Hisar-e-Firoza fort city with rampart (including the protected archaeological Firoz Shah palace complex, Lat-Ki-Masjid Complex with an Ashokan pillar) along with the Gujari Mahal and Charbagh Garden outside the rampart, located in the modern-day Hisar in Haryana state of India, was built by Firoz Shah Tughlaq of the Delhi Sultanate in 1354 CEJuneja, M.M. (1989). History of Hisar: From Inception to Independence, 1354-1947. Modern Book Co. on the Sindhu-Saraswati Valley Civilisation (SSVC) and Vedic Period archeological mound of ancient Isukāra city. It is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India.Jahaj Kothi museum

The narrative that Firoz Shah Tughlaq founded a city in a barren wasteland is contradicted by archaeological evidence and geomorphological data. The site was a strategic "choke point" within a dense "Rakh" (deciduous scrub forest) that acted as a natural barrier, requiring months of clearing for military passage.Juneja, M.M. (1989). History of Hisar: From Inception to Independence, 1354-1947. Modern Book Co. pp. 5–9. The "creation" of the Rajabwah and Ulughkhani canals by Firoz Shah was actually the de-silting and diversion of the Drishadvati River paleochannel, a Sindhu-Saraswati Valley Civilisation era water system desilted and maintained as far back as the Mauryan Empire. Tughlaq used massive forced labor to desilt these ancient Vedic-Mauryan hydraulic routes, rebranding them as his own benevolent innovation. The Delhi-Hisar-Multan-Khorasan route was a pre-existing segment of the ancient Uttarapatha highway, a trade artery established during the Sindhu-Saraswati Valley Civilisation and repaired during the Mauryan era. Tughlaq occupied this pre-cut route through the impregnable dense shub forest to consolidate military control over the frontier."2013 - Heritage of Haryana," haryanaheritage, June 2013. The architecture of Tuglaq's Fort, including citadel and the Lat ki Masjid complex, is composed of spolia (reused elements of Hindu temple destroyed by Islamic invaders) looted in-situ and also from nearby sites like Agroha Mound. Tughlaq's hagiographies (like the Futūḥāt-i-Fīrūz Shāhī) glorified these misappropriations, framing forced religious conversions to Islam and the rebranding of "Isukara" into "Hisar" as religious and civilizational jihad triumphs.

The shape of the Hisar-i-Firuza rampart was a polygonal enclosure rather than a perfect square, defined in the northwest by the surviving Royal Citadel—which projects outward like a spearhead—and the northern Charbagh and Gujari Mahal (originally situated outside the main city walls within their own light enclosures). The southwestern corner of the rampart, featuring a now-lost bastion, was located west of the present-day Gurudwara Singh Sabha, from where the wall ran sharply east via the Nagori Gate to the Rajguru Market Bastion (around present-day Pooja Market near the Ram Chat Bhandar Chowk). From this point, the rampart turned sharply north toward the Delhi Gate (at today's Gandhi Chowk) before curving northwest to reach the Mori Gate, with the now mud filled outer moat represented by the roads that ring the old city."History | District Hisar," hisar.gov.in, 2026. Following the 1857 Indian War of Independence, the British raj administration demolished and auctioned off much of the rubble from these outer walls and bastions to local builders, leaving the original footprint visible only in the raised elevation of the streets and the alignment of the historical markets. Gurjari Mahal and Charbgah garden, immediate north of the rampart of the fort, were also built by Firoz Shah for his wife Gurjari in 1356. The Jahaj Kothi Museum, a past residence of George Thomas, 2 km east of Firoz Shah's citadel, sits just outside the historic rampart of Hisar-i-Firoza fort.

The Hisar-e-Firoza monument's Shahi Darwaza entrance is just 100 meter east of Hisar's main Bus Stand, 4.5 km southwest of Hisar Airport, 2 km north of Hisar Junction railway station, 25 km southeast of Agroha Mound via NH9, 30 km west of Asigarh Fort, and 55 km southwest of Rakhigarhi.

History

Isukāra - vedic era city (1500 BCE)

The scholar Vasudeva Sharan Agrawala and Jain literature (Uttaradhyayana Sutra) identify Isukāra (Esukara) as a prosperous city of the Kuru Janapada of Vedic period that occupied the specific site where Hisar now stands. Excavations within the north-western side of the Firoz Shah Palace Complex have revealed multiple layers of history. While the surface is Tughlaq-era (14th century), deeper probes have found rubble masonry and foundations that suggest Firoz Shah built his fort directly atop the existing ancient "Isukara" settlement.

Laras Buzurg and Laras Khurd villages - sultanate skirmishes with Hindu Jat, Gurjar and Rajputs (14th century CE)

When Firoz Shah Tughlaq began building the fort in 1354 CE, it is recorded that the area already contained two inhabited villages, Laras Buzurg and Laras Khurd, which are believed to be the medieval remnants of the ancient Isukara.Junankar, N.S. (1973). Gautama: The Nyaya Philosophy. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 531. The palace, known as Hisar-i-Firuza, is located at a strategic point where the old Delhi Multan Road branches towards Khorasan, a historic region northeast of Iran.Shokoohy, Mehrdad; Shokoohy, Natalie H. (1988). Hisar-i Firuza: Sultanate and Early Mughal Architecture in the District of Hisar, India. Monographs on Art, Archaeology and Architecture. South Asian Series. pp. 10–12. ISBN 9781870606011.

