Get real time updates directly on you device, subscribe now.
History of Feroz Shah Kotla
Built by Feroz Shah Tughlaq, the Sultan of Delhi, who also built the city of Ferozabad in 1354, Feroz Shah Kotla is a fortress that has its roots from the era of Mauryan emperor Asoka. The tall pillar in the structure with a height of 13.1 meters was built in the 3rd century BC, with polished sandstone and was brought from Ambala under the command of Feroz Shah, to be implemented in the Kotla, which in English, means a citadel or a fortress.
The pillar along with many such tall structures, were installed in the fortress to make the look more strong and attractive. Over the years, many rulers who took over the area subsequently one after another demolished the nearby structures and other buildings near the fortress, and used the residual materials to build other structures.
The secondary ideology behind Shah’s purpose of building the fortress was to have Asoka’s pillars erected near the mosque. The pillars had ages old inscriptions from the Mauryas’ era, and it was only in the year 1837, that James Prinsep managed to translate these inscriptions into English.
Feroz Shah Kotla has garnered a lot of tourist attention, due to its rich history and splendid patronage in terms of architecture.