Capital of djinns

Looking like a small kila from outside, Firoze Shah Kotla fort offers beautiful view of the royal palace, mosque and baoli.

Standing outside the Firoze Shah Kotla fort, one presumes that the ‘tiny’ kila in the heart of Delhi would probably end at the gate itself.

You are not prepared for Firoze Shah Tughlaq’s citadel until you see the miles of lush greenery dotted with ruins of a royal palace, crumbling ministers’ quarters, a mosque, closed baoli and some dark underground cells. Once inhabited by the royalty, it is now occupied by a few guards, some stray animals and, as some would have you believed, haunting spirits and djinns.

Firoze Shah Tughlaq, a cousin of the famously eccentric Muhammad Bin Tughlaq, took over the reigns of Delhi in 1351. In contrast with the then forts – Kila Rai Pithora in Mehrauli, Tughlaqabad, Hauz Khas forts etc., which were built on elevated ground, Firoze decided to build one near Yamuna. The flights of steps on the eastern side of the fort lead down to the old river bank. Yamuna, evidently, has moved away from it since then.

Close to the main gate you see the then Diwan-e-aam where the emperor once heard his subjects’ complaints and distributed alms. History says that post Muhammad Bin Tughlaq’s unpopular programmes, Firoze came up with some clever ‘appeasement’ policies. But, mamluks (slaves) revolted against the king, split up the empire and brought down the dynasty.

Walking through the ruins of the many massive halls, which have pillars covered with algae, one reaches the other end of the fort. The Diwan-e-khaas – a huge courtyard where the king used to hold assembly with his ministers – lacks roof now. One imagines ministers in meeting under an open star-studded sky overlooking the busy ring road, the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium and the nearby beautiful flyovers.

Close by lies the Jami Masjid, where namaaz reading has been allowed since Indira Gandhi’s time. Taimur, who invaded India in 1398, visited this masjid and was so impressed by its design that he ordered his architects to build a similar masjid in Samarkand on their return. At its foot is the baoli, now closed, where a scene from the film Rang De Basanti was shot.

Probably the best preserved structure is the royal palace which seems to have had many rooms – all with locked iron gates thanks to the subsequent rulers who used them as prison. The gates bear many threads, candles and joss sticks besides offerings of rice, sweets, fruits and milk made by locals to djinns.

The tale goes that once a certain Laddu Shah baba came to reside here and fulfilled the wishes of those who approached him. Centuries after his death, this place is still believed to house good djinns who would grant the wishes of those who pray to them. Handwritten letters of appeal, describing one’s wishes and problems, are found pasted on the walls and flying all around the citadel. Occasionally a diya is found burning bright in the dark cells after evening.

After sunset, people possessed by spirits, illnesses or plain bad luck descend on this place to seek the help of djinns. Most are helped, locals tell us, or else, one has to keep coming.