Delhi - Purana Qila & Zoological Garden

Event date: 24th July 2011

I had a very funny experience coming here to Purana Qila with Vikas. We both had planing the trip very well with perfect timing and a set date. It was Sunday morning, Vikas dropped me and asked me to call him once I had finish with my exploration. After few minutes, I was out from the Qila and was looking for him. He was shocked and surprised with a thousand question expression on his face "Why madame?". He utterred a bit laughed when I told him that my Nikon was without the memory card. We decided that I should proceed with my phone camera and he will sent me back to this place some other time. I said okay.

Firstly, I entered "Khairul Manazil", a mosque and later a madrasa built by Maham Anga, which stands opposite Purana Qila. Maham Anga was the wet nurse of the Mughal Emperor Akbar, and often referred as his foster mother as she took care of young Akbar, as his own mother, Hamida Banu Begum was mostly away, with his father, Humayun was in exile, throughout Akbar's growing years. She was the de facto regent of the Mughal state after the exclusion of Bairam Khan in 1560 to Akbar's assumption of full power in 1562, shortly before her death. She died in 1562.

Maham Anga built a mosque, named 'Khairul Manazil' in 1561 A.D. in Mughal architecture. It later served as a madrasa opposite Purana Qila, Delhi on Mathura Road, south east to Sher Shah Gate. It was here that a slave tried to kill Akbar, after his return from hunting and moving towards Nizamuddin Dargah, but the arrow hit a soldier in his entourage instead, who was hurt, albeit not gravely.

In present day, the madrasa still functioning as religious school to the madrasa students who wishes to learn Islam in orthodox manner. They are seen in below photo among the crowds of pigeon.

The ruin fort of Purana Qila seen from the madrasa.

The gate to the ruin fort was open when I arrived. Hence, I walked freely without paying a normal ticket rate of Rs10 for the locals and Rs100 for foreigner. Legend has it that the fort marked the site of Indraprastha, the magnificent capital of the Pandavas, though the construction was carried out by Sher Shah Suri in between 1538 to 1545 A.D. 

Lal Darwaza or Sher Shah Suri Gate, now stands opposite Purana Qila. Purana Qila is the oldest fort among all the fort in Delhi. Located at the site of legendary city of Indraprastha, the fort was founded by Pandavas on the banks of perineal river Yamuna, which is revered by Hindus since ages. The fort is more than 5000 years old, and was constructed before the 'Mahabharata' took place. Consequently the fort is considered to be 'the first city of Delhi'. Researchers now confirm that up till 1913, a village called Indrapat existed within the fort walls. Excavations carried out by Archaeological Survey of India at Purana Quila in 1954-55 (trial trenches) and again 1969 to 1973 have unearthed Painted Grey Ware (in iron age culture) dating 1000 B.C., confirming the antiquity of the fort.

It is here, Humayun's capital Din Panah was located. Later it was renovated and named Shergarh by first Afghan emperor of India, Sher Shah Suri. The Hindu king Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya ("Hemu"), often referred to as the last Hindu emperor of India, had his coronation in this fort after defeating Akbar's forces at Agra and Delhi in the Battle for Delhi on 7 October 1556. The Fort was supposed to be unlucky for rulers who occupied the site; Humayun, Sher Shah Suri and Hemu, all had but relatively brief tenures established there. Humayun on two separate occasions, having lost the Fort to Sher Shah only five years after erecting it, and dying within a year of recapturing it 15 years later. Akbar did not rule from here and Shahjahan built a new fort, Lal Qila in Delhi.

Unlike the ruin fort, the National Zoological Park was crowded with people as family takes their children's to visit the zoo on weekends. This time, I paid the entry ticket of Rs50 being a foreigner and the locals paid Rs10. The Delhi zoo, seated close to Purana Qila was established in 1959 and is spread over an area of 214 acres. It is regarded as 1 of the finest zoos in Asia as efforts have been made to provide an almost natural habitat to the animals and birds.

There are more than 2,000 animals and birds species from places like Africa, America, Australia and even Asia can be found here. There is a lot of greenery too in the zoo and is an ideal picnic spot especially in winter season. The Government of India has set up a Zoological Park in the capital on the recommendation of the Indian Board for Wildlife in 1952, for the conservation and breeding of rare fauna, to educate and provide creation for the people.

The chosen area for the park was the 16th century old fort (Purana Qila) and tomb of Humayun, the 2nd Mughal Emperor. Plans was prepared in consultation with Major Weinman, the then director of the Zoological Garden, Colombo, Sri Lanka and Mr. Carl Hagenback of West Germany. The park was inaugurated on 1st November 1959. The park was developed on modern concepts of Zoo management. The 176 acres park presents green lawns, grooves of trees, colorful shrubbery which blend with the informal look of a natural woodland. The animals have been displayed in spacious enclosures. The moats and water channels form the barrier between the animal and the visitors.

For the record, I have not return back to the place as I opined that the photos taken in this entry suffice to record the journal. What I remembered most about walk inside the zoo is that, I was with so much sweat that made my shirt and head scarf wet. Vikas sent me straight home for shower, thereafter I doze off with heavy and sounded sleep.