Red Fort:
The
Red Fort was the residence of the Mughal emperor of India for nearly
200 years, until 1857. It is located in the centre of Delhi and houses a
number of museums.
Address: Netaji Subhash Marg, Chandni Chowk, New Delhi, Delhi 110006
The Red
sandstone walls of the massive Red Fort (Lal Qila) rise 33-m above the
clamour of Old Delhi as a reminder of the magnificent power and pomp of
the Mughal emperors. The walls, built in 1638, were designed to keep out
invaders, now they mainly keep out the noise and confusion of the
city.The main gate, Lahore Gate, is one of the emotional and symbolic
focal points of the modern Indian nation and attracts a major crowd on
each Independence Day.
In 1638
Shahjahan transferred his capital from Agra to Delhi and laid the
foundations of Shahjahanabad, the seventh city of Delhi. It is enclosed
by a rubble stone wall, with bastions, gates and wickets at intervals.
Of its fourteen gates, the important ones are the Mori, Lahori, Ajmeri,
Turkman, Kashmiri and Delhi gates, some of which have already been
demolished. His famous citadel, the Lal-Qila, or the Red Fort, lying at
the town's northern end on the right bank or the Yamuna and south of
Salimgarh, was begun in 1639 and completed after nine years. The Red
Fort is different from the Agra fort and is better planned, because at
its back lies the experience gained by Shahjahan at Agra, and because it
was the work of one hand. It is an irregular octagon, with two long
sides on the east and west, and with two main gates, one on the west and
the other on the south, called Lahori and Delhi gates respectively.
While the walls, gates and a few other structures in the fort are
constructed of red sandstone, marble has been largely used in the
palaces.
From the
western gateway after passing through the vaulted arcade, called
Chhatta-Chowk, one reaches the Naubat- or Naqqar-Khana ('Drum-house'),
where ceremonial music was played and which also served as the entrance
to the Diwan-i-'Am. Its upper storey is now occupied by the Indian War
Memorial Museum.
The Diwan-i-' Am ('Hall of Public Audience') is a rectangular hall, three aisle deep, with a façade of nine arches. At the back of the hall is an alcove, where the royal throne stood under a marble canopy, with an inlaid marble dias below it for the prime minister. The wall behind the throne is ornamented with beautiful panels of pietra dura work, said to have been executed by Austin de Bordeaux, a Florentine artist. Orpheus with his lute is represented in one of the panels here. Originally there were six marble palaces along the eastern water front. Behind the Diwan-i-' Am but separated by a court is the Rang-Mahal ('Painted Palace'), so called owing to coloured decoration on its interior. It consists of a main hall with an arched front, with vaulted chambers on either end. A water-channel, called the Nahr-i-Bihisht ('Stream of Paradise'), ran down through it, with a central marble basin fitted with an ivory fountain. The Mumtaz-Mahal, originally an important apartment in the imperial seraglio, now houses the Delhi Fort Museum.
The Diwan-i-' Am ('Hall of Public Audience') is a rectangular hall, three aisle deep, with a façade of nine arches. At the back of the hall is an alcove, where the royal throne stood under a marble canopy, with an inlaid marble dias below it for the prime minister. The wall behind the throne is ornamented with beautiful panels of pietra dura work, said to have been executed by Austin de Bordeaux, a Florentine artist. Orpheus with his lute is represented in one of the panels here. Originally there were six marble palaces along the eastern water front. Behind the Diwan-i-' Am but separated by a court is the Rang-Mahal ('Painted Palace'), so called owing to coloured decoration on its interior. It consists of a main hall with an arched front, with vaulted chambers on either end. A water-channel, called the Nahr-i-Bihisht ('Stream of Paradise'), ran down through it, with a central marble basin fitted with an ivory fountain. The Mumtaz-Mahal, originally an important apartment in the imperial seraglio, now houses the Delhi Fort Museum.
The
Diwan-i-Khass ('Hall of Private Audience') is a highly-ornamented
pillared hall, with a flat ceiling supported on engrailed arches. The
lower portion of its piers is ornamented with floral pietra dura panels,
while the upper portion was originally gilded and painted. Its marble
dias is said to have supported the famous Peacock Throne, carried away
by the Persian invader Nadir Shah.
The
Tasbih-Khana ('chamber for counting beads for private prayers') consists
of three rooms, behind which is the Khwabgah ('sleeping-chamber'). On
the northern screen of the former is a representation of the Scales of
Justice, which are suspended over a crescent amidst stars and clouds.
Adjoining the eastern wall of the Khwabgah is the octagonal
Muthamman-Burj, from where the emperor appeared before his subjects
every morning. A small balcony, which projects from the Burj, was added
here in 1808 by Akbar Shah II, and it was from this balcony that King
George V and Queen Mary appeared before the people of Delhi in December
1911.
The Hammam ('Bath') consists of three main apartments divided by corridors. The entire interior, including the floor, is built of marble and inlaid with coloured stones. The baths were provided with 'hot and cold water’, and it is said that one of the fountains in the easternmost apartment emitted rose water. To the west of the Hammam is the Moti-Masjid ('Pearl Mosque'), added later by Aurangzeb. The Hayat-Bakhsh-Bagh ('Life-giving garden'), with its pavilions, lies to the north of the mosque, and was later considerably altered and reconstructed. The red-stone pavilion in the middle of the tank in the centre of the Hayat-Bakhsh-Bagh is called Zafar-Mahal and was built by Bahadur Shah II in about 1842.
In 1644,
Shahjahan commenced in Delhi his great mosque, the Jami'- Masjid the
largest mosque in India, and completed it in 1650. Its square quadrangle
with arched cloisters on the sides and a tank in the centre is 100 m.
wide. Built on a raised plinth, it has three imposing gateways
approached by long flights of steps. Its prayer-hall, with a facade of
eleven arches, flanked by a four-storeyed minaret on either end, is
covered by three large domes ornamented with alternating stripes of
'black and white marble.
Entrance Fee:
Citizens of India and visitors of SAARC (Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Maldives and Afghanistan) and BIMSTEC Countries (Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Myanmar) - Rs.10 per head.
Others:
Rs. 250/- per head (Free entry to children up to 15 years)
Entrance Fee:
Citizens of India and visitors of SAARC (Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Maldives and Afghanistan) and BIMSTEC Countries (Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Myanmar) - Rs.10 per head.
Others:
Rs. 250/- per head (Free entry to children up to 15 years)
