Unravelling Tughlakabad's mystery

By Lalit K. Jha

NEW DELHI, FEB. 27.

After dilly-dallying for years, the Archaeological Survey of India today finally started excavations at the ruins of the imposing Tughlakabad Fort, the third city of Delhi.

The first such exercise after the Lal Kot excavations in Mehrauli which began in 1991-92, the project is likely to yield some interesting facts about the period besides helping fill up crucial gaps in information about the Tughlaq rulers.

The objective of the present exercise, says the ASI Director- General, Ms. Komal Anand, is to expose all the collapsed and buried structures to understand the architectural features, settlement patterns and nature of buildings inside the 14th Century fort and also their socio-economic use.

To be completed over three to five years, the excavation, says Ms. Anand, would throw more light on the material culture of the period, presently known only through contemporary historians and court writers of the respective era. ``Once the excavation is over, we will have a clear picture of the architectural pattern of the contemporary period. It will help us corroborate the facts mentioned in the texts of the era,'' she says.

The excavation from the palace area of the fort, built by the then ruler Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq (1321-25), is likely to start yielding results within a fortnight. Through this exercise, being undertaken under the leadership of Mr. A.K. Sinha, Superintending Archaeologist (Delhi Circle), the ASI is also trying to probe how such an imposing structure, with several layers of fortification, could be built in just a couple of years. ``We expect the excavations to provide an answer to this historical puzzle,'' Mr. says Sinha.

According to Ms. Anand, the large-scale excavation, which will encompass the entire fort in phases, is part of a major ASI project for integrated development of the ``huge archaeological area'' including the Tughlakabad Fort, Ghiyasuddin Tomb, Adilabad Fort and Nai-ka-Kot that once used to be the centre of activity during the reign of early Tughlaqs.

Said to be one of the earliest examples of a fort city in India, a major portion of the complex is now in ruins with the complete collapse of its structures. More worrisome is the fast expanding encroachment on the city part of the fort.

``Practically nothing is visible over the ground except the fortification wall furnishing details on the settlement pattern and nature of buildings once raised within the fort,'' Mr. Sinha says. Inside the citadal area, a tower, known as Bijai Mandal, and remains of several halls, including a long underground complex with cells on either sides and a passage in the centre, could still be seen.

The excavation is likely to reveal more interesting details on rain water harvesting inside the complex, indications of which are already available. The ASI also plans to restore the ``baoli'' -- now in bad shape -- inside the fort.

Alongside the excavation, the ASI has also decided to undertake large-scale conservation and restoration of the fort, including its gateways, bastions and fortification walls. It has also decided to open a museum inside the fort for displaying the excavated material. Anticipating that the excavation would yield a lot of material, a pottery yard has already been made available for the excavators.

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