Report of tie Archaeological Survey. lxix 



King's name. As the historian does not mention the new city of 

 Siri, it would seem to have been inferred that the re-luilding of the 

 citadel of old Delhi was only a perverted account of the founding of 

 the new city of Siri. I see no reason, however, why Ferishta' s state- 

 ment should not be accepted exactly as it stands, for, on summing up 

 the works of Ala-uddin, he records* that, during his reign, "Palaces, 

 Mosques, Universities, Baths, Mausolea, Forts, and all kinds of public 

 and private buildings, seemed to rise as if by magic." As from this 

 account it would appear that Ala-uddin built more than one fort, and 

 founded more than one Palace, I see no difficulty in assigning to him 



the 



building of the Palace near the Kutb Minar, and the re-building 



of the citadel of old Delhi, as well as the founding of the new city of 

 Siri and its celebrated Palace of Kasr-Hazdr-Situn, or " the thousand 

 pillars." Much stress has been laid upon another statement made by 

 Ferishta regarding the meeting of Musrat Shah and Mallu Khan in the 

 Palace of Siri at the tomb of Khwaja Kutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki. But 

 this statement, and others connected with the confused history of this 

 period, only shows that Ferishta was not well acquainted with the 

 topography of ancient Delhi. Thus he records that Mahmud Shah 

 occupied old Delhi, and Nusrat Shah held Firuzabad, while Siri was 

 in the possession of Mallu Khan and other Nobles who professed 

 neutrality. He then relates that Mallu made overtures to JMasrat, 

 who came to Siri, when a mutual compact was sworn at the tomb of 

 Khwaja Kutbuddin in Siri. But as this tomb is close to the Kutb 

 Minar, and within the walls of the citadel of old Delhi, which was 

 held by Mahmud, it would have been impossible for Nusrat and Mallu 

 to have met there. I would suggest that the place of meeting may 

 have been the shrine of the famous Saint called Oliirdgh Delhi, or the 

 "Lamp of Delhi," which is just outside the south-east corner of 

 Shahpur or Siri. 



128. The next monuments in point of time are the grand old fort 

 of Tughlakabad, with the tomb of its founder Tughlak Shah, and the 

 castle of his son Muhammad, called Adilabad, and the city named 

 Jahan-panah. 



129. The fort of Tughlakabad may be described, with tolerable 

 accuracy, as a half hexagon in shape, with three faces of rather more 

 than three quarters of a mile in length each, and a base of one mile 



# Briggs 3 — I. 355. 



