fect in width, and the same in height, which is raised upon a terrace 21 feet in breadth and 7 in height. The rough mass of the superstructure is 257 feet in circumference, and 82 feet in diameter; but with a facing of red stone, this diameter would have been increased to at least 85 feet, or nearly double that of the Kutb Minar, as is usually stated by the people.* The entrance is on the east side, and on the north, at same height, there is a window intended to light the spiral staircase. But the steps were never commenced, and there is only a circular passage 9 feet 9 inches wide around the central pillar, which is 26 feet in diameter. The thickness of the outer wall is 18 feet 3 inches, the whole pillar being 82 feet in diameter, as noted above. The total height of the column, as it now stands, is about 75 feet above the plinth, or 87 feet about the ground level. The outer face of the wall is divided into 32 sides of 8 feet and inch each. The form of each face or flute is difficult to describe, but it may be likened to the shape of a crown work in fortification, or to that of an old Roman M with shallow body and long widelysplayed limbs. I think it probable that the central angle of each face, as it now exists in the rough stone, would have been modified in the red stone facing into a shallow curved flute. The flutes would have been 4 feet wide and 4 feet apart, with a deep angle between them. The plinth is also divided into 32 straight faces, or projections, which are separated by the same number of depressions of equal breadth, the whole being exactly like a gigantic cogwheel. Syad Ahmad states that the building of this Minar was commenced in A. H. 711 or A. D. 1311; but as Ala-uddin did not die until A. D. 1316, the work was probably stopped some time before the end of his reign. I suspect, indeed, that the work was actually stopped in the following year, as I find from Ferishta that in A. D. 1312 the King became so extremely ill that his wife and son entirely neglected him, while his Minister exercised all the powers of the State, and even aspired to the throne. As the King never rallied, it seems not improbable that all the expensive works of Alauddin then in progress may have been stopped by the Minister, who wished to secure the money for himself. * Amir Khusru, in his Târikh-i-Alâi, distinctly states that he ordered the circumference of the new Minar to be double that of the old one, and to make it higher in the same proportion. SIRI, OR KILAH ALAI. The Fort of Siri, with Ala-uddin's celebrated palace of "The Thousand Pillars," has been identified by Messrs. Cope and Lewis, and also by Lieutenant Burgess, the Surveyor of the ruins of Delhi, with the citadel of Rai Pithora's fort, in the midst of which stands the Kutb Minar. But in describing this fort I have already brought forward strong reasons to show that it was the ancient Lalkot of Anang Pâl, and I now propose to follow up the same argument by proving that the true site of Siri was the old ruined fort to the northeast of Rai Pithora's fort, which is at present called Shahpur. A glance at the Sketch Map of the ruins of Delhi,* which accompanies this account, is all that is necessary to make the following argument quite clear. Sharaf-uddin, the historian of Timur, describes Delhi as consisting of three cities, and as quite distinct from Firuzabad, near which the conqueror's camp was pitched. These three cities were Siri, Jahân-panah, and old Delhi. To the north-east was Siri, the walls of which formed a circle, and to the south-west was old Delhi, similar in form but larger than Siri, and the space between the two forts, which was much larger than old Delhi, was Jahan-panáh. The relative sizes and positions of the three cities are here so accurately described that it is quite impossible to mistake them. Siri answers exactly to Shahpur, not only in size and position, but also in shape; for, though not circular, it is certainly oval. To the south-west of Shâhpur lies the fort of Rai Pithora, which, therefore, corresponds exactly with the old Delhi of Sharaf-uddin, both in its size and in its position, and somewhat also in its form, which may be described as an oblong square with the corners cut off. The name of old Delhi was appropriately applied to the fort of Rai Pithora as by far the most ancient of the three cities. Between Siri and old Delhi was Jahân-panah, a name which is still applied to the old walled city between Shahpur and Rai Pithora's fort; and as the size of this city is more than double that of Rai Pithora's fort, there can be no doubt whatever of its identity with the Jahân-panâh of former days. I now turn to Ferishta's account of Turghai Khan's invasion of India during the reign of Ala-uddin, the founder *See Plate No. XXXV. of Siri. In A. H. 703 or A. D. 1303 the Mogul Chief reached Delhi with 120,000 horse and encamped on the bank of the Jumna, most probably about the spot where Humayun's tomb now stands, as that is the nearest point of the river towards old Delhi. "The King," as Ferishta relates, "was in no condition to face the enemy on equal terms, and, therefore, contented himself with entrenching his infantry on the plain beyond the suburbs till he could collect the forces of the distant districts." But after the lapse of two months the Mogul troops were