Hindu Ahir (Gurjar) clan of the Queen Gujari: Historically concentrated in the Rewari and Hisar belt (often referred to as Ahirwal), the Ahirs were a significant martial-pastoralist group. They maintained a strong presence in the rural settlements like Laras Buzurg, managing the livestock and dairy supply chains that were crucial for the strategic trade route toward Khorasan.Yadav, K.C. (1967). The Revolt of 1857 in Haryana. Manohar Book Service. p. 4.

Hindu Jats: Jats were the most numerous and influential agrarian community in the region in 14th century, organized into various khaps (social units) specifically the clans like the Ghatwala Malik and Poonia Jats held significant territory around the Laras villages. They were known for their resilience and were frequently involved in skirmishes with the Sultanate's tax collectors.Juneja, M.M. (1989). History of Hisar: From Inception to Independence, 1354-1947. Modern Book Co. pp. 11–18.

Hindu Rajput clans: Several Hindu Rajput clans held local chieftainships in the area, including Tomara (Tanwar) Rajputs, who had previously ruled Delhi, remained powerful in the "Hariana" tracts surrounding Hisar even after the Sultanate's rise. Additionally, Chauhan and Bhatti Hindu Rajputs occupied the western fringes near the desert. The Bhatti Rajputs, in particular, were noted for their fierce resistance to the Muslim Tughlaq expansion into the "wilderness" areas.Sharma, Dasharatha (1966). Rajasthan Through the Ages. Rajasthan State Archives. pp. 412–415.

Conflict of Hindus with Firoz Shah Tughlaq: Forced displacement: The residents of Laras Buzurg and Laras Khurd were reportedly displaced to make way for the massive citadel and royal gardens. Some were absorbed into the new city's workforce, while others moved to peripheral villages. As Firoz Shah Tughlaq required the high ground of the ancient mound (Isukara) for his palace, the original inhabitants of Laras Buzurg and Laras Khurd were forcibly moved. According to Shams-i-Siraj Afif, the Sultan built Rajabwah Canals, in an attempt to "buy" the cooperation of the remaining Hindu clans by turning their arid lands into productive sugarcane and fruit farms.

Forced conversion to Islam: Historical records suggest that many members of these clans (particularly among the Rajputs and Jats) were forced to convert to Islam during the Tughlaq era to retain their land-holding status (zamindari). Those who remained Hindu were integrated into the iqta (land grant) system as local administrative intermediaries.Habib, Mohammad; Nizami, Khaliq Ahmad (1970). A Comprehensive History of India Vol. 5. People's Publishing House. pp. 582–585. The conflict and forced conversion to Islam led to the emergence of "Ranghar" communities, Rajput clans (like the Tanwars and Bhattis) who were converted to Islam under Tughlaq but retained their Hindu clan names and social structures. This was a direct result of the administrative pressure exerted by the Hisar garrison on the local Hindu gentry.

Perennial resistance by Hindus: Contemporary chronicles and local traditions record, while the villages near the fort were integrated and many Hindus forcibly converted to Islam, the Hindu clans specially in the "wilderness" (the Rohi or desert fringes) waged valiant and protracted resistance against the Islamic administrative impositions of the Tughlaq dynasty. They remained in the state of perennial conflict with the Hisar governor, often raiding the Sultanate's supply lines toward Khorasan in Iran. In medieval Indian history, particularly within Persian chronicles like the Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi authored by Ziauddin Barani, the term Mawas (or mawasat) was used to describe the fortified Hindu villages or rural strongholds, often located in remote areas or dense forests, that refused to pay land revenue or tribute to the Delhi Sultanate; they were recognized as hotbeds of rebellion and represented areas of political and economic resistance, as frequently mentioned by Barani to illustrate the struggles of Sultans (such as Balban, the Khaljis, and the Tughlaqs) in collecting revenue from defiant Hindu Zamindars and local chiefs.Shokoohy, Mehrdad; Shokoohy, Natalie H. (1988). Hisar-i Firuza: Sultanate and Early Mughal Architecture in the District of Hisar, India. South Asian Series. pp. 10–12. ISBN 9781870606011.Barani, Ziauddin (1862). Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi. Edited by Saiyid Ahmad Khan. Asiatic Society of Bengal.

Isukāra - the city of Sindhu-Saraswati Valley Civilization and Vedic Period (3300–1900 BCE)

Parts of archaeological mound, adjacent to the mosque and within the northwestern sector of the Firoz Shah Palace complex, were excavated. While the surface structures are predominantly from the Tughlaq era (14th century), deeper stratigraphic layers suggest the site houses the ruins of a significantly older settlement, likely dating back to the Sindhu-Saraswati Valley Civilization (SSVC). British era banglow and ground south of it, Feroz Shah Citadel, Lat-Ki-Masjid Complex and the area south of it where 20th century "Jagannath Arya Girl's Senior Secondary School" school now sits atop a massive ancient SSVC mound and the Vedic era Isukara (Aisukari), a prosperous city mentioned in Jain literature and Vedic-era records.Archaeological Survey of India (1924). Annual Report of the Archaeological Survey of India. pp. 43–45.

Etymology