RED FORT

The place that you must visit in Delhi is Red Fort which has been seat of power for many centuries. The Red Fort popularly known as Lal Quila, is the pride of the nation. It is a historic fort, situated in the older part of the city. Lal Quila served as the primary residence for Mughal Emperors who ruled the city, for about 200 years.  It was in 1638, when the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan moved the capital of his empire from Agra to a newly constructed city in Delhi that he called Shahjahanabad. Along with the construction of this new city, he laid the foundation of his palace in the Lal Qila. This massive walled citadel with red sandstone walls took nearly a decade to complete. Ustad Ahmad Lahauri was its Architect. Comprising of many buildings with intricate carvings, floral motifs, double domes and majestic defense wall of around 2.5 km, Red fort is spread over an area of 255 acres. This fort remained the seat of the Mughal Empire till its last Ruler Bahadur Shah Zafar was exiled by the British in 1857.

As regards the architecture of the Red Fort, it is a representation of the cultural intermingling that the Mughals brought to India. It is the culmination of the Mughal style of architecture which  involves a fusion of Persian, Timurid and Hindu traditions.

The palace not only showcases the architectural brilliance of Shah Jahan but also gives a reasonably good picture of Islamic architecture of those times.

However, the Fort saw enough destruction during the invasion of Persian Ruler Nadir Shah. The weak Mughal Ruler Muhammad Shah could not offer any resistance to Nadir Shah

After the death of Aurengzeb in 1707, the Mughal rule had started weakening. Between 1707 and 1739, in a span of just 32 years , the Red Fort saw seven Rulers and dwindling fortunes of the dynasty. Then, came Nadir Shah in Feb 1739 during the reign of Mohammad Shah when Red Fort was badly trampled and plundered. The city of Shahjehanabad was severely wounded and looted by the Iranian invader during his stay of 3 months. He got practically no resistance while entering or exiting India.

On a small pretext, he ordered full massacre of Delhi, which was then known as Qatal-e-am. He killed 20,000 to 30,000 citizens (men, women, and children) of Delhi in about 6 hours. Whole city was destroyed and made ruin by Persian army; it was a demonstration of brutality and most inhumane treatment ever witnessed by the history of India. Delhi was looted and plundered by Nadir shah and his army that left Mughal Empire so weak and meager that Mughals were not able to regain their strength and fight against other enemies.

Red Fort lost the famous Peacock Throne to the Iranian emperor. The Peacock Throne, thereafter, served as a symbol of Iranian imperial might. Among a trove of other fabulous jewels, Nader also looted the Koh-i-Noor diamond. The booty they had collected was loaded on 700 elephants, 4,000 camels, and 12,000 horses. 

British army entered the Red Fort after the Revolt of 1857 and converted it in to a cantonment. The shine and the glamour of the Fort was gone,

But, the Red Fort has not lost its sheen today. It still stands magnanimous in the cultural and political scene of the country. Each year, on the Independence Day (15th August), India’s Prime Minister hoists the Indian Flag and delivers his speech to the nation. The Red Fort was honored to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007.

Red Fort is a major attraction for tourists visiting the city all around the year. One of the major attractions of Lal Quila is the evening Light and Sound show. India’s glorious history is recreated every evening during the show.

As regards the layout,

·         Red Fort surpasses many monuments of the world with its carefully planned layout and impressive structure. For instance, if the layout has to be compared, Delhi Red Fort is planned in a much better way than the Red Fort of Agra or Fatehpur Sikri..

·         The first thing that you will notice about the Red Fort is its massive structure and its red colour. The stone used in red fort is red sandstone, which resulted in the brick red colour of the fort. The fort was used for a wide range of purposes keeping which in mind it was built.

·         The tallest structure of the fort is around 33 meters high, the Lahori Gate. The Delhi Red Fort is in the shape of an irregular octagon, comprising of long east and west sides along with two main gates on the western side and the southern side. The walls of the fort along with a few parts have been constructed with red sandstone while rest of the part by marble.

·         After entry to the Fort, you pass through Chatta Chowk, its vaulted arcade is a local market that sells tourists trinkets. One can reach the main compound of Lal Quila after passing through the Chatta  Chowk.

·         Like in most Mughal forts, among the key places to visit inside the Fort are the Diwan-i-‘Aam (Hall of public audience) and the Diwan-i-Khas (Hall of private audience). This fascinating Fort comprises of Drum House, the Hall of Public Audiences, the white marble Hall of Private Audiences, , the Pearl Mosque (Moti Masjid), Royal Baths and Palace of Color (Rang Mahal).

·         Inside there is Museum displaying many articles; clothes, armed gear, swords, guns and things of daily use of the kings and Queens of Mughal era.

Visiting Lal Qila

The minimum time that one needs to see Lal Qila is around 2 hours which can even go up to 3 or 4 hours if you are planning to explore its every part thoroughly. Take some time out and visit this fort at leisure with ample of time to take breath taking Lal Qila photos.