Introduction of red fort

Red fort maker by the Shah jhan (A.D. 1628-58), The mughal emperor shifted

his capital form agra to delhi in A.D.1638 and established shajha bad, the

seventh city of delhi. He commenced the contraction for his citadel , lal qila

or the red fort on 12th may 1639 and took 9 year and 3 month to complete it

under the suprivision of maser builders hamid and ahmed. Originally it was

know as quila-i-mubrak.

The fort is built using red sandstone and is octagonal on plan with the

rampart surrounded by a most originally connected with river Yamuna. This

highly fortified citadel has two man gateways, the lohri gate on the west and

the delhi gate or hathi gate on the south.

Nadir shah the Persian invader plundered the city in Delhi in A.D 1739

and took away the prized booty including the takht-i-taus (peacock

throne) with the Kohinoor (worlds largest diamond). In A.D.1857

Bahadur shah II was proclaimed emperor by the freedom fighters. INA

offices shah nawaz khan, P.K.sehgal and G.S.Dhillon were trialed in

1945-46. These are some of the imprints of history left on the red fort.

Introduction of red fort…

Feature’s of Red Fort

Lal Quila, or the Red Fort, conjures up the image of red sandstone walls full of

turrets and bastions. Founded

on a dry moat in the northeast corner of Shahjahanabad, the walls extend up to

two kilometers and are as

high as 33 meters.

Don’t Miss Red Fort In Delhi You have to enter Red Fort, Delhi through the lofty Lahore Gate, which

structurally faces Lahore, now in Pakistan. You would feel thrilled to remember

that several speeches were delivered by freedom fighters and

National leaders of India here since the first war of independence.

• The fort's center is Naubat Khana or the Drum House where the musicians

used to play for the emperor and announce the arrival of royalty.

• Diwan-i-Amor, is the Hall of Public Audiences where the Emperor used to

listen to the complaints of his subjects.

• Similarly, the Emperor held private meetings in the Diwan-i-Khas, the hall of

private audiences in which the centre-piece or the Peacock Throne was later

carried away to Iran by Nadir Shah in 1739.

• The hammams or the Royal Baths, the Shahi Burj- Shahjahan's private

working area, and the Moti Masjid or the Pearl Mosque, built by Aurangzeb

for his personal use-draw equal attention from the tourists.

• The Rang Mahal or the 'Palace of Colors' for the Emperor's wives and

mistresses, display gilded turrets, mosaics of mirrors, and a ceiling overlaid

with gold and silver reflected in a pool on the marble floor.

Modern history

Every year on 15 August, the day India achieved independence from the British.

Prime Minister hoists the national flag at the Red Fort, followed by a nationally

broadcast speech from its ramparts. The Red Fort is one of the most popular

tourist destinations in Old Delhi, attracting thousands of visitors every year. It

also happens to be the largest monument in Old Delhi.

Today, a sound and light show describing Mughal history is a tourist attraction in

the evenings. The general condition of the major architectural features is mixed.

None of the water features, which are extensive, contain water. Some of the

buildings are in fairly good condition and have their decorative elements

undisturbed. Walkways are left mostly in a crumbling state

The entrance through the Lahore Gate leads to a retail mall with jewellery and

crafts stores. There is a museum of "blood paintings" depicting young Indian

martyrs of the 20th century along with the story of their martyrdom. There is also

an archaeological museum and an Indian war memorial museum.

Modern history…

Security threatsTo prevent terrorist attacks, security is especially tightened around the Red Fort

on the eve of Indian Independence Day.

Delhi Police and paramilitary personnel keep a vigil on the neighbor hoods

around the fort. Sharpshooters of the National Security Guard are deployed on

high rises near the Red Fort.

The aerial space around the fort is declared a no-fly zone during the

celebration to prevent aerial attacks, Safe houses are picked in nearby areas

where the Prime Minister and other Indian leaders can be rushed to in case of

an attack.

The fort was the site of a terrorist attack on 22 December 2000 carried out by six

terrorists of the Lashkar-e-Toiba. Two soldiers and a civilian were killed, in what

was described by the media as an attempt to derail the India-Pakistan peace

talks and relations.

The main entrance to the red fort lies at the lahori Gate and the place are approached apartments called the chhatta chowk. Situated on the western wall of the fort Lahori Gate in those days led towards Lahore now in Pakistan.

This majestic three storied gateway decorated which square rectangular and cusped arched pants is flanked by semi octagonal towers crowned by two open octagonal pavilions. Between them is screen of dwarf coupled chattiest having seven miniature marble domes. The flame shaped battlements continuing around the whole wall is imposing.

The gate was provided with a barbican by shah jahan’s son Aurangzeb (A.D 1658-1707), with its entrance to the north it is said that shah jahan while in prison wrote to Aurangzeb, You have made the fort a bride and set a veil on it.

The first job was to build the defenses for the city and, inside, the citadel- fort. Twenty-one towers and seven main getaways punctuated the four mile long, 27foot high city wall. The walls encircling the 124 acre fort were even more tremendous, ranging in height form 60 feet on the river side to 75 on the landward side, and in width from 45 feet at ground level to 30 feet.

Lahori Gate

Chhatta chowk means covered bazaar which in 17th century India was extremely unusual and this one especially is unique in mughal architecture. The nation of a covered bazaar was stimulated by the one shah jahan sow in Peshawar in 1646(now in pak) this bazaar was earlier know as ‘Bazaar-i-musaqqaf.

The naubat or naqqar khan (drum house) stands at the entrance to the palatial

complex. In its days of glory, musicians from the naubat khana announced the

arrival of the emperor or other prominent dignitaries at the court of the public

audience. Music was also played five times a day at chosen hours most of the

royal palaces of India have essentially the naubat khan at the entrance.

Faced with red sand stone, it is a large three storied building, rectangular on

plan. Richly carved floral designs on its red stone walls appear to have been

originally painted with gold, while the interior was painted in other colors. Several

layers of these paintings can be traced even now in the entrance chamber.

The later mughal kings jahandar shah (A.D. 1712-13) and farrukhsiyar (A.D.

1713-19) are said to have been assassinated here.

Naubat Khan

The Rang-Mahal, resting on a basement,consists of a large hall, originally paintedon the interior, from which it derives itsname, meaning the ‘palace of colour’.

Divided into six compartments byengrailed arches set on piers, the two apartments on its northern and

southern.

The museum is located in one of the palaces of the Red Fort, Delhi. It is believed that this palace was built by Shah Jahan for his queen Arjumand Banu Begum also famously known as Mumtaz Mahal. The objects are displayed thematically in six galleries belonging to the Mughal period.

In the Diwan-i-Aam (or the Hall ofPublic Audiences) the Emperor, seated

in a canopied alcove, would hearcomplaints and pleas of the commoners

through a jharokha (balcony). The hall was ornamented with stuccowork and featured a series of gold columns.

Moti MasjidMoti masjid or the pearl mosque was built by Aurangzeb for his personal use. It

would take him just a short walk from his bed chamber to reach the sacred place

of worship at various time of the day or night. The mosque wall of the enclosure.

The mosque is built over a raised plinth and is entered through an eastern

arched gateway with a copper plated door. The courtyard of this mosque is

enclosed by high walls. Though red sand stone has been used externally, its

interior is composed entirely of pure white marble. The prayer hall of the

mosque is inlaid without lines of musalla’s (small carpets of prayer) in black

marble and it hall is surmounted by there bulbous domes, originally copper

plated. In the courtyard is a tank with a fountain used for ablution.