If You Go to This Fort You May See Aladin's Genie

Feroz Shah Kotla Fort

          As I was a little girl I love to watch Aladdin. Not because I was young and obsessed with cartoons but because it made me believe that there are supernatural things like genie and the magic carpet. All the time I ended up thinking that how would my life be if I had a genie who could grant all my wishes... But as time goes I realized that there are no such thing as genie. But some people claimed that genie really do exist and they reside in this old fort.... 

          Feroz Shah Kotla Fort is one of the ancient structures in Delhi, India. It was built by Sultan Feroz Shah Tughlaq in 1354. According to the historians, this fort was built when the Sultan decided to shift his capital from Tughlaquabad to Firozabad because of the scarcity of water at Tughlaquabad. This fort was built on the banks of river Yamuna to solve the problem of water shortage. 

          This is a huge fort. It has some beautiful garden, mosques, palaces etc. in its complex. It has a huge iron gate at the entrance of the fort. The fort walls are 15 meters of height. 

Ashokan Pillar of Feroz Shah Kotla Fort

          The most interesting structure of this fort is a Ashokan Pillar(a pillar made by the great ruler Ashoka). This pillar was not originally built there. Sultan Feroz Shah Tughlaq brought this pillar from Ambala to Delhi. This pillar is 13 meters of height and has the inscriptions of the great ruler Ashoka  on it. It is also called Lat in local language. 

Jami Masjid in Feroz Shah Kotla Fort

          This fort also has a huge mosque. It's name is Jami Masjid. It is considered to be one of the most ancient and largest surviving mosque and monument. 

Baoli in Feroz Shah Kotla Fort

          Where most of the structures of this fort ruined as per time, the Baoli is still in good condition. Baoli means step well. It lies towards the North-Western side of the Ashokan Pillar, at the heart of a beautiful garden. This is the only circular baoli in Delhi. 

          Till now you must be thinking that, what is so special about this place? It looks like the rest of the old architecture of India. But no you are wrong. It is surely different from all other architectures of India. It is considered to be one of the most haunted places of India. Even it is officially forbidden to enter this fort after six o'clock in the evening. 

People Praying At Jami Masjid

          As most of the structures of this fort was slowly being destroyed by the natural calamities and ignorance, the fort was losing its nobility. But in 1977 this fort was on the headlines of news. A news came out that shocked everyone. Some people claimed that this fort is the residence of Jinns and these Jinns fulfill all the wishes of people who come here and pray to them.  As time went it became faith. Many people started believing in this, specially the people of Muslim community. They started to gather in the fort to make their wishes come true. 

Gathering of People in the Mosque

          Till now on every Thursday, a huge number of people gather at the fort. They pen down their wishes on a paper and pin it to the wall of the mosque. They also put a lock on the iron gates of the mosque. They believe that by putting a lock on the gate of the mosque, they are locking all their problems behind them. It is popularly believed that Jinns descends down and accept all the requests and wishes of people. 

Written Wishes and Locks on the gate of Mosque

          I don't know if Jinns really exists or not, or if they really fulfil the wishes of people who come to  Feroz Shah Kotla Fort. But beliefs of so many people can not be totally false. You believe in Jinns or not, if you visit Delhi, make sure to visit this place once. Who knows maybe your wishes can come true...