Purana Qila (Old Fort) in New Delhi is a 16th-century fort on a mound near the old course of the Yamuna. Humayun began building his city Dinpanah here in 1533; after defeating him, Sher Shah Suri rebuilt and extended it as Shergarh from 1540. Humayun recovered Delhi in 1555 and died in 1556 after falling from the stairs of the Sher Mandal. Beneath the fort lie layers of settlement going back over 2,500 years, which the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has excavated over several seasons.
Quick Answer
Location: Mathura Road, New Delhi, beside the National Zoological Park. Built by: foundation by Humayun (Dinpanah, 1533); main walls and buildings by Sher Shah Suri (Shergarh, 1540–45). Key monuments: Qila-i-Kuhna Mosque (1541) and Sher Mandal (octagonal tower used by Humayun as a library). Gates: Bara Darwaza (west, main entry), Humayun Darwaza (south) and Talaqi Darwaza (north). Excavations: B. B. Lal (1954–55, 1969–73) and Vasant Swarnkar (2013–14, 2017–18, 2022–23). Finding: about nine cultural levels, from pre-Mauryan to Mughal; Painted Grey Ware sherds found. Protected by: ASI, as a monument of national importance.
History of Purana Qila
Humayun’s Dinpanah
In 1533, Humayun laid the foundation of a new city called Dinpanah ("refuge of the faith") on this mound. Work was cut short when he lost his empire to Sher Shah Suri at Chausa (1539) and Kannauj (1540).
Sher Shah’s Shergarh
Sher Shah Suri took over the site, demolished or absorbed Humayun’s work and built a strong citadel known as Shergarh. Most of the surviving walls, gateways, the mosque and the Sher Mandal date from his reign or that of his son Islam Shah.
Humayun’s return and death
Humayun regained Delhi in 1555. In January 1556 he fell down the steep steps of the Sher Mandal, which he used as a library, and died a few days later. His tomb, built later by his widow, stands nearby in Nizamuddin.
Later uses
In 1947 the fort became a large refugee camp for people displaced by Partition. Today it hosts a museum, a lake for boating and a sound-and-light show.
Architecture
| Structure | Key features |
|---|---|
| Walls | Massive rubble-masonry walls about 18 m high, with bastions; circuit of nearly 2 km |
| Bara Darwaza | Western main gate, still used as the entrance |
| Humayun Darwaza | Southern gate, possibly named because it faces Humayun’s Tomb |
| Talaqi Darwaza | Northern "forbidden gate", with fine carved balconies and marble inlay |
| Qila-i-Kuhna Mosque | Built by Sher Shah in 1541; five arched bays, red and buff sandstone with marble inlay; a link between Lodi and Mughal styles |
| Sher Mandal | Double-storeyed octagonal tower of red sandstone; used by Humayun as a library |
The fort shows the shift from the Sultanate style to the early Mughal style: pointed arches, decorative inlay, kiosks (chhatris) and the use of red sandstone with white marble. See our notes on Mughal Architecture.
Excavations and the Indraprastha Question
Local tradition links the mound with Indraprastha, the city of the Pandavas in the Mahabharata; a village called Indarpat existed inside the fort until the early 20th century.
- 1954–55 and 1969–73: archaeologist B. B. Lal found Painted Grey Ware (PGW) sherds, a pottery associated with the early first millennium BCE, but not in a clear layered context.
- 2013–14 and 2017–18: ASI excavations under Vasant Swarnkar reached Mauryan and pre-Mauryan levels.
- 2022–23: the largest season so far revealed about nine cultural levels: pre-Mauryan, Mauryan, Shunga, Kushana, Gupta, post-Gupta, Rajput, Sultanate and Mughal. Finds included more than 136 coins, 35 seals and sealings, terracotta figurines, a Gaja-Lakshmi plaque and a stone Vaikuntha Vishnu image.
The digs confirm that the site was occupied almost continuously for over 2,500 years. They do not, on their own, prove that the settlement was the Indraprastha of the epic; that remains a matter of debate. The ASI has preserved the excavated area as an open-air display.
UPSC Relevance
- Prelims (Art and Culture): builders, gates, Qila-i-Kuhna Mosque, Sher Mandal and the excavation findings.
- Mains GS-1: evolution of Indo-Islamic architecture, and archaeology’s role in testing literary traditions.
