The Red Fort

1. One of the most spectacular pieces of Mughal Architecture is the Lal Quila or the Red Fort. Built by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan between 1638 and 1648, the Red Fort has walls extending up to 2 kms. in length with the height varying from 18 mts. on the river side to 33 mts. on the city side. The entry to this splendid fort is from the Lahori Gate or the Chatta Chowk. Lal Quila is now a busy market place called the Meena Bazaar. This bazaar has .....

Location

2. Red fort is located at the bank of the Yamuna river in Delhi. We know that it is known as old Delhi. .....

The fort today

3. Every year on the Independence Day of India 15 August, the Prime Minister of India hoists the national flag at the Red Fort and delivers a nationally broadcast speech from its ramparts.The Red Fort, the largest monument in Delhi,is one of its most popular tourist destinations and attracts thousands of visitors every year. The jali of the Diwan i Aam in the Red Fort A sound and light show describing Mughal history is a tourist attraction in the .....

Security

4. To prevent terrorist attacks, security is especially tight around the Red Fort on the eve of Indian Independence Day. Delhi Police and paramilitary personnel keep watch on neighbourhoods around the fort, and National Security Guard sharpshooters are deployed on high rises near the fort.The airspace around the fort is a designated no fly zone during the celebration to prevent air attacks,and safe houses exist in nearby areas to which the Prime Min .....

Lahori gate

5. The Lahori Gate is the main gate to the Red Fort, named for its orientation towards the city of Lahore. During Aurangzebs reign, the beauty of the gate was spoiled by the addition of bastions, Shahjahan described this as a veil drawn across the face of a beautiful woman.Every Indian Independence Day since 1947, the national flag has flown and the Prime Minister has made a speech from its ramparts. .....

Delhi gate

6. The Delhi Gate is the southern public gate, in layout and appearance similar to the Lahori Gate. Two life size stone elephants, on either side of the gate, face each other. .....

Water gate

7. A minor gate, the Water Gate is at the southeastern end of the walls. It was formerly on the riverbank; although the river has changed course since the forts construction, the name has remained. .....

Chhatta chowk

8. Adjacent to the Lahori Gate is the Chhatta Chowk, where silk, jewellery and other items for the imperial household were sold during the Mughal period. The bazaar leads to an open outer court, where it crosses the large north south street which originally divided the forts military functions to the west from the palaces to the east. The southern end of the street is the Delhi Gate. .....

Naubat khana

9. The vaulted arcade of the Chhatta Chowk ends in the centre of the outer court, which measured 540 by 360 feet 160 m ? 110 m.The side arcades and central tank were destroyed after the 1857 rebellion. In the east wall of the court stands the now isolated Naubat Khana also known as Nakkar Khana, the drum house. Music was played at scheduled times daily next to a large gate, where everyone except royalty was required to dismount. .....

Diwan i Aam

10. The inner main court to which the Nakkar Khana led was 540 feet 160 m wide and 420 feet 130 m deep, surrounded by guarded galleries.On the far side is the Diwan i Aam, the Public Audience Hall. The halls columns and engrailed arches exhibit fine craftsmanship, and the hall was originally decorated with white chunam stucco.In the back in the raised recess the emperor gave his audience in the marble balcony jharokha. The Diwan i Aam was also used .....

Nahr i Behisht

11. The imperial apartments consist of a row of pavilions on a raised platform along the eastern edge of the fort, overlooking the Yamuna. The pavilions are connected by a canal, known as the Nahr i Behisht Stream of Paradise, running through the centre of each pavilion. Water is drawn from the Yamuna via a tower, the Shahi Burj, at the northeast corner of the fort. The palace is designed to emulate paradise as described in the Quran. In the riverbed .....

Rang mahal

12. The Rang Mahal housed the emperors wives and mistresses. Its name means Palace of Colours, since it was brightly painted and decorated with a mosaic of mirrors. The central marble pool is fed by the Nahr i Behisht. .....

