surrounding city. The peculiar positioning of separate enclosures in mahal render it difficult

to determine their functionality and usage. However, the relatively cool and comfortable

ambience still existing within the Mahal area as well as relative intimacy of spaces in contrast

to the Mahal-i-bar amm (Hall of Public Audience ) point to and affirm the purposes of regal

comfort which it might have served.

There are three discrete cubical structures in the Zenana Mahal, two of them constructed

close to each other while the other being in relative isolation. The broken rubble pillars also

appear here as they do throughout Firozabad. The roofs and walls are bereft of any visible or

surviving ornamentation with exception of a floral pattern outlining the ceiling of one of the

cubical structures. The restoration work carried out by ASI consists of a coat of lime plaster

over the ceilings and arches painted in orange silhouetting it clearly and sharply.

The whole area extends till high walls which encompass a courtyard like structure

interspersed with brick structures. Beyond this open courtyard is the prayer area of the Jami

Masjid.

The open roof overlooking the riverbed is two storeyed. The walls of the lower storey have

stairs leading to the river Yamuna. On the lower terrace, there are small chambers along the

whole lining of the wall devoid of any arrangements of natural ventilation. These chambers,

replete with alcoves and prayer offerings are associated majorly with the djinn worship.
Historical references to the palace

The palace fortress of Kotla, virtually lying in obscurity due to its battered condition as well

as sombre and aesthetic architecture of the Firuzian period has, nevertheless received the

attention of archaeologists, historians and passionate travellers.

J. A. Page, a superintendent of Archaeological survey of India in colonial period, in his

memoir on Kotla Feroze Shah wrote of 'The River Front and Royal Palaces'. He mentions

some features of which four are mentioned here. Firstly, despite the poor condition of the

palace, it's original division into a number of small connecting chambers can readily be traced

on the site. Secondly, numerous little holes are spotted at the site which, based on primary

sources, might have served as pigeon nests. Thirdly, the presence of decorative features on

the roof of dalans, however unclear, are visible in form of a mosaic, set in squares outlined

with small pebbles embedded in concrete of which it is composed. Finally, river wall below

the royal palace served as as a low roofed terrace with an open arcaded facade overlooking

the river making it a picturesque sight.

The royal residential quarters of Ferozabad were lined along the river Yamuna to the east.

This arrangement had two-fold basis - Firstly, this kind of placement bestowed it with natural

beauty. Other Firuzian cities like that Hissar, Fatehbad and Jaunpur. In this manner, Firozabad

Kotla in its basic combination of structures appear to have established the royal citadel type

that is central to the organisation of the great Mughal forts in Delhi, Agra and Lahore.

Secondly, the river would form of protection on that side against the hostile land forces in the

event of a pitched battle.

Subsequent history of Kotla Feroze Shah

After the death of Firoz Shah in 1388, 'worn out of weakness', the Sultanate was

overwhelmed by fratricidal conflict for throne. The famous invasion of Timur in 1398,

deprived Delhi of its former wealth and prestige. It later served as a quarry for Afghan ruler

Sher Shah's new capital between Kilukhri and Firozabad whose construction began in AD

1540. It's ruins were again exploited by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan when he built his new

city Shahjahanabad in AD 1648.

In fact, the British government wanted to completely destroy the integrity and significance of

the site by proposing in 1914, for example, to turn Firoz Shah Kotla into a scenic park with

curving drives, amenable to automobile tours, and cover its walls with ivy, so it would

resemble an English castle, “back home.” However, due to significant native presence, it was

not to be.

According to Percy Brown, since the site of Feroze Shah kotla was abandoned one hundred

and fifty years later after its foundation, it now lies in a ruined and derelict position.

Bibliography

● Page, J.A. A memoir on Kotla Firoz Shah (1937)

● Thomas & William Daniell. Oriental Scenery

● Pool, Stanley-Lane. Medieval India under Mohammadan Rule (1903)

● Taneja, Anand Vivek. Jinneaology : Time, Islam and Ecological Thought in the

Medieval Ruins of Delhi (2017)

● Antony Welch & Howard Crane. The Tughluqs : Master builders of the Delhi

Sultanate (1983)

● Burton-Page, John. Indian Islamic Architecture : Forms and Typologies, Sites and

Monuments (2008)

● Archaeological Survey of India, Delhi Circle. Inventory of Monuments and Sites of

National Importance (1997)

 ● Delhi Heritage, Kotla Firozshah and its Surroundings.

● Gupta, Divay. Identification and Documentation of Built Heritage in India (2007)

● McKibben, William Jefferey. The Architecture of Firuz Shah Tughluq (1988)

● http://pixels-memories.blogspot.com/?m=1

● https://lighteddream.wordpress.com/2015/03/25/feroz-shah-kotla-abode-of-a-charitabl

e-king-and-benevolent-djinns/amp/

● http://www.archinomy.com/case-studies/1914/site-visit-to-feroz-shah-kotla

Chronology

AD 1351 - Death of Muhammad Tughluq and accession of Firuz Tughluq

AD 1353-54 - Firuz's first expedition to Bengal

AD 1359-60 - Firuz's second expedition to Bengal

AD 1360-61 - Conquest of Nagarkot

AD 1371-72 - The conquest of Thatta

AD 1388 - Death of Firuz Shah

Image Credits

The Tughluqs : Master builders of the Delhi Sultanate. Plate V, Fig. 2, Fig 3, Fig 9

A Memoir on Kotla Firoz Shah. Plates I-VI

Inventory of Monuments and Sites of National Importance. Fig. 5 (a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (f), (g)

The Seven Cities of Delhi. Illustration 6, Pg 67

Architectural Patronage : The Tughluq Sultans of Delhi. Fig. 7, Fig. 8, Fig. 9

Jinneaology : Time, Islam and Ecological Thought in Medieval Ruins of Delhi. Fig. 1, Fig. 3,

Fig. 4, Fig 7, Fig 12

Gallery