Amazing Facts about Red Fort History

Red Fort History

The Red Fort is a historic fort in the city of Delhi in India that served as the main residence of the Mughal Emperors. Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned construction of the Red Fort on 12 May 1638, when he decided to shift his capital from Agra to Delhi. Originally red and white, Shah Jahan's favourite colours, its design is credited to architect Ustad Ahmad Lahori, who also constructed the Taj Mahal. It was constructed between May 1639 and April 1648.

On 15 August 1947, the first prime minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, raised the Indian national flag above the Lahori Gate.Every year on India's Independence Day (15 August), the prime minister hoists the Indian Flag at the fort's main gate and delivers a nationally broadcast speech from its ramparts.

In 1638, the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan moved the capital of his empire from Agra to a newly constructed city in Delhi that he called Shahjahanabad. Along with the construction of this new city, he laid the foundations of his palace, the Red Fort or Lal Qila. This massive walled citadel with red sandstone walls took nearly a decade to complete. It is considered to be better planned than the Agra Fort, as Shah Jahan learned from his experience of living there. This fort was the seat of the Mughal empire for around 200 years, until it fell into British hands. The last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar was coronated here in 1837, during which time it is said that his powers did not extend beyond the boundaries of his palace.

The architecture of the Red Fort is a representation of the cultural intermingling that the Mughals brought to India. It is the culmination of the Mughal style of architecture that began with the first Emperor and that involves a fusion of Persian, Timurid and Hindu traditions. Like in most Mughal forts, among the key rooms to visit are the Diwan-i-‘Am (Hall of public audience) and the Diwan-i-Khas (Hall of private audience).

The entrance to the Diwan-i-‘Am has the Naubat-Khana (Drum house), from where musicians played during ceremonies. The Diwan-i-‘Am is a large hall with a nine arch façade. This hall also has an ornamented alcove where the royal throne would be placed. The Diwan-i-Khas is said to have hosted Shah Jahan’s famous peacock throne, before it was taken by the Persian Nadir Shah. Other places of note in the Red Fort are the Rang Mahal (Painted palace), the Mumtaz Mahal (which has now been converted to a Museum), the Khas Mahal (A private house with a chamber for telling beads or Tasbih Khana, a sleeping chamber or Khwabgah, a robe chamber or (Tosh Khana) and the Hammam (the ornately decorated royal bathing area, located to the north of the Diwan-i-Khas). Mughal architecture is famous for its beautiful gardens, which is the Hayat-Baksh-Bagh (life giving garden) with its pavilions in the case of the Red Fort.

Facts about Fort in India Red Fort History

Red fort is one of the historic monuments located in Delhi. This monument gets its name from the red colored sandstone used for construction by the Mughals. This fort is located in the center of the city and was used as a ceremonial spot for the royals. Even today, the spot is used for political and national ceremonies.

Red Fort is not just about the outer beauty of the fortified wall. You can find many interesting attractions inside the fort like palaces, halls, museums and others.

It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2007 as part of the Red Fort Complex.

Amazing Fact about Tourist Attractions in Red Fort in India

Constructed in the 17th century, this monument is an attraction by itself. The fort covers 254 acres of land covering 2.4 km. The fort is octagonal in shape and many regions of the fort are decorated with marble works.

Kohinoor diamond is said to be a part of the decoration. There are three gates to the fort. The royals used to enter into the fort via the Khizrabad Gate and it is now closed for public.

The Lahore and Delhi gates are open to public. If you walk out of the Lahore gate, you can find a large shopping area, Chatta Chowk for souvenir shopping and window shopping. The shopping complex is famous for household objects, silk, jewelry and others.

The fort includes garden design and other architectural elements that indicate that a palace was planned to be built inside the fort. In 18th century, the fort was raided for looting precious artworks. Some of the apartments or buildings are in good condition and are open for tourists to explore.

The Naubat Khana is a small drum room. In the ancient times, music was played from this room at specific intervals. Walk past the drum room to reach the main court area, NakkarKhana, a large, guarded public audience hall. The hall has large columns supported by decorated arches.

You can find a raised platform with balcony from where the royals gave speeches. Walk past the hall to reach the imperial apartments on raised platforms.

You can find canals that connect all the pavilions. The water is drawn from River Yamuna. The southern most pavilions of the fort are women’s quarters, which contains Mumtaz Mahal and Rang Mahal. Mumtaz Mahal holds an archaeological museum. The museum holds artifacts of Mughal era.

You can find astrolabes, jade objects, daggers, curtains, carpets, swords, inkpots, miniature paintings and others. One of the galleries in the museum holds pictures of independence struggles.

Rang Mahal was used by the wife and mistresses of the emperor. The palace is brightly colored and is decorated with mosaic. You can find a large marble pool inside. Khas Mahal is the apartment of the king.

On the northern part of the audience hall, you can find a small court, which was used, as the hall of private audience. This hall has silvered ceiling and is decorated with precious stones. You can find a peacock throne and many other attractions here.

Other interesting elements are step well, imperial bath, Moti Masjid, Hira Mahal and others. On the northern part of the fort, you can find a small garden, which was fed by a reservoir in the past. There were similar gardens on the western side of the fort, which were destroyed by British in the past.

Every evening, a sound and light show is conducted inside the fort, which is watched by thousands of people. This show explains the history of Mughals, their lifestyle and other elements.

A small teahouse is the only working restaurant inside the fort. Public toilets are available inside the park and at the entrance of the fort.