seized with a panic, and retreated precipitately to their own country. The historian then relates that "Ala-uddin, relieved from the perils of this invasion, caused a palace to be built on the spot where he had entrenched himself, and directed the citadel of old Delhi to be pulled down and built anew. Now the spot where the King entrenched himself may be fixed with some precision, partly from Ferishta's description that it was outside the suburbs, and partly from the strategical consideration that it must have been on the north-east side facing towards the enemy, and covering the city. On this side the suburbs of old Delhi extended for a considerable distance. We know, also, that they were without walls, because the Moguls plundered them during their stay, and because they were afterwards enclosed by Muhammad Tughlak, when they received the separate name of Jahânpanâh. Immediately in front of these suburbs, and facing towards the enemy, is the old ruined fort of Shâhpur, and inside the western half of this fort there still exist the remains of a large palace and other buildings. This should be the site of the celebrated Kasr-Hazár-Sutún, or "Palace of One Thousand Pillars," otherwise Hazár Minár, or "thousand minarets," which Ala-uddin built on the spot where he had entrenched himself. There is yet one more evidence which I can bring forward in favour of the identification of Siri with Shâhpur. In the Ain Akbari it is related that Shir Shah destroyed the city built by Ala-uddin, which was called Siri, and founded another.† Again, in the Araish-i-Mahfil it is recorded that Shir Shal pulled down the Kushak Sabz, or the "Green Palace," and * Brigg's translation, I., 354. built a new city. Syad Ahmad repeats the same story, adding that the materials of the old fort and palace of Siri were used in the construction of the new fort of Shir-ShahKot. From these accounts it is quite certain that Siri cannot be identified with the citadel that surrounds the Kutb Minar, for the walls of Siri were pulled down and the materials removed by Shir Shah, while the walls of the Kutb Minar Citadel are still standing. And, further, it seems almost certain that Shahpur must be Siri, because of its vicinity to the new site of Shir Shah's fort, for it is hardly possible to believe that the King would have brought his building stones from the Kutb Minar, a distance of seven miles, when he could have obtained them from Shahpur, which is only half the distance. That he did obtain his materials from the latter place, and not from the former, may be regarded as almost certain, for the very sufficient reason that the walls of Shâhpur have actually been removed, while those of the Kutb Citadel are still standing. The only evidence in favour of the identification of Siri with the Kutb Citadel is the fact which Ferishta records, that the citadel of old Delhi was re-built by Ala-uddin, and the existence near the Kutb Minar of the remains of an old Palace, which still bears this King's name.* As the historian does not mention the new city of Siri, it would seem to have been inferred that the re-building 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 statement 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, Mansolea, 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-Hazár-sutún, or "The Thousand Pillars." Much stress has been laid upon another statement made by Ferishta regarding the meeting * According to Lieutenant Burgess' Map of the Ruins of Delhi. of Nusrat Shah and Mullu Khan in the Palace of Siri at the tomb of Khwaja Kutb-uddin Bakhtiâr Kâki. 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 Mullû Khan and other Nobles who professed neutrality. He then relates that Mullû made overtures to Nusrat, 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 then held by Mahmud, it would have been impossible for Nusrat and Mullú to have met there.* I would suggest that the place of meeting may have been the shrine of the famous Saint called Chiragh Delhi, or the "Lamp of Delhi," which is just outside the south-east corner of Shahpur or Siri. My identification of Siri with Shahpur has been contested by Mr. C. J. Campbell, C. E. I have now gone over the whole subject again very carefully, and I have found the most ample, complete, and satisfactory evidence of the absolute correctness of my identification. A brief abstract of the principal facts is all that need be given in this place: 1st. Whenever Siri is mentioned before Ala-uddin built his fort in A. H. 703, it is described as a plain outside the city of Delhi, on which armies encamp. Thus Amir Khusru states that the left wing of the army of Kaikubâd in A. H. 687 was encamped at Indrpat, the centre at Siri, and the right wing at Tilpat. Siri was, therefore, just half way between Indrpat and Tilpat, which corresponds exactly with the position of Shâhpur. 2nd.—In A. H. 695, when Ala-uddin, after the murder of his uncle, advanced against Delhi, he encamped on the plain of Siri, while his cousin Rukn-uddin Ibrahim still held Delhi.§ Note.-I would suggest that Ferishta may have substituted the name of Bakhtiar Kaki, who was commonly called Roshan Zamir for that of Roshan Chiragh, whose fame was more local. + Bengal Asiatic Society's Journal, 1866, p. 206. Elliot, III., 525. § Zia-uddin Barni in Elliot, III., 160. |