Khas mahal

13. The Khas Mahal was the emperors apartment. Connected to it is the Muthamman Burj, an octagonal tower where he appeared before the people waiting on the riverbank.During Mughal times, Khas Mahal was served as the private residence of the Mughal emperor in Delhi. This structure is found inside Red Fort in Delhi and it is a very huge complex. There are three parts in it the baithak sitting room or the wardrobe tosha khana, sleeping chamber or khwa .....

Diwan i Khas

14. A gate on the north side of the Diwan i Aam leads to the innermost court of the palace Jalau Khana and the Diwan i Khas Hall of Private Audience. It is constructed of white marble, inlaid with precious stones. The once silver ceiling has been restored in wood. Fran .....

Hammam

15. The hammam were the imperial baths, consisting of three domed rooms floored with white marble. .....

Moti masjid

16. West of the hammam is the Moti Masjid, the Pearl Mosque. A later addition, it was built in 1659 as a private mosque for Aurangzeb. It is a small, three domed mosque carved in white marble, with a three arched screen leading down to the courtyard. .....

Hira mahal

17. The Hira Mahal is a pavilion on the southern edge of the fort, built under Bahadur Shah II and at the end of the Hayat Baksh garden. The Moti Mahal on the northern edge, a twin building, was destroyed during or after the 1857 rebellion. .....

Entry Tickets and Timings

18. Visiting Hours 930AM to 430PM daily except Monday Entry Fee Rs.10/ For Indian Citizens and Rs.150/ For foreigners Entry Fee for Sound and Light Show Rs.50/ .....

Light and Sound Show

19. Every evening there is a spectacular display of history and events related to the city of Delhi in the form of light and sound show organized at the Red Fort. This has become a major tourist attraction at this place as the show brings back the life to the history surrounding the Red Fort. Department of Tourism, Government of Delhi puts special efforts to enchant the crowd with this beautiful and well planned show. History is displayed at this sho .....

Architectural design

20. The marble structure and the rich interiors of the fort make it a perfect representation of Mughal architecture. The shape of the fort looks like an octagon and the axis on the northern and southern region is longer than the one in the eastern and western direction. Set up on a sprawling 254.67 acres, this fort has a lot of decorations in the floral pattern and double domes all over. The defence walls run up to 2.4km. There are lots of bastions a .....

Attractions near Chandni Chowk Market

21. This market is one of the most ancient markets in the country. This was set up as early as 17th century by the great Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan. The design of the market was given by his daughter, Jahan Ara. During the early days, these markets had canal separators which aggravated their beauty during moonlight, however, now these canals are not being operational. This is one of Indias biggest whole sale markets. This market is found right at the .....

Red fort metro station

22. Along the Netaji Subhash Marg, in front of Red fort, the Red Fort Metro station is coming up. Access to the star attractions of the city like Jama Masjid, Red fort in Delhi and Delhi Gate through the Kashmere Gate Metro Station will be easily accessed by the passengers who travel using the Violet line. Presently, the nearest station is the Chandni Chowk metro station. .....

Present state of red fort

23. Red Fort is the famous and largest historic monument in Delhi, the capital of India. Every citizen of India can witness the speech delivered by the Prime Minister from the ramparts of Red Fort every year on the day of Independence i.e. August on 15th. Red Fort attracts a number of visitors every year including the tourists as well the citizens of Delhi. Visitors can enjoy the light and sound show in the evenings. This show describes the Mughal .....

The seat of power of Mughals

24. Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, started construction of the massive fort in 1638 and work was completed in 1648 10 years.The Red Fort was originally referred to as Qila i Mubarak the blessed fort, because it was the residence of the royal family. The layout of the Red Fort was organised to retain and integrate this site with the Salimgarh Fort. The fortress palace was an important focal point of the medieval city of Shahjahanabad. The planning and aes .....

Its old name was Qila i Mubarak

25. A gate inside Red Fort complex.The main architects of this monument were Ustad Ahmad and Ustad Hamid. During the times of Mughal, it was called Qila i Mubarak the blessed fort. .....

British govt sold the Red Fort Valuables

26. On 7 October,1858 With the end of the Mughal reign, the British gave official sanctions to remove and sell valuables from the palace at the Red Fort. In 1863, British destroyed many buildings inside and outside the fort, filled up the gardens, stripped the fort of any valuable items and reduced the fort to just a military structure. .....