RED FORT, DELHI

12:20 PM DELHI , RED FORT 0 Comments

In 1638 Shahjahan transferred his capital from Agra to Delhi and laid the foundations of Shahjahanabad.The Red Fort Complex was built as the palace fort of Shahjahanabad – the new capital of the fifth Mughal Emperor of India, Shah Jahan. It took about nine years to complete the construction of the fort from 1639 to 1648 for the Mughal ruler. Red Fort was utilized as the residential purpose by the Mughal ruler but was also capital of Mughal rulers till the regime of Bahadur Shah Zafar. In 2007, UNESCO included the Red Fort in the list of World Heritage Site.

The Red Fort is considered to represent the zenith of Mughal creativity which, under the Shah Jahan, was brought to a new level of refinement. The planning of the palace is based on Islamic prototypes, but each pavilion reveals architectural elements typical of Mughal building, reflecting a fusion of Persian, Timurid and Hindu traditions. The Red Fort’s innovative planning and architectural style, including the garden design, strongly influenced later buildings and gardens in Rajasthan, Delhi and Agra.

The feature of the fort that it was made up of large sand stone of red color gave it the name Red Fort. 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.Spreading over an area of more than 250 acres of land, Red Fort was constructed with superior architecture than that of the Agra Fort by Shah Jahan.

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 Diwan-i-Khass ('Hall of Private Audience') is a highly-ornamented pillared hall, with a flat ceiling supported on engrailed arches. The Tasbih-Khana ('chamber for counting beads for private prayers') consists of three rooms, behind which is the Khwabgah ('sleeping-chamber'). 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 Red Fort Delhi is a mesmerizing piece of architecture, lying on the banks of Yamuna River, whose water was used for the moat that surround the wall. The wall on north-eastern side is bordered by the Salimgarh Fort, built in 1546.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 Independence Day. An evening sound and light show re-creates events in India's history connected with the fort.

Entry Tickets and Timings
Visiting Hours: 9:30AM to 4:30PM daily (except Monday)

Entry Fee: Rs.10/-(For Indian Citizens) and Rs.150/- (For foreigners)

Entry Fee for Sound and Light Show: Rs.50/-