Secret Tunnel in Delhi Legislative Assembly: Here’s a list of ancient tunnels in India and their stories

Recently a secret tunnel connecting Delhi Legislative Assembly to Red Fort has been discovered. This tunnel is speculated to be used in the British era to avoid reprisal during the movement of various freedom fighters. As per the Delhi Assembly's speaker, Ram Niwas Goel, "When I became an MLA in 1993, there was hearsay about a tunnel present here that goes till Red Fort and I tried to search for its history. But there was no clarity over it."

Now the mouth of the tunnel has been found but the Government wishes to dig no further. 

Goel also informed that everyone knew about the presence of a gallows room there but never tried to examine it, until now, after the 75th Independence day celebrations. The Speaker said that the Government intended to convert the room into a shrine for the freedom fighters of India. 

List of Secret Tunnels in India

Take a look at various such secret tunnels found in India and the stories behind them below. 

National Library of Kolkata: 

A secret enclosure was discovered by Archaeologists in the year 2010 here. The library of Kolkata itself is a 250 years old building without any entrance. Only one arch could be seen from outside of this walled up place. People have various stories about this place. Many say that the library premise was earlier used as a torture room or  a treasure vault by British overlords. 

The National library was built by the Nawab of Bengal in 1760 and was converted to the Imperial Library in 1891. There were then many speculations about the secret room there but later it was found that it was a block stuffed with mud to strengthen the building used by the architects.  

Talatal Ghar: 

It was a secret army base in the 18th century by the rulers and their successors during Ahom wars. It was a part of the Rangpur Palace. It actually consists of two tunnels and almost 3 stories underground. 

One of the tunnels is 3km long and connects to Dikhow river and the other one is a 16 km long escape route that leads to Garhgaon palace. These tunnels were used by the Ahom Kings during all their wars as an escape route. 

Padmanabhaswamy Temple:

This temple is one of the most sought after temples by the archaeologists across the globe due to its impeccable architecture and secret tunnels, doors and rooms. 

The temple is located in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. It is in fact the most visited temple of Hinduism in India. 

In 2011, there was a case filed against the Travancore Royal Family. They were blamed to have mismanaged the assets in the Padmanabhaswamy Temple that led to an investigation.

There were six vaults discovered after that investigation that gave it public attention worldwide immediately. What was discovered was beyond belief and gave everyone  a shock. 22 billion dollars worth gold idols, necklaces and other treasure coins were discovered. 

There is also a legend of Lord Padmanabhasawamy associated with one of the rooms which was  not opened due to it. The door, if opened, is said  to unleash a natural horror. However this has no evidence and is quite unscientific but the Government of India has not ordered opening it. 

Charminar:

The two greatest monuments of Hyderabad, the Charminar and the Golconda fort are said to be interconnected through a tunnel that is hidden. This passage was however never found in its proper place but there are more than a dozen structures that lead to support the existence of the 430 years old monument. 

In 2015, 2 new archways were found that suggested a tunnel as long as 9 kilometres which was destroyed due to negligence. 

Amber Palace Jaipur: 

There is an open air tunnel in Amber Palace that connects it to the Jaigarh Fort in the city. It is almost 325 metres long and is said to have been built in the 18th century. It was inaugurated as a tourist destination in 2011. 

Red Fort:

If people are to be believed, there is no place more mysterious than the Red fort in India. It is a seventeenth century fort built by Shah Jahan which is also the place where the PM delivers his Independence Day address from. It is said to be the home of many tunnels and secret passages, one that has recently been found to the Delhi State Legislative Assembly. The fort also has a chamber made of Lahori bricks which is suspected to be the house of weapons and ammunition keeping them safe from sunlight. It also has a secret tunnel connecting the Mughal structure to the Yamuna River.  

Pargwal Tunnel, Jammu: 

This tunnel was discovered by the Indian army in 2014. It is a 20 feet deep tunnel with no ends found yet. It is a clear indication of trespassers of LOC trying to pass into India but not succeeding. 

Also Read| List of top 10 Monuments in India