Fatehabad: Architectural History and Archaeology

If you are looking for a hotel in Fatehabad, focusing your trip can help structure your plans: are you mainly interested in the history of historic buildings and inscriptions, or in archaeological settlement phases? Fatehabad offers two distinct thematic strands. The Humayun Mosque is in Fatehabad city; Banawali is an archaeological site in Fatehabad district associated with a multi-part cultural sequence.

Humayun Mosque and Lat of Feroz Shah

The Humayun Mosque is in Mohalla Babapir, near the old tehsil of Fatehabad city. It was built by the Mughal emperor Humayun (1529–1556 AD) at a site where the Lat erected by Sultan Firoz Shah Tughlaq already stood. The mosque has a long, open courtyard that defines its architecture.

The Lat of Feroz Shah is over six metres tall and stands at the centre of a complex that today resembles an ancient, walled Idgah. It appears to consist of a section of a pillar erected by Emperor Ashoka; this section may have come from Agroha or Hansi. The Ashokan inscription once engraved on the Lat was apparently systematically chiselled away to make way for a Tughlaq inscription recording Firoz Shah’s genealogy. The monument’s history thus links a possible earlier origin as part of a pillar with a later inscription that recorded Firoz Shah’s genealogy.

Banawali and its cultural phases

Banawali lies on the dry bed of the ancient Sarasvati River. Excavations revealed a three-part cultural sequence: a pre-Harappan phase, the Harappan culture and the Bara culture of the post-Harappan period. The pre-Harappan phase is characterised by well-planned houses and a fortification wall made of moulded bricks. The Harappan phase was marked by a well-planned, fortified settlement with a radial layout. A radial layout describes an arrangement extending outwards from a central point.

The pre-Harappan phase’s planned houses and brick fortification can thus be contrasted with the radial layout of the Harappan settlement. A terracotta model of a plough is considered a complete Harappan example and adds a specific find to the architectural evidence. The sequence extends beyond these two phases to include the Bara culture of the post-Harappan period. Those interested in the history of archaeological settlements will therefore find both changes in the described buildings and a succession of different cultural phases here.

Getting to Fatehabad

Fatehabad is located on National Highway No. 9. Haryana Roadways buses pass through Fatehabad. This information covers different aspects of the journey: its location on a national highway and bus services through the town. If you are planning to travel by bus, check the current timetable before departure, as schedules may change.

Discover more destinations

Fatehabad, Kullan, Tohana, Kurukshetra, Sonepat, Rohtak, Mahendragarh, Sirmaur

For the main travel overview: Haryana.