INDRAPRASTHA FORT

The Indraprastha Fort lies in Old Delhi on the south-east of Delhi near Delhi Gate and just 4 km away from Connaught circus with Connaught Place as the nearest Metro Station. It was named after the ‘first city of Delhi’ named ‘Indraprastha’ that was founded by the five Pandava Brothers of the Mahabharata epic. Other facts reveal that this first city existed up till 1913 beside the fort but unfortunately seems to have disappeared since then. Later, this site was re-built and extended as the Old Fort or Purana Quila.

The Archaeological Department conducted a few excavations in 1954 and 1955 near the eastern wall of this fort which revealed the fact that people had lived here since 1000 BC and even survived as a tribe of this ancient city. Another excavation between 1969 and 1973 also revealed findings and artefacts like the grey ware pottery and other objects that confirm the continuous existence of inhabitants dating back from the Mauryan era, Sunga era, Kushan era, Chandragupta era, Rajput period, Sayyid, Afghan, Khilji and Mughal reign. All these ancient findings and fragmented artefacts have carefully been preserved and displayed in the Archaeological Museum situated in the Old Fort.

The Fort is opened for public viewing on all days and the entry fee for Indian residents is only Rs. 5/- whereas for Foreign Nationals is Rs. 100/-. For video filming, the charge is Rs. 25/- for each camera and one can spend the entire day from noon to evening between 1000 hours and 1700 hours during its preferred visiting time.