Defence
The city of 'Dinpanah' in Delhi, on whose site the Purana Qila stands, was founded by:
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Answer: Option C ā Humayun
Detailed Solution
The city of "Dinpanah" ("Refuge of the Faith") in Delhi was founded by the Mughal emperor Humayun in 1533, on the site where the Purana Qila (Old Fort) stands today.
About Dinpanah:
Humayun began building Dinpanah in 1533, near the banks of the Yamuna.
The site is traditionally believed to be the location of Indraprastha, the legendary capital of the Pandavas in the Mahabharata; excavations at the Purana Qila have found remains from the Painted Grey Ware period onwards.
The city was not completed when Humayun was driven out of India in 1540.
Sher Shah Suri took over the site, destroyed or rebuilt parts of Dinpanah, and built (or completed) the fort now known as the Purana Qila, calling his city "Shergarh" (or Shergah).
After Humayun's return in 1555, he made the fort his capital again.
The Purana Qila:
- It has thick walls, about 2 km long, with three main gates: the Bara Darwaza (big gate), the Humayun Darwaza and the Talaqi Darwaza (forbidden gate).
- Inside are the Qila-i-Kuhna mosque, built by Sher Shah, and the Sher Mandal, a two-storeyed octagonal tower.
- The Sher Mandal was used by Humayun as a library; he died after falling down its stairs in January 1556.
The "seven cities" of Delhi:
- Dinpanah is counted as the sixth of the traditional seven cities of Delhi.
- The others are Qila Rai Pithora (Lal Kot), Siri, Tughlaqabad, Jahanpanah, Firozabad and Shahjahanabad.
About Humayun:
- He ruled from 1530 to 1540, and again from 1555 to 1556.
- He was interested in astronomy and astrology, and arranged his court according to the days of the week and the planets.
- He was a man of culture, who brought Persian painters to India.
Why not the other options?
- āBabur did not build Dinpanah.
- āSher Shah built on the site later.
- āAkbar built forts at Agra, Lahore and Allahabad.
Quick tip
Remember: Dinpanah (Delhi) = founded by Humayun (1533); site of the Purana Qila (completed by Sher Shah); traditionally identified with Indraprastha.
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Monuments & Religious Places ā Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Monuments & Religious Places, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers India's important monuments, temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras and pilgrimage sites, who built them and when, their architectural styles, and India's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Questions ask who built a monument, where it is located, or which dynasty or style it belongs to. For example, the Qutub Minar was begun by Qutbuddin Aibak, and the Sun Temple at Konark was built by the Eastern Ganga king Narasimhadeva I. Revise the UNESCO World Heritage Sites as a list, noting the most recent additions. Practise the monuments and religious places questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.