hauz khas fort- the forgotten fort complex

When we talk about monuments and other historical places, Delhi is described by its rich historical and architectural past. It holds pride in the historical places like Red fort, India gate, Old fort, etc., however there are many such overlooked building complexes. Let us explore one of them, The Hauz Khas Fort (village complex). It is situated in the South of Delhi and less visited by the tourist and residents of Delhi.

‘Hauz’ means “water tank” (or lake) and ‘Khas’ means “royal”, giving it a meaning — the “Royal tank”. The large water tank or reservoir was first built by Alauddin Khilji, the emperor of the Khilji dynasty who ruled the Delhi Sultanate.

Hauz Khas Complex houses a water tank, an Islamic seminary, a mosque, a tomb and pavilions built around an urbanized village with medieval history traced to the thirteenth century of Delhi Sultanate reign. It was part of Siri, the second medieval city of India of the Delhi Sultanate of Alauddin Khilji Dynasty (1296–1316).  

Water Tank- This reservoir was built to supply water to the newly built fort and city of Siri (the second city of Delhi). It was originally known as Hauz-e-Alai after Khilji. But during the reign of the Mughal Firoz Shah Tughlaq (1351-1388) of the Tughlaq dynasty, this reservoir was re-erected and the blocked entrance of the water was cleaned. The area of this tank is about 50 hectares (123.6 acres), which is 600 m (1,968.5 ft) wide and 700 m (2,296.6 ft) long, with a depth of 4 m (13.1 ft). When this tank was built, its storage capacity at the end of each monsoon was 0.8 million cubic metre. Over the time, the shape of this tank has reduced considerably due to encroachment and silt, but its current condition is kept well.

Madrasa– Established in 1352, the Madrasa was one of the leading institutions of Islamic learning in the Delhi Sultanate. It was also considered the largest and best equipped Islamic seminary. It constituted of both classrooms (on the ground floor) and living accommodation for students (on the floor below), as well as for teachers. Among the subjects taught were rhetoric, calligraphy, mathematics, astronomy, medicine, grammar, Islamic law and jurisprudence, and the Quran. The madrasa, since it was funded by the Sultan, Firoz Shah Tughlaq himself (and could therefore afford the best) employed some of the most respected teachers in this part of the world.

Mosque- A small was designed at the northern end of the madrasa. The qibla (direction) of the Mosque projects towards the reservoir. A “C”-shaped layout of a double row of pillars on a raised podium forms the prayer hall, which is open to the sky. The vanguard (advance grade) setting of the central mihrab with a domed chhatri with open sides is seen in the form of a pavilion projecting into the reservoir.

Pavilions- Six Pavilions are seen in a beautiful garden that faces the Madrasa on its southern end. This garden which lies on the same level as the second floor of the Madrasa can be entered from the eastern end passing right through the Hauz Khas Village complex. The pavilions with domes are in different shapes and sizes (rectangular, octagonal and hexagonal) and on the basis of inscriptions are inferred to be graves.

Firoz Shah Tomb– Constructed using red sandstone, the tomb houses three marble graves and another unfinished one. The central grave belongs to Firoz Shah while the others are said to be of his sons and grandson. Interesting features seen on the northern and southern sides of the tomb, considered typical of the Tughlaq period layout, are the ceremonial steps provided at the ground level that connect to the larger steps leading into the reservoir.