It was built between the years 1321-1325. The then king, Ghiyath-ud-din Tughluq had it built as he had always thought that the area on which it now stood would be an ideal place to raise a city.
Many unforeseen incidents took place during the construction of this structure. The king had a spat with the great saint Nizam-ud-din regarding the laborers who were to work on this project.
The king took all the workers who were working on the saint's shrine at the time, thus incurring the wrath of the saint. The saint cursed the king and indeed the king was mysteriously murdered while on his way to Delhi in 1325.
The Tughluqabad Fort is located on a high, rocky ground. This provided it with the necessary protection against attack. The massive walls surrounding it only added to its defense. The fort is half-hexagonal shaped and has 13 gateways leading up to it.
There exists an artificial lake near the south walls where the tomb of the king was built. A long boardwalk connects the tomb to the main interiors of the fort. Almost immediately after the death of the king, this fort lost all its former glory as his son wanted to build his own new city instead of following in his fathers shadow.
Taking just four years to get completed, the Tughluqabad Fort was abandoned in the year 1327 unceremoniously. Although it does not have a long history behind it, this fort still remains one of Delhi's most sought after tourist spots. |
