Fort of Jinns!

My interest in 'Baolis of Delhi'(step-wells of Delhi) instigated my visit to the ruins at Firozshah Kotla. So when my friends suggested on taking a trip on HOHO route, I said yes to the idea and hopped on :)

Palace of 'Fifth city of Delhi', Firoz Shah's 'Firozabad' by the river Yamuna. Most of the citadel is in ruins today.Successive rulers plundered and dismantled many of the beautiful structures here.

The palace was built by Sultan Firoz Shah Tughlaq (AD-1351-88)

Firozshah Kotla fort, famous for it's value and place in history is a huge fort with large garden and lawns in it's vicinity. What remains today to be seen here is a 14th century roofless mosque called 'Jami Masjid', a cellular pyramidal structure with Ashokan Pillar on top of it and a circular Baoli(step-well).

Once I entered through the gate, all I saw was ruins of fallen walls,half remaining towers and chambers around.This place like all other forts and ruins of Delhi has, on itself, the mark of changing times!

The mosque is still functional, people still come and pray here.The entrance to Baoli and the pyramidal building is closed. 

'Circular Baoli'. Unfortunately it was closed for visitors. This Baoli was an essential source of water for the citadel. Unlike the other step-wells, this one doesn't have steps leading down to the water level.  

Standing tall and shiny on the northern side of the Mosque is the Ashokan Pillar. It is 13 mtr tall pillar built in third century BC, was brought in from Ambala by Firoz Shah and re-installed on a three storeyed pyramidal structure.   

While we were taking our walk around the ruins we couldn't help but notice diyas(earthen lamps) and aggarbattis(incense sticks) kept at a few places. It was as if someone had come and prayed there. yes, these ruins are supposed to be housing Jinns as well. People from many faiths come here every thursday and pray to them. They ask/pray for their wishes to be granted. Some write letters, they write their wishes on papers and leave it there. Some offer milk,aggarbattis and diyas to please the Jinns and some simply pray in the quiet. 

The garden area 

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Ugrasen Ki Baoli OR Ugrasen's step-well

Sitting there on top of the last steps, I could not stop but be amazed at how both the old and the new world have existed together all these years here. 

Spending time here was like those sci-fi movies where the character travels through time and within fraction of a second transports oneself from modern world to some place in history!

I too felt something like that when I entered through the gates to this historical step well (Baoli).

Honestly,I was amazed to see this step-well sitting quietly in the middle of this ever modern,ever growing and ever busy part of the city.Yes, it's right there in the heart of capital. Truly an off -beat place to visit.

There are stairs through these huge arched corridors that lead you to the next floor.I did manage to take one such flight of stairs. But I found that these were too claustrophobic with pigeons making their nests in it.

The step-well is inactive for a long time.The roughness on the walls, lots of pigeons, webs and the algae like substance lined on the sides of the lower steps completely gives the old & experienced look to it.

Coming out of the Baoli, I couldn't stop myself from capturing these two beautiful paintings/Graffiti on the wall at the entrance to the Baoli. Whosoever did this, could have added more and made the long wall more colourful.[Just a thought:)]

Facts about Ugrasen Ki Baoli:

-It was built by Raja Ugrasen,the forefather of the Agrawal community.He got this Baoli(step-well, an underground structure)constructed in order to cope with seasonal fluctuations in water availability.

- It measures 60 m along north-south,50 m wide at the ground level.

- Has been built with rubble and dressed stones.

- Sits quietly in the heart of the city:)

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