Feroz Shah Kotla

The Feroz Shah Kotla or Kotla ("fortress", "citadel") was a fortress built circa 1354 by Feroz Shah Tughlaq to house his version of Delhi called Firozabad.

A pristine polished sandstone Topra Ashokan pillar from the 3rd century BC rises from the palace's crumbling remains, one of many pillars of Ashoka left by the Mauryan emperor; it was moved from Topra Kalan in Pong Ghati of Yamunanagar district in Haryana to Delhi under orders of Firoz Shah Tughlaq of Delhi Sultanate, and re-erected in its present location in 1356. The original inscription on the obelisk is primarily in Brahmi script but language was Prakrit, with some Pali and Sanskrit added later. The inscription was successfully translated to English in 1837 by James Prinsep. This and other ancient lats (pillars, obelisk) have earned Firoz Shah Tughlaq and Delhi Sultanate fame for its architectural patronage.

Other than the Ashokan Pillar, the Fort complex also houses the Jami Masjid (Mosque), a Baoli and a large garden complex.

Text adapted from “Feroz Shah Kotla” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Feroz Shah Kotla ranks #2,117 of 8,133 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #78 of the 179 mapped in India. Founded c. 1354, it is older than 57% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 604 atlas entries founded in the 14th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 4,042 times in the last 60 days, more than 81% of the atlas. 8 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Delhi, 4 km away. See how India compares in the castle statistics.

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Read the full history on Wikipedia ↗