Delhi: From Tughlaq to ‘Djinns’, ruins of Firoz Shah Kotla fort are a treasure trove of legends

On the banks of the Yamuna river and in between Old and New Delhi lies Feroz Shah Kotla fort, which was built by Feroz Shah Tughlaq in 1334. The fort, which played a pivotal role during India’s freedom movement, is also famous among locals to get their wishes complete through ‘Djinns’.

At the ruins of the fort in 1928, Bhagat Singh, along with other prominent freedom fighters such as Chandrashekhar Azad and Sukhdev, formed the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) was formed.

Standing as a testament to the change of times, which Delhi underwent over centuries, the fort witnesses a sea of devotees on Thursdays who write a letter to the Djinns, supernatural beings in Islamic mythology, stating their problems and wishes.

Devotees place their letters around ‘baoli’ (well) and in dungeons of the fort. They also light incense sticks and candles to ask that their wishes be granted or even to thank the djinns for wishes

fulfilled.

“My wish was to get a job and good health for my father. I got a job. I will serve biryani later this week near the fort,” said Abdul Majeed, one of the visitors to the fort.

Locals say the concept of letters to the ‘Djinns’ developed after the emergency was lifted in 1977, signifying the displacement of poor and working class people from Old Delhi.

According to the Ministry of Culture official website, “The place (fort) came into the spotlight soon after the Emergency in 1977, when a saint named Laddu Shah started living in Feroz Shah Kotla, and told his followers that there are energies in the form of ‘Djinns’ who fulfil wishes. Thereafter, people who harnessed such beliefs began coming here to seek blessings and find solutions to their problems. Every Thursday, people from across Delhi and beyond, flock to Feroz Kotla with letters, candles, ‘chaadars’ and rice to share their most private secrets and ask for protection.”

During the Partition, Feroz Shah Kotla fort also served as a refugee camp for Hindu and Sikh refugees. Tens of thousands of displaced people found shelter there, as did refugees in other monuments like Purana Qila, Humayun’s Tomb and Safdarjung’s Tomb.

Just opposite to the fort lies ‘Khooni Darwaza’ or Lal Darwaza, which was a witness to the barbarity of Mughal emperors and British. The last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar sons’ Mirza Mughal and Mirza Khizr Sultan and grandson Mirza Abu Bakht were shot by a British officer, Major William Hudson, after the British reclaimed Delhi in 1857.

Mughal emperor Aurangzeb had displayed his brother Dara Shikoh’s head at the gate after killing him in war of succession.

Delhi