Feroshah Kotla

Report of site visit to Feroz
Shah Kotla
Sonam Tobgay
A/1998/07
3 rd yr, Sec: B
After the capricious reign of

Muhammed bin Tughlaq, his cousin, the
devout (and even bigoted!) Firoz Shah
Tughlaq (1351-1388 A.D.) became Sultan.
Firoz Shah inherited, thanks largely to the
disastrous policies of his predecessor,
nearly empty coffers and a disintegrating
empire. This did not stop him from embarking
on a vigorous campaign of building, and in
the words of a contemporary historian he
was eventually responsible for 1200
gardens around Delhi...200 towns, 40
mosques, 30 villages, 30 reservoirs, 50
dams, 100 hospitals, 100 public baths and
150 bridges. These claims are no doubt
exaggerated but underscore his interest in
architecture.
The architecture of Firoz
Shah is stern, utilitarian, almost tragic - at
times hauntingly lovely, and
at times
warningly forbidding. This is due in no small
measure to its rough exposed finish (the
glazed tiles having come off a long time ago)
as well as the lack of skilled masons and
sufficient capital.
Firoz Shah built a new

capital city on the banks of the Yamuna,
called Firoz Shah Kotla, thereby
abandoning
the
old
fort-city
of
Tughlaqabad. Apart from the desire of
the new Sultan to make his mark, this
decision could also have been prompted
by an increasingly irregular water supply
at Tughlaqabad.
The kings quarters as
well as those of his wives and concubines
were situated along the river-front.
Within the perimeter walls of the fort
were structures serving as barracks,
armories, rooms for servants, halls for
audience, an imposing mosque, as well as
public and private baths, a stepped well
or baoli, and an Ashokan pillar removed
from Ambala and mounted on top of a
pyramidal three-tiered construction.
Symbolically, this was an icon of the
Sultans supremacy in North India, very
much like the Gupta Iron Pillar in the
Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque at the Qutb.
The northern part of the Kotla still has a

baoli (a deep well surrounded by
underground rooms) where the atmosphere
is fresh even on the hottest day of
summer. The three-tiered structure of a
small and functional baoli is near intact. The
water supply runs through transverse
pipelines
And
cistern
provisions,
harnessing to advantage its prorjmitv to
the river which then flowed below the
ramparts.
The Hawa Mahall still stands in the form of
a stepped pyramid with diminishing floors,
which are linked with private rooms via a
secret corridor in the western wall of the
Jami masjid, now for the most part in ruins.
The triple-storeyed construction to vaulted
cell around r solid core with stairs at the
Maincomers
entranceleading to the uppermost terrace
where the Ashokan pillar is planted.
Royal palace
Ashokan Pillar
Features of Ashokan pillars in
Delhi The four lions of the Ashokan Pillar in
Delhi are the main features of the historic
monument. There are also non-religious
interpretations to the symbolism of the
pillars, describing the four lions as the
symbol of Ashoka's rule over the four
directions. Located north of Jami Masjid in
the citadel stands the 13 meters high
sandstone Ashokan Pillar on a rubble-built
three-tired pyramidal structure. Feroz Shah
Tughlaq brought this 27 tonne pillar
to Delhi from Topar in Ambala, where the
great Emperor Ashoka erected it. The pillar
is similar to the one fixed on the ridge, which
was also brought by Feroz Shah.
The pillar has seven main inscriptions or
edicts of Emperor Ashoka, apart from some
figures and many minor inscriptions. Though
Mainmade
entrance
of sandstone, the pillar was so
polished that till date it looks as if it is made
up of some metal. The pillar was later called
as Minar-i-Zarin as Feroz Shah ornamented
the pillar during his reign.
Royal palace
The Jami Masjid at Kotla

has survived in its open spectacular
courtyard and a portion of the western wall.
Raised on a terrace of vaulted chambers,
the mosque could accommodate nearly
tenthous and men at prayer. According to
Franklin who visited the mosque m 1793, it
had four cloisters, the domed roofs of
which were supported by 260 stone
columns, each about 5m high. The centre of
the courtyard lay under an 8m high brick and
stone octagonal dome.
The kings quarters as well
as those of his wives, harems and mosques
along the riverbank to the north and south
are divided into various rectangular and
square courts. In each there were different
activities: 'such as pavilions of differing
uses, tree-lined gardens with water, baths,
Main entrance
fountains, barracks, armories and the
servants' quarters, all arranged so as to be
connecting.' Descriptive accounts mention
mirrored halls, as well as sandalwood
sculptures and figural and landscape murals.
My critiques on Feroz Shah Kotla

Architecturally, fort that which has become
a ruin at the moment is of not much variant
with any other architecture Islamic
architectures brought about and built in
India by numerous Islam Leaders. The arches
and courtyards, the mosque, and all, its
quite evidently constructed.
Thank you.
The main point of discussion in Feroz Shah

Kotla could be the massive usage of the
Crude masonry used here. The stone
masonries and unfinished surface could well
be dude to the reason of economic crack
down during Feroz Shah Tuqlak time.
Now the fort remains in ruins, the garden
created in the area, has well added to an
extra features of the fort though it really
doesnt add anything extra to the fort. All in
all, fort type has never been repeated for
the obvious reason that it didnt work well.
www.wikipedia.com

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Feroshah Kotla

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Report of site visit to Feroz

After the capricious reign of

Firoz Shah built a new

The northern part of the Kotla still has a

The Jami Masjid at Kotla

My critiques on Feroz Shah Kotla

The main point of discussion in Feroz Shah

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