Visitor management plan of tughluqabad, Delhi

Abstract

Tughluqabad is the first of many sultanate towns which were purposely planned and constructed on previously uninhabited sites. It was to serve as a capital of the newly established Tughluq Dynasty, which is regarded as 3rd historical city of Delhi. It stands on a high outcrop of rock towards the South-Eastern edge of Delhi. A few kilometers south-eastwards on the road from Qutb area that connects this part of Delhi to Badarpur, near Delhi-Haryana border. Tughlaqabad, the city of Tughluqs, was built by founder of the Tughluq dynasty, Sultan Ghias-ud-din Tughluq (1321-25 AD). The garrison city of Tughluqabad is in the plan of a fortress, which by definition is a large fort. A fortress also connotes a fortified area comprising of not only the citadel of the ruling class, but also the external city limits. In the southern side, a cause way is connected to the mausoleum known as Tomb of Ghias-ud-din Tughluq. As an extension of Tughluqabad, Adilabad was built in the same period under the reign of Sultan Muhammad Bin Tughluq. It has a similar layout, style and materials used in construction. And also, during the construction of Adilabad, Nai ka kot was built by the ruler while re-establishing his capital in Delhi. There are more than seven capital cities in Delhi constructed by various dynasties built during different time period which are in a ruined condition. The forts are in good condition because of their protection status or private ownership. The Tughluqabad and the historic structures are in ruinous condition even though the fort form the significant part of historical event in the region. And also, the site is covered by green areas such as parks and dense vegetation. This thesis is aimed to analyze and identify the historic structures of the property and its precinct area leading to delineating the boundaries for the Tughluqabad and other historic structures, and further proposing the heritage zone as an archaeological park. ii The satisfaction and experience as well as behavior towards built heritage and other resources which can affect the OUV of the built heritage and its protection is analyzed through visitor demographics, attitude and behavior toward the property of Tughluqabad and the other historic structures. A primary site survey and secondary questionnaire survey was conducted to determine the perception of visitors on various attributes of the built heritages of the site. The site observations and analysis lead towards the identification of key issues for the safety of visitors as well as built heritage. Built heritage is threatened by negligence and human vandalism due to lack of site interpretation. A lack of management is leading to negative effects of visitation on built heritage and understanding about the heritage. Visitors satisfaction can be achieved by improving the quality of the service attributes and at the same time enhance the visitors experience through managing site to experience a unique feature at Tughluqabad. ii