QILA
RAI PITHORA - ART AND CULTURE
News:
Qila Rai Pithora:
Scattered ruins narrate the tale of Delhi’s first city
What's
in the news?
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The origins of the Qila Rai Pithora fort
remain contested, the fort contains the ruins of the first city of Delhi.
Qila
Rai Pithora:
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It was first built by the Tomar dynasty surrounding the iron
pillar after it was brought from Udayagiri (present-day Madhya Pradesh) by Anangpal II around 1050 CE.
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Initially named Lal Kot (Red Fort) — not to be confused with the Mughal-era Red
Fort situated 23 km away on the banks of the Yamuna — the fort would serve as
the first of the eight cities to come up in Delhi in centuries to come.
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The fort was constructed to avoid constant
raids and attacks that Mahmud of Ghazni had unleashed on Kannauj.
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Later, the Tomars would be overthrown by
the Chahamanas and Lal Kot would be renamed Qila Rai Pithora, after Prithviraj
Chauhan.
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The Chahamanas
were ultimately defeated by Qutbu’d-Din
Aibak in 1192 CE. According to Safvi, the victorious Ghurid army entered
Qila Pithora through the Ranjit Gate and the fort thus became the capital of
the Sultanate.
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The most notable addition to the fort was
perhaps made by Aibak in the form of Qutub
Minar to mark his victory over Chauhan. The fort then witnessed several
dynasties come and go — the Khaljis, the Tughlaqs, the Sayyids and the Lodhis,
to name a few.
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By the time Firoz Shah Tughlaq established the Firoz Shah Kotla on the banks of
the Yamuna to aid the city’s growing demand for drinking water, Qila Rai
Pithora was abandoned along with Siri, Tughlaqabad and Jahanpanah forts.