The Qutub Minar provides the best view far –flung tentacles

by Madugundu Krishna    September 05, 2012

 The Qutub Minar provides the best view far –flung tentacles of Qila Rai Pithora, but, for a closer feel of the ruined walls and their extent, we need merely climb to Adhamm Khan’s well- known tomb, where the fort wall meets the enclosure to the tomb. Overshadowed by the glamour of the Qutub Minar, the remnants of Qila Rai Pithora are hardly noticed by sightseers. But it was because Prithviraj, the last formidable foe of Muhammad Ghori, ruled from here at that his conquerors initially based themselves in his city, thus ensuring that the Delhi region became the capital of the Sultans. From the confines of Qila Rai Pithora and the adjacent settlements of Siri, Tughlaqabad and Jahanpanah, a series of dynasties dominated India for about four centers.  

Qila Rai Pithora retained its importance long after the defeat of Prithviraj. Its ramparts were strengthened and renovated by the Khiljis. Ibn Batuta, who visited India in Muhammad Tughlaq’s reign, described the fort wall thus: `it is eleven cubits thick; chambers are constructed in it … Grain keeps in these chambers without change or the least deterioration … horse and foot can pass inside this wall from one end of the city to the remnants of three (Hauz Rani, Barka and Badaun) are noticeable even today. 

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