Tughlaqabad Fort in Delhi Abandoned by a Curse

According to legend, Saint Sheikh Nizamuddin Auliya cursed Tughlaqabad city and said it would lay abandoned. Tughlaqabad Fort, stretching across 6.5 km, was built by Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq, the founder of the Tughlaq dynasty in 1321. In fact, his successor Mohammad Bin Tughlak did not return here, because he was convinced of the curse.

Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq established this fifth historic city of Delhi, which was later abandoned in 1327. Tughalaq also built Qutub-Badarpur Road, which connected the new city to the Grand Trunk Road. The road is now known as Mehrauli-Badarpur Road.

The structure was primarily conceived to serve both as a defense mechanism and an imposing capital. Octagonal in shape and divided into three sections, the fort’s ramparts are almost 15 meters in height. Records say that the citadel had 52 gates in the past though only 13 are seen now. The massive city laid abandoned for centuries, till the British found the ruins.