Adilabad Fort & Nai ka Kot, unknown forts next to Tughlaqabad Fort

Adilabad Fort and Nai ka Kot

Lesser known forts in the shadows Tughlaqabad Fort, Delhi

Although archaeological evidences show that the region around Delhi has been inhabited for over 3000 years but it has been only in the last thousand years Delhi has been the stronghold of north India.

A panoramic view of the exterior of Adilabad Fort, Delhi

It was only in middle of the 11th century, during the Tomar rule, Delhi got its first fortified city the Lal Kot. Later Prithiviraj Chauhan (Reign 1170 – 92) expended the citadel and renamed it Qila Rai Pithora.

Baolis (Step Wells) of Delhi

A compilation of Baolis (Step Wells) of Delhi

Monsoon in India has a very short duration and moreover it has always been very unpredictable, this gave rise to the necessity of water conservation. Over the centuries Indians have constructed artificial lakes and dug wells to hold the water supplied by the monsoon rains.

Baolis of Delhi. Top Left: Rajon ki Baoli, Top Centre: Gandhak ki Baoli, Top Right: Loharheri Baoli, Bottom Right: Hindu rao hospital Baoli, Bottom Centre: Purana Kella Baoli, Bottom Right: Tuglagabad Baoli

It is often said that “Necessity is the Mother of Invention” and the necessity of conservation of water, for the dry season, led to the construction of step wells. Stepwells are wells or ponds in which the water is reached by descending a set of steps. They are often multi storied in structure and are found in Western India and in the other more arid regions of South Asia, extending into Pakistan.