About Red Fort
In 1638 Shahjahan transferred his capital from Agra to Delhi and laid the foundations of Shahjahanabad, the seventh city of Delhi. The Red Fort or the Lal Quila as it is traditionally called is situated in old Delhi, the capital of India. The Red Fort was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in the 17th century that took around 9 years to complete this magnificent structure and around 10 million rupees to build the fort. The Red Fort is a masterpiece of architecture and is one of the most visited spot in old Delhi. Tourists from India and abroad never miss the opportunity to visit this huge structure.
Tourists can easily take a taxi or other mode of transport to reach the place. If you are new to the city, the city map can be of great help. You can also find the right road to reach the place and check out the nearby places as well. Red Fort is situated on the banks of the river Yamuna and is still a significant monument that provides a glimpse of the grandeur of the past. Apart from the magnificent fort, one can also find various beautiful structures inside the fort like the halls of public, marble palaces, mosque, gardens, and plush apartments all in their rich architecture that shows you the prosperous past of the Emperor. The fort even today continues to mesmerize visitors with its impressive red sandstone wall, huge bastions, and some of the finest and intricate work done on the walls that are not to be seen anywhere in other structures.
While you stroll in the fort, you can have a peek in the life of the emperor and also imagine the workings of the Emperor that was carried out and the hugeness of all the things that would take place inside the fort. The fort includes the most famous Diwan-i-Am, which is the hall for public, where the emperor used to listen to the complaints of the people and find solutions to their problems. There is also a Diwan-i-Khas that was for the private people only, where the Emperor discusses plans, strategies and secret meetings. There used to be a peacock throne for the Emperor, which had all types of precious stones build in it. It was made of gold and was quite huge. It was however, carried away by Nadir Shah to Iran in 1739.
Red fort is an enjoyable excursion and you will love to see the various attractions that the fort has. The royal baths or Hammams as it was rightly called was the place where the royals took bath in all their pleasure. The Shahi burj was the working place of Shahjahan that has some wonderful work done inside. The Moti Masjid is another structure that is worth seeing, but was built by Aurangzeb, son of Shahjahan. A special place for the ladies of the fort is also built called the Ran Mahal. This place is a real treat to the eyes and you can see delicately painted walls, intricate worked mirrors, gilded turrets, ceiling complete with gold and silver designs reflects its beauty in the central pool inside the palace on the marble floor.
Important buildings and other structures inside the fort of red fort
Diwan-i-Aam
Beyond this gate is another, larger open space, which originally served as the courtyard of the Diwan-i-Aam, the large pavilion for public imperial audiences with an ornate throne-balcony (jharokha) for the emperor. The columns were painted in gold and there was a gold and silver railing separating the throne from the public.
Diwan-i-Khas
The Diwan-i-Khas or “hall of private audience” was used by the emperor for giving private audience to the courtiers and state guests. The hall, with openings of engrailed arches on its sides consists of a rectangular central chamber surrounded by aisles of arches rising from piers. The lower parts of the piers are inlaid with floral designs, while the upper portions are gilded and painted. The four corners of its roof are surrounded by pillared chhatris. Over the marble pedestal in its center stood the famous Peacock Throne which was removed in 1739 byNadir Shah of Persia and later in the year 1760 the Marathas removed and looted the Silver ceiling of the Diwan-i-Khas. Through the center of the hall flowed the Nahr-i-Bihisht or the “stream of paradise”. Over the corner arches of the northern and southern walls below the cornice is inscribed the famous verse of the 13th century Sufipoet Amir Khusrow, exclaiming: if there be a paradise on the earth, it is this, it is this, it is this.The spacious mardana or courtyard behind the Diwan-e-Am is surrounded by several interesting structures, though the function and purpose of some of them remain an enigma.
Nahr-i-Behisht
The imperial private apartments lie behind the throne. The apartments consist of a row of pavilions that sits on a raised platform along the eastern edge of the fort, looking out onto the river Yamuna. The pavilions are connected by a continuous water channel, known as the Nahr-i-Behisht, or the “Stream of Paradise”, that runs through the centre of each pavilion. The water is drawn from the river Yamuna, from a tower, the Shah Burj, at the north-eastern corner of the fort. The palace is designed as an imitation of paradise as it is described in the Koran; a couplet repeatedly inscribed in the palace reads, “If there be a paradise on earth, it is here, it is here”. The planning of the palace is based on Islamic prototypes, but each pavilion reveals in its architectural elements the Hindu influences typical of Mughal building. The palace complex of the Red Fort is counted among the best examples of the Mughal style.
Zenana
The two southernmost pavilions of the palace are zenanas, or women’s quarters: the Mumtaz Mahal (now a museum), and the larger, lavish Rang Mahal, which has been famous for its gilded, decorated ceiling and marble pool, fed by the Nahr-i-Behisht.
Moti Masjid
To the west of the hammam is the Moti Masjid, the Pearl Mosque. This was a later addition, built in 1659 as a private mosque for Aurangzeb, Shah Jahan’s successor. It is a small, three-domed mosque carved in white marble, with a three-arched screen which steps down to the courtyard.
The Moti Masjid measures approximately 12 x 9 meters, with a height of nearly 8 meters.
Hayat Bakhsh Bagh
To its north lies a large formal garden, the Hayat Bakhsh Bagh, or “Life-Bestowing Garden”, which is cut through by two bisecting channels of water. A pavilion stands at either end of the north-south channel, and a third, built in 1842 by the last emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, stands at the centre of the pool where the two channels meet.
