Delhi | 22.12.2018 | 03:00 pm ~ 05:00 pm

Witnessing Our Glorious Past - A Purana Qila Walk

About the walk

Known to be the site of the ancient capital of the Pandavas, Purana Qila or Old Fort has a long and eventful history that outshines many other medieval monuments. This monument, which was once at the centre of a tussle between the Mughal emperor Humayun and the Afghan Sher Shah Suri, has seen remains of the Mauryan, Sunga-Kushana and Gupta empires as well. But the history of Purana Qila didn’t end there. One of the many important chapters in the history of the site was the partition of India, which saw thousands of refugees coming in and staying at the monument. This walk intends to unravel the history of this monument that travels across ancient, medieval and modern eras, revealing an old fort that belonged as much to the refugees as it did to the Mughals, Afghans or Pandavas.  

The walk will begin at the gate of the monument located beside the Delhi Zoo. The first stop will be the museum that houses all the artefacts collected during excavations. Post the museum, we will cover each monument, starting with the Qila-i-Kuhna mosque, and then Sher Mandal which also houses the infamous stairs that led to the demise of Humayun, and the gates or darwazas with stories of their own. Finally, there will be a tour of the wall surrounding the Qila beyond which the Yamuna flowed at one point. The end of the walk will have a 15-minute short interactive session of spin-a-tale where the participants will be asked to narrate a story of their own situated in the monument itself.  

 

This guided tour is free. 

Walk Time
-
Walk Date
Meeting Time
02:45 pm

About the walk

Known to be the site of the ancient capital of the Pandavas, Purana Qila or Old Fort has a long and eventful history that outshines many other medieval monuments. This monument, which was once at the centre of a tussle between the Mughal emperor Humayun and the Afghan Sher Shah Suri, has seen remains of the Mauryan, Sunga-Kushana and Gupta empires as well. But the history of Purana Qila didn’t end there. One of the many important chapters in the history of the site was the partition of India, which saw thousands of refugees coming in and staying at the monument. This walk intends to unravel the history of this monument that travels across ancient, medieval and modern eras, revealing an old fort that belonged as much to the refugees as it did to the Mughals, Afghans or Pandavas.  

The walk will begin at the gate of the monument located beside the Delhi Zoo. The first stop will be the museum that houses all the artefacts collected during excavations. Post the museum, we will cover each monument, starting with the Qila-i-Kuhna mosque, and then Sher Mandal which also houses the infamous stairs that led to the demise of Humayun, and the gates or darwazas with stories of their own. Finally, there will be a tour of the wall surrounding the Qila beyond which the Yamuna flowed at one point. The end of the walk will have a 15-minute short interactive session of spin-a-tale where the participants will be asked to narrate a story of their own situated in the monument itself.  

 

This guided tour is free. 

Led By

Samayita Banerjee
Samayita Banerjee is a PhD Research Scholar in History at Ashoka University. She specialises in pre-colonial history, archaeology, heritage and conservation. She completed her BA Honours in History from Presidency College Calcutta and her Masters and MPhil in Ancient Indian History from Delhi University. She has been a Sahapedia Project Fellow in 2017-2018.

Meeting Time

02:45 PM

Meeting point

Purana Qila ticket counter, beside Delhi Zoo

Nearest Bus/Metro station

Pragati Maidan Metro Station

Disclaimer

The information & views presented by walk leaders and individual speakers are based on personal perspectives and points of view and do not necessarily represent views, opinions and official policies of Sahapedia.

Sahapedia reserves the right to cancel an event due to unforeseen circumstances. Participants will be informed accordingly.

Maintaining safety during our events is our main priority. We have implemented several social distancing and safety measures to limit physical interactions between all attendees at the walk. Sahapedia/ India Heritage Walks is not responsible for any illnesses developing due to participation in physical events. 

 

In case you are unable to attend after having registered, please send us an email.

Email: ihw@sahapedia.org

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Please Note

 

  • Medium: English

  • The walk leader can also narrate in Hindi and Bengali if required.  
  • Entry fees to the monument (Rs 20 for Indian nationals and Rs 200 for foreign nationals, with separate entry fees for the museum) are to be purchased by the participant.  
  • Photography allowed. 
  • Limited parking facilities are available outside the monument. We recommend that you use public transport. Paid parking facilities ae available outside the zoo.  
  • Please wear comfortable shoes.  
  • There is no cafe or refreshment centre but there will be shops and stalls outside the monument. Participants are requested to carry water in case the water filter is under maintenance.