Old Fort
The Purana Qila or Old Fort, which once stood on the banks of the River Yamuna, lies to the east of Mathura Road, Delhi. Humayun built his capital of Din Panah here. The citadel we see today, however, was the work of Sher Shah Suri (1540-45).
Opposite the main entrance to the fort, lies the several entrances to the city of Delhi over which the Afghans ruled. Besides it, to the north, is the Khairu’l Manazil Mosque (1561) built during the reign of Akbar. Among the various outstanding building remains, some are Qal’a-i- Kuhna mosque, Sher Mandal (library of Humayun) and Maharani Kunti’s temple. Underneath the eastern walls of the fort is the Bhairon temple where Delhites offer libation of whiskey to Bhairon, a form of Shiva.
There are many tourist and historical places in and around the Old Fort. To the north of Purana Qila is – Pragati Maidan, Appu Ghar and Matka Shah (the shrine of a Muslim saint). To the south of it lies the national zoological park and the Humayun’s tomb.
