Red Fort-Delhi
Location - Netaji Subhash Marg, Lal Qila, Chandni Chowk, New
Delhi, Delhi 110006
The Red Fort is a historic fort in the city of Delhi in
India. It was the main residence of the emperors of the Mughal dynasty for
nearly 200 years, until 1856. It is located in the center of Delhi and houses a
number of museums. In addition to accommodating the emperors and their
households, it was the ceremonial and political center of the Mughal state and
the setting for events critically impacting the region.
Constructed in 1639 by the fifth Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan
as the palace of his fortified capital Shahjahanabad, the Red Fort is named for
its massive enclosing walls of red sandstone and is adjacent to the older
Salimgarh Fort, built by Islam Shah Suri in 1546. The imperial apartments
consist of a row of pavilions, connected by a water channel known as the Stream
of Paradise (Nahr-i-Bihisht). The fort complex is considered to represent the
zenith of Mughal creativity under Shah Jahan,[citation needed] and although the
palace was planned according to Islamic prototypes, each pavilion contains
architectural elements typical of Mughal buildings that reflect a fusion of
Timurid and Persian traditions. The Red Fort’s innovative architectural style,
including its garden design, influenced later buildings and gardens in Delhi,
Rajasthan, Punjab, Kashmir, Braj, Rohilkhand and elsewhere.
Every year on the Independence day of India (15 August), the
Prime Minister hoists the Indian "tricolour flag" at the main gate of
the fort and delivers a nationally-broadcast speech from its ramparts. It was
designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007 as part of the Red Fort
Complex.
Architecture of Red Fort
The Red Fort has an area of 254.67 acres (103.06 ha)
enclosed by 2.41 kilometres (1.50 mi) of defensive walls, punctuated by turrets
and bastions and varying in height from 18 metres (59 ft) on the river side to
33 metres (108 ft) on the city side. The fort is octagonal, with the
north-south axis longer than the east-west axis. The marble, floral decorations
and double domes in the fort's buildings exemplify later Mughal architecture.
Major structures in Red Fort
The most important surviving structures are the walls and
ramparts, the main gates, the audience halls and the imperial apartments on the
eastern riverbank.
- · Lahori Gate
The Lahori Gate is the main gate to the Red Fort, named for
its orientation towards the city of Lahore. During Aurangzeb's reign, the
beauty of the gate was spoiled by the addition of bastions, which Shahjahan
described as "a veil drawn across the face of a beautiful woman".
Every Indian Independence Day since 1947, the national flag is unfurled and the
Prime Minister makes a speech from its ramparts.
- · Delhi Gate
The Delhi Gate is the southern public entrance and in layout
and appearance similar to the Lahori Gate. Two life-size stone elephants on
either side of the gate face each other. These were renewed by Lord Curzon in
1903 after their earlier demolition by Aurangzeb.
- · Chhatta Chowk
Adjacent to the Lahori Gate is the Chhatta Chowk, where
silk, jewellery and other items for the imperial household were sold during the
Mughal period. The bazaar leads to an open outer court, where it crosses the
large north-south street which originally divided the fort's military functions
(to the west) from the palaces (to the east). The southern end of the street is
the Delhi Gate.
- · Naubat Khana
The vaulted arcade of the Chhatta Chowk ends in the centre
of the outer court, which measured 540 by 360 feet (160 m × 110 m). The side
arcades and central tank were destroyed after the 1857 rebellion. In the east
wall of the court stands the now-isolated Naubat