About The Event
Step into the layered history of Delhi through a walk around Purana Qila, a site where mythology, memory and medieval history converge. The fort occupies an ancient mound traditionally associated with Indraprastha, the legendary city of the Mahabharata, though the identification remains a matter of historical and archaeological debate.
The walk explores how this landscape was transformed in the sixteenth century. Humayun established the city of Dinpanah on the site, which was subsequently demolished by Sher Shah Suri, who raised the present citadel. Rather than viewing Purana Qila as a monument belonging to a single period, the walk considers it as a palimpsest where successive histories have been built upon and remembered through the same landscape.
We will examine the fort massive ramparts, irregular plan, corner bastions and three principal gateways, constructed in red sandstone and crowned with elegant chhatris. Attention will also be given to the spaces and structures within the fort, revealing how the citadel functioned as both a defensive and urban centre.
Curated by Uttar Dharohar in collaboration with Sabhyata Foundation.
Key theme & Highlights:
1. This walk included how archaeologists reconstruct a city history from pottery, coins, architecture and everyday objects.
2. A major architectural theme is the transition from the Lodi architectural tradition to the Mughal style.
3. The walk can then move beyond the fort walls to consider the wider urban landscape created around it.
4. The walk move beyond kings and monuments and ask: Who lived here? What did they use? What did they trade? And how connected was Delhi to the wider world?
Detailed Itinerary & Flow of the Walk:
Walk through the layers of Delhi from the archaeological traces of an ancient settlement to the Sur and Mughal citadel, and discover how Purana-Qila became part of one of Delhi most fascinating historic landscapes.
- Introduction: Indraprastha and the historical question
- Fortifications and Humayun-Darwaza
- Talaqi-Darwaza and the gates
- Yamuna, moat and landscape
- Excavated site and archaeological layers
- Material culture and everyday life
- Qal a-i-Kuhna Masjid
- Sher-Mandal
- Khairu l-Manazil Masjid
- Sher Shah Gate / Lal-Darwaza
- Conclusion: Purana-Qila as a palimpsest of Delhi
Important Information:
1) Please carry a valid photo ID and your confirmed e-ticket for entry.
2) Kindly arrive 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of the heritage walk.
3) Monument entry tickets are not included in the heritage walk fee and must be purchased separately by participants either via ASI website or at the ticket counter.
4) The registration fee covers only the heritage walk (guided tour).
5) Outside food and beverages are not permitted within the monument premises.
6) Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable, except in the event of cancellation by the organizer.
