Adilabad

Facts & Figures
Built in	14th century AD
Built by	Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq
Location	Delhi

Muhammad Bin Tughlaq’s Delhi
Muhammad-bin Tughlaq was a great builder, like all other rulers of the Tughlaq dynasty. He built the fort of Adilabad (which was the fourth fort of Delhi) and later went on to establish the city of Jahanpanah, within the extended area of the fort. However, his city did not last long as the mad king (as Muhammad-bin Tughlaq is often described because of his antics), in a miscalculated move, shifted his capital out of Delhi causing immense suffering to its people.

Military Architecture
Adilabad began as a small fort with massive ramparts protecting it. In comparison to its predecessor, the mammoth Tughlaqabad fort, Adilabad is a dwarf as far as stonework is concerned. However, with the construction of the peripheral defensive fortifications around the city of Jahanpanah , the scope and utility of the fort of Adilabad increased as it offered protection to the people living within the boundary of its walls. The fortified area had a palace citadel housing the royal palace as well as important administrative buildings.

Adilabad

The period of the Delhi Sultanate (AD 1191-1526) saw great building activity taking place in and around the present day Delhi. The building activity generally constituted construction of forts, palaces, mosques, administrative quarters, barracks etc. A number of forts were built by the Tughlaq rulers (AD 1321-1414) of the Delhi Sultanate in different parts of Delhi. Ghiyas-ud-din-Tughlaq, the founder of the Tughlaq dynasty, built the massive stone fortress of Tughlaqabad in the southeastern corner of Delhi. The erstwhile city of Tughlaqabad was the third fort city of Delhi. The massive ramparts, battlements and the extensive stonework of this fort not only reflect the might of the Tughlaq dynasty but also speak highly of the engineering skills of the workmen who constructed it.

It is said that the ruin of Tughlaqabad fort and the death of Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq were due to the curse of a Muslim Saint, whose wrath had been incurred by the insolent king. Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq, who is also accused of having murdered his father Ghiyas-ud-din, built Adilabad and Nai-ka-Kot , two small fortresses adjacent to Tughlaqabad fort. Adilabad became the fourth fort of Delhi and contained a grand palace of a thousand pillars and splendid halls within its periphery. Later, Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq went on to enclose the area lying between Siri (a fortress built by Ala-ud-din Khilji of the Khilji dynasty that ruled over the Delhi Sultanate before the Tughlaq dynasty), Tughlaqabad and the Qutab complex. The city thus enclosed came to be known as Jahanpanah. Ruins of the gigantic ramparts of two of the fortresses and some portions of the Jahanpanah walls have survived the ravages of time and are still there. A small portion of the Jahanpanah watchtower Bijai Mandal still stands amidst the ruins dominating the landscape.

However, it is believed that Muhammad-bin Tughlaq himself brought about the ruin of his city by transferring the capital from Delhi to Devagiri in the Deccan (southern region of India), compelling the entire population including the sick, old and children to move on foot. A few years later he ordered them back to Delhi. But the splendor and the soul of the city had been killed and Muhammad-bin Tughlaq earned the title of the mad king.

Important Monuments Within Adilabad
The erstwhile medieval city of Jahanpanah had a number of important buildings within its precincts. The citadel palace within the walls of the fort was extremely impressive and commanded a great view of the rest of the city from its vantage point. Ibn Batuta, the 14th century Moorish traveler and chronicler of Ghiyas-ud-din-Tughlaq, recorded the splendour of the hazar sutun palace (thousand pillared hall), where Muhammad-bin Tughlaq sat under a wooden canopy for public audience.

This grand palace has since been destroyed and the whole structural complex of the citadel reduced to unidentifiable ruins. Amongst these ruins is a small octagonal structure atop a set of oblong rooms, the Bijai Mandal. The Bijai Mandal is an intriguing edifice, as it is neither a palace nor a tower and the purpose of building it still remains a mystery. From the top of this structure, Muhammad bin Tughlaq probably watched the movements of his troops, as it seems to be an observation post of considerable strategic importance. It could also have been the pavilion of winds, where the members of the royal family relaxed and enjoyed the panoramic view of the surroundings.

The sloping path skirting the structure was probably meant for the Sultan’s walk back to his apartments. The rooms are now mere skeletons but on the floor one would not fail to notice two big holes, which led to the royal vaults or the treasury. On a leveled platform in front of these rooms one can see holes on paved stones in regular lines. These holes secured the wooden pillars in place and are now the only indications of the existence of the magnificent structure here. Ruins of some residential structures that once formed part of the royal apartments are also there to the east of this mound.

How To Reach
Delhi is well connected by air, rail and road to important centers in India and abroad. As Adilabad fort is a part of the city of Delhi and is located in its southern district, it is quite easy to reach it. Travelers can either take local buses from various points within the city to reach this monument, or they can hire auto-rickshaws and taxis for the purpose. One can take buses from important bus stations like the Inter State Bus Terminal, Connaught Place etc. to reach this monument.