Shaniwar Wada

The other day, I visited Shaniwar Wada, an old military fort, with my host family. It was a huge area built in 1730 as a safe place from the British. The Delhi entrance door had huge spikes on it to prevent elephants from knocking the door down. After climbing up very steep and narrow stone stairs, you reach the top of the fort walls, and can walk the perimeter of the area. Along the walls, there are various areas where cannons used to be, and protected areas for gunmen to stand and shoot the approaching enemy. At the very top, there is an area to look out and view the city. Inside these gigantic walls, there used to be a palace and gardens and fountains and homes for the men who stayed there. The British burned these buildings down long ago, but we were able to walk among the foundations and allow our imaginations to draw beautiful pictures of what it must have been like.