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Location: The ruins of the citadel of Qila Rai Pithora can be seen along the Badarpur-Qutab road, Delhi-Qutab road or Mehrauli-Qutab road.
Famous as: The first Red Fort of Delhi
Time to Visit: Open on all days
Preferred Timings: sunrise to sunset
Admission: Free and open to all
Photography charges: nil
How to Reach: Tourists can either take local buses from various points within the city to reach this monument, which is located in south Delhi, or they can hire auto-rickshaws and taxis or metro rail.
Nearest Railway Station: Nizamuddin Railway Station
Nearest Metro Station: Central Secretariat
Functional Metro Station: Central Secretariat
Nearest International Airport: Indira Gandhi International Airport
Time required for sightseeing: About 30 minutes
(All data as of October 2005)
The Chauhan prince of Sakambhari, Vigraharaja IV captured Delhi from the Tomar Rajputs in the latter half of the 12th century. The grandson of Vigraharaja IV, Prithviraja Chauhan III, built Qila Rai Pithora, the first city of Delhi, by extending the citadel of Lal Kot, and constructing huge ramparts and moats around it. The city derived its name from the title of Prithviraja Chauhan and thus came to be known as Qila Rai Pithora, with Lal Kot as its southwestern base.
At present the ruins of Qila Rai Pithora have been conserved in a 20-acre DDA Conservation Park at Mehrauli. The park has an 18-foot high statue of Prithviraj Chauhan and a library, and is being developed as a tourist destination that will house an interesting museum and artifacts belonging to the medieval period.
The ruins of Qila Rai Pithora can be reached by taking the Delhi-Qutab or Badarpur-Qutab roads, just past the Adhchini village. The ruins of the ramparts of the extended city are rubble-built and are 5 to 6 meters in thickness, with a height of 18 meters on some sides and are surrounded by a wide moat from the outside.
The city had a number of imposing gateways and bastions. According to Timur, Qila Rai Pithora had 13 gates. The great traveler, Ibn-Battuta, mentions that Badaun Gate, one of the remaining gates, was the main entrance of the city. The other existing gates of the city are Hauz-Rani and Barka gates. The boundary walls are well lit up in the evening and it looks very beautiful when one views the ramparts through the camera arrangement placed atop the Qutab Minar.
Nearby Tourist Attractions
Qutab Minar, Alai-Darwaza, Quwwatul-Islam Mosque, Iron Pillar, Alai Minar, Tomb of Iltutmish, Imam Zamin's Tomb and Ala-ud-Din Madarsa.
Nearby Places to Eat
Thai Wok Ambavata Complex, Osaka Aurobindo Marg, Red Snapper Aurobindo Marg, good eating joints in Vasant Kunj Market and a number of roadside food stalls near the Qutab complex.
Nearby Shopping Venues
Ambavata Shopping Complex, Mehrauli, Hauz Khas Village, Residential Market of Vasant Kunj, Sahara Mall and DT Mall in Gurgaon.
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