986 Account of the Town and Palace of Feerozabad. 



successful defence of Secree. He died the following year near Kaithul, 

 (Feb. 1412.) An Afghan chief, of the name of Dowlut Khan Lodee, 

 reigned after him nominally for one year and three months, when 

 Khizr Khan, finally succeeded in obtaining possession of the throne,* 

 and in establishing a new dynasty. From this time (1416) or 62 

 years after it was founded, it is most likely that Feerozabad began to 

 decline. The building of Mobarikabad in 1435, showed that it was no 

 longer thought a suitable residence for kings of another race, and while 

 the construction, in 1533, by Humaioon of anew fort, and the founda- 

 tion by Shere Shah, almost immediately after, of a new and distinct 

 town, part of which must have been built on a portion of the site 

 of Feerozabad, showed that as a town of any consequence it had almost 

 entirely disappeared, the materials being, as usual, in all probability, 

 carried away to construct more recent edifices. This is the more likely, 

 as Sekunder Lodee had, for some years before his death, made Agra 

 his principal place of residence. 



From the foregoing outline of its history, and from the tolerably 

 accurate indications we have of its locality, taking also the style 

 of the remains of the palace, and other buildings into consideration, 

 and bearing in mind that we have the date of the Kalan Musjeedf to 

 bear out what we have advanced, we consider that there can be no 

 hesitation in laying it down as a fact, that the ruins of the Kotla, as 

 they now stand, are the remains of the palace built by Feeroz Togluk, 

 and that the city of Feerozabad, also built by him, extended a consi- 

 derable distance to the south-west, but mostly to the north-west of 

 the palace, where there are still numerous debris of old buildings, be- 

 sides several tombs and mosques, more or less perfect, all bearing the 

 most distinct marks of that period ; the Kalan Musjeed being one of 

 them. We shall endeavour, in our next paper, to trace even more 

 exactly the limits of Feerozabad, and to give a short account of the 

 several buildings alluded to, accompanied, if possible, by plans and 

 sketches of the most remarkable of those edifices, with a general plan 

 of the whole supposed site and neighbourhood. 



* Khizr Khan though sovereign de facto, never openly assumed the title of King, but 

 was contented to rule as the representative of Shahrookh, the son and successor of Tai- 

 moor, on whose name the Kliootbawas read. — II. C. — H. L. 



t It seems likely that this Musjeed was erected by Khan Jehan,Wuzeer with the object 

 (if securing the good will of the people of the capital on his contemplated usurpation of 

 the throne of his master, then verging rapidly to a state of mental imbecility. — H. C 

 -H. L. 



