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| Red Fort |
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The idea for Red fort came into being with the shifting of the capital from Agra to Delhi in 1638. The fort, which cost 10 million and took nine years to come into being, was part of the city called Shahjahanabad, the seventh city of Delhi. It is one the most popular tourist destinations in Delhi and is counted among the UNESCO's world heritage site.
Location
Red Fort is located in near famous Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi. Lahori Gate is opposite to the Chandni Chowk Metro Station. |
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Special Attraction
A light and sound show is held every evening taking you back to the era when the Mughal court was in full swing and you will feel as if the past has come alive.
Shahjahanian Architecture
The Red Fort gets its name from the extensive use of red sandstone used in the building but the palace interiors have also seen the use of marble with semi-precious stone inlay work. It has an irregular octagonal shape, measuring 2.41 km in length and 33.5 m in height. Of its fourteen gates, the important ones are the Mori, Lahori, Ajmeri, Turkman, Kashmiri and Delhi gates, some of which have already been demolished.
The main structure is broadly divided into seven parts -
Diwan-i-Am
Diwan-i-Am or the Hall of Public Audience is a rectangular hall in the east. The wall is ornamented with panels of pietra-dura work supposedly done by Austin de Bordeaux, a Florentine artist.
Diwan-i-Khas
Diwan-i-Khas or Hall of Private Audience is highly ornamented with engraved arches, painted ceilings and panels of pietra-dura work. Its marble dais is said to have supported the famous Peacock Throne stolen by invader Nadir Shah in 1739.
Hammam
Hammam or the royal bath can be called the yesteryear spa and are made in traditional Turkish style. The several fountains used to carry hot and cold water, soap and rose water.
Zenana
Near Diwan-i-Am are located the luxurious Rang Mahal and Mumtaz Mahal (now a museum), once the residence for the all the royal women. The Nahr-i-Bihisht, a stream, was used to fill the marble pool in the center of Rang Mahal.
Khas Mahal
The third pavilion from the south, the Khas Mahal, contains the imperial chambers. These include a suite of bedrooms, prayer rooms, a veranda and a tower built against the fortress walls.
Moti-Masjid (Pearl Mosque)
To the west of the Hammam is the small three-domed mosque in white marble carved Moti Masjid or the Pearl Mosque. This was a later addition built in 1659 as a private mosque for Aurangzeb, Shahjahan's successor.
Hayat Bakhsh Bagh
Also called the 'Life-giving garden', it lies to the north of the Moti Masjid. The red-stone pavilion in the middle of the tank in the centre of the garden is called Zafar-Mahal and was built by Bahadur Shah II in about 1842.
Naubat Khana or Drum House
It was the place where the royal musicians played sometimes five times a day. Today it serves as a museum-cum-medieval war memorial. |
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