AN EDUCATIONAL TOUR
Many kings and emperors ruled Delhi over the years and, therefore, the big city abounds in monuments. People come from faraway places to see them. They have an educational value.
Once when we had our Dussehra holidays, we went round the city to see places of historical importance with our teacher. We hired a bus. First we went to the Qutub. It is now a building of five storeys. Two of its upper storeys have been brought down. It was built by Qutub-ud-Din, the first slave king in India. We admired the architectural beauty of the building. We saw the iron pillar standing nearby. It is known as King Chandra’s pillar. It is more than two thousand-year-old. Next we went to see the carvings of Hindu gods and goddesses on stone slabs.
From the Qutab we went to Tughlaqabad. Here an old city, founded by Tughlaq kings, was once situated. Now it lies in ruins. Then we proceeded to Hauz Khas which was the residence of kings. We relaxed for some time on the great lawns. We had our lunch there and refreshed ourselves with tea.
Next we went to Humayun’s tomb where Emperor Humayun lies buried. We appreciated the Mughal art and architecture. There are graves of the Mughal nearby. Our next place of visit was Kotla Feroze Shah. Feroze Shah Bahadur’s tomb and mosque are built there. This placed’ is well known for the Ashoka pillar, which was brought here from Meerut. Next we saw the ruins of the Old Fort. It was started by Humayun but was completed by Sher Shah Suri.
In the end we went to the Red Fort. It is a building of majestic grandeur. There we saw Diwan-i-Khas. It shows the architectural taste of the great Mughal Emperor Shahjahan. The glory of the ancient age is writ large on its face. We visited the museum inside the fort. Many things of historical value are displayed here.
We learnt a lot from the visit and eagerly wait for another educational tour in future.