Feroz Shah Kotla

Lore & Background

The fortified city of Firozabad was established in 1354 as the new capital of the Delhi Sultanate. The Ashokan pillar, 13.1 meters high and made of polished sandstone, was brought from Ambala in the 14th century under orders of Feroz Shah and installed on a three-tiered arcaded pavilion near the congregational mosque. In the pre-independence era, most classical music performances were staged here or at Qutub complex. In 1964, Ebrahim Alkazi staged his landmark production of Dharamvir Bharati's Andha Yug here, attended by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

In Their Own Story

The last over. Two wickets in hand, six runs needed, and the Kotla crowd has gone silent in that particular way Delhi crowds go silent—not dead, but coiled, every breath held, every eye locked on the bowler's run-up. The ball is released. It nips off the pitch, the batsman's edge clips the pad, and for one suspended heartbeat the entire stadium forgets to exist. Then the keeper's throw finds the stumps, the bails skitter across the turf, and the noise that erupts is not a cheer so much as a physical force, a wall of sound that you feel in your sternum before you hear it. Strangers embrace. A woman in the third tier is crying. Somewhere in the crowd, a man in a faded blue jersey is on his knees. The ground sways. This is Kotla. This is what it has always been.

Reader's Guide

The Jami Masjid is one of the most ancient and largest surviving mosques still in use, built on a series of underground cells made of quartzite stone covered with limestone. The Ashokan pillar is towards the north of the mosque. The circular Baoli lies towards the northwestern side of the pillar, in the heart of a large garden. The Baoli is kept locked for security reasons, but permission for research can be obtained from the Delhi circle office of the Archaeological Survey of India. Every Thursday, a large crowd gathers at the fort, believing that Jinn(s) descend from the heavens and accept requests.

Did You Know?

• The Ashokan pillar was moved from Topra Kalan in Yamunanagar district, Haryana, and re-erected in its present location in 1356.
• The original inscription on the pillar is primarily in Brahmi script with the language being Prakrit, with some Pali and Sanskrit added later.
• The script was deciphered and translated into English in 1837 by James Prinsep.
• The Jami Masjid was visited by Timur in 1398 to say his prayers, and he later constructed a mosque in Samarkand imitating its design.
• The Baoli is the only circular Baoli in Delhi, and one of four where the tank is not separated from the well.