Red Fort Delhi famous Red Fort is known by that name because of the red stone with which it is built and it is one of the most magnificent palaces in the world. India's history is also closely linked with this fort. It was from here that the British deposed the last Mughal ruler, Bhadur Shah Zafar, marking the end of the three century long Mughal rule. It was also from its ramparts that the first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawharlal Nehru, announced to the nation that India was free form colonial rule.
The Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, after ruling from Agra for eleven years, decided to shift to Delhi and laid the foundation stone of the Red Fort in 1618. For its inauguration in 1647, the main halls of the palace were draped in rich tapestry and covered with silk from china and velvet from Turkey. With a circumference of almost one and a half miles, the fort is an irregular octagon and has two entrances, the Lahore and Delhi Gates.
Form the Lahore Gate, a visitor has access to the Chatta Chowk (vaulted arcade) which as once a royal market and housed court jewellers, miniature painters carpet manufacturers, workers in enamel, silk weavers and families of specialized craftsmen. The road from the royal market leads to the Nawabarkhana (band house) where the royal band played five times a day. The band house also marks the entry into the main palace and all visitors, except royalty had to dismount here.
The Diwan-e-Aam is the Red Fort's hall of public audience. Built of sandstone covered with shell plaster polished to look like ivory, the 80 x 40 feet hall is sub-divided by columns. The Mughal emperors would hold court here and meet dignitaries and foreign emissaries. The most imposing feature of the Diwan-e-Aam is the alcove in the back wall where the emperor sat in state on a richly carved and inlaid marble platform. In the recess behind the platform are fine examples of Italian pietra-dura work.
History of Red Fort in Delhi
History of Red Fort starts with the very first question of who built the Red Fort. Red Fort was built by Shah Jahan. In the year of 1639, Shah Jahan, decided to shift capital of Mughal Empire Agra to Delhi by the side of River Yamuna. Architect Ustad Ahmad Lahauri was then assigned the task of building the Red Fort.
Construction of Red Fort, Delhi was completed in the year 1648. The construction of the fort took almost a decade for the completion. Red Fort is adjacent to another fort named Salimgarh, which was built in 1546 by Islam Shah Suri, the second emperor of Sur Dynasty.
Red fort history is not only associated with Mughals but is also symbolic of an important part of India’s past, denoting a timeline of the years it has gone through. The architectural excellence of Red Fort later influenced many other monuments of the country.
Architecture of Red Fort
Red Fort Delhi is the creation of architects Ustad Ahmad and Ustad Hamid. Architecturally, Red Fort or the Lal Quila 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 better way than the Red Fort of Agra.
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 has been built.
The tallest structure of the fort is around 33 meters high. 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 has been built using marble.
Some of the prominent sections of the fort that are sure to leave you enchanted are Diwan-i-'Aam, Diwan-i-Khass, Tasbih-Khana, Nahr-i-Bihisht, Delhi Fort Museum- Mumtaz-Mahal, Hammam, Moti-Masjid, Hayat-Bakhsh-Bagh, Chhatta-Chowk, Zafar-Mahal, Rang-Mahal, etc.
Later with the advent of British, Lal Qila also came under their rule. Red Fort under British rule went through a lot of changes, in spite of which it didn’t lose the hypnotic charms of its alluring architecture.
