Walking over the crumbling battlements of Lal Kot (the first fort of Delhi)
Built by Raja Anangpal Tomar II in the 11th century
Lal Kot (Red Fort, not to be confused with the one built by the Mughals in 1648 A.D.) was the first city/fort to come up in Delhi.. While the capital city of the Tomar kings was present in Delhi since the 8th century, the fortifications were built by Anangpal Tomar II in the 11th century, perhaps in reaction to Mahmud of Ghazni's ruthless invasion of India..
An Enthusiastic Photographer
As the fort is located deep inside the Sanjay Van (A Protected Forest) people rarely travel to see this landmark monument.. This Sunday, I had an opportunity to go on a Photo Walk organized by Mr.
Vikramjeet Singh Rooprai, a heritage enthusiast and the admin of Delhi
Heritage Photography Club.. The difficulty level for walking around this fort is considered to be tough.. We all ended up trying to avoid thorny shrubs and playing hopscotch across loose stones and crumbling battlements (risking our limbs) while trying to move forward..
Climbing down the crumbling battlements (with the possibility of tumbling down looming large) was a nerve-wracking experience
I recalled Traveler Merwyn's quote
'In the wild, only humans come to the assistance of humans' while observing how other photographers including myself tried to assist folks especially the ladies and the elderly to climb down from the crumbling walls of the fort (as there was no other path to lead us forward)..
In the Photo Walk, in which about 60 photographers and heritage enthusiasts participated, we covered the fort of Lal Kot, which is located at a desolated location within the capital city, and other monuments like Anang Tal, Adham Khan's Tomb, Dargah of Saint Ashiq Allah and Zafar Mahal.. At the end of the PhotoWalk Mr Vikramjeet and the rest settled in the balcony of Zafar Mahal and discussed historical facts related to Mehrauli (One of the oldest suburbs of Delhi, even older than Old Delhi)
Mr Vikramjeet and others discussing the history of Mehrauli
Given the fact that visiting the
Lal Kot is something only an adventurer would try on his own (because of the lack of proper paths, secludedness of the area, lack of water e.t.c.), this Photo Walk was really significant from that Point of View.
