the red fort

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 below the imperial apartments and connected buildings was a space known as zer jharokha beneath the latticework.

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.

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 khwabgah and the telling beads chamber Viz tasbih khana. White marbles is used and is carved inside. It is vibrantly painted by using colorful decorations of floral. The ceiling of Khas Mahal is partially gilded. The surface of the marble was carved by using the justice scale Mizan i adal. It is Mughal arts very important item. The scale that was used was justice emperors depiction.

Towards Khas Mahal, there is a projecting tower towards its eastern side and it is known as the Muthamman Burj or Octagonal Tower. The subjects of the emperor were addressed every morning during the ceremony that is known as Jharokha Darshan.

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

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

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.

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.

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/

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 show right from the times of Pandavas when Indraprashtha was founded with the mention of likes of Druapadi, Prithviraj Chuahan, Sher Shah Suri, Razia Sultan, Humayun, Bahadur Shah Zafar and the era of British. Red Fort Delhi Light and Sound Show has been a attraction point for the audiences from a long time and has enthralled the people who come to see the show with the tale of the Delhi city, rise and fall of empires & emperors and all this melodrama combined into a streamlined show.

Red Fort Delhi Light and Sound Show is a one hour spectacle shown in Hindi & English language with a half an hour gap in between the two shows in an evening. The show has been timed pleasantly in the evening with timing adjusted forward or backward by and hour or so according to the season. The entry ticket is also suitably priced at Rs. 60 for adults and Rs. 20 for children on weekdays and Rs. 80 for adults and Rs. 30 for children on weekends and public holidays.

The royal ambience of Purana Qilla combined with the modern technology and special effects makes the show a one of its kind and the audiences are made to feel like they have travelled in time and reached those old times as displayed in the show. Specific features of the fort are related and credited to the specific ruler at the throne of the fort at that particular time, e.g., the towering walls and the huge entrance are related to Sher Shah Suri and so on. The show was started in October 1996 and has been a huge success since then. The show is seen as the connection of modern times with the old times of Mughal era and other rulers who took Delhi to realms of high status and made Delhi the corridor of Power. Tourists coming to Delhi follow this show with mach fanfare and zeal round the year.

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 and turrets on the walls. On the side of the river, the fort stands up to 18m tall and on the city side, the fort is up to 33m tall. This fort is a perfect blend of Iranian, Indian and European art work. It is believed that the reputed Kohinoor diamond is a part of the furniture here. This fort was included in the national importance monument category during 1913. The use of ornaments in this fort belongs to the typical style of monuments built during the rule of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and this fort speaks volumes about the countrys rich history.

The general public used the Delhi Gate and Lahore gate of this fort, whereas the Khizrabad gate was used by the royalty. The Chatta Chowk was found in the path that leads from the Lahore Gate at the main entrance. This was a bazaar that housed many shops and it was believed that silk, jewelry and other items used by the royal members were brought from this Chowk. The open area to which this bazaar leads is the point at which the military functions and the palaces separated to the west and east of the fort respectively. Towards the south of this area, one can find the Delhi Gate.