Purana Qila
पुराना क़िला
A citadel built in the 16th century by Humayun and Sher Shah, with a towering city wall and grand gates, an exquisite mosque inside, and a lake outside where you can go boating.
Purana Qila means 'Old Fort.' Legend holds that it stands on the site of Indraprastha, the capital of the Pandavas in the epic. The surviving walls and three gates were begun by Humayun and continued by Sher Shah Suri of the Sur dynasty. Inside the fort, the Qila-i-Kuhna Mosque is a masterpiece of Indo-Islamic architecture. The octagonal Sher Mandal is said to be where Humayun died after falling down its stairs. The site has an archaeological museum and holds light shows in the evening. Tickets are required, and you can rent pedal boats on the lake outside the fort. It is close to India Gate and the National Zoological Park.
Opening hours
approx. 07:00–17:00 (check on site)
Nearby sights
- National Gallery of Modern Art
- Sunder Nursery
- India Gate
- Humayun's Tomb
- Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah
- National Museum, New Delhi
- Agrasen ki Baoli
- Lodhi Garden