29/08/2026
This Sunday, under a scatter of colourful umbrellas and a light drizzle, Raahi walked through Firoz Shah Kotla, following the footsteps of the walk leaders, Yushvita, our former President, and Esha Gupta, the current president of Raahi.
The walk began with Firoz Shah Tughlaq, the 14th century sultan who built this complex on the banks of the Yamuna as the fortified core of his new capital. The fortress complex held a congregational mosque, a Baoli, and more. Much of that is in ruins now with halls, walls, and courtyards scattered across the site. But the Kotla has not gone quiet. People still come here and traditions that grew around these monuments over centuries are still very much alive.
The group then made its way to the Baoli. Unlike the rectangular stepwells more common across Delhi, this one is circular with steps spiralling down to the water. It carries its own folklore which tied to beliefs about paris.
From there we walked to the Ashokan Pillar brought all the way from Topra in Haryana and re-erected here by Firoz Shah. The polished sandstone pillar dates to c. 3rd century BCE, and Ashoka's inscriptions are still legible on its surface. Standing before it the conversation turned to why a sultan would want a Mauryan relic anchoring his new capital and what that choice says about his relationship with the past he inherited.
Next was the Jami Masjid, the Kotla's congregational mosque and one of the finest surviving examples of Tughlaq architecture. It was built around a wide courtyard and raised on a warren of underground cells, though its arcades and prayer hall are now mostly in ruins. This mosque has its own life beyond history which is tied to local beliefs about djinns.
The walk came to an end with a different history altogether: the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association, and the names that still echo here, Bhagat Singh, Chandrasekhar Azad, and others.
Firoz Shah Kotla is not just a museum piece behind glass. People still walk through it, pray in it, talk about it, and remember it, each in their own way.
Until the next walk,
Love,
Raahi!
Credits:
Reel: Bushra
Content: debosmita biswas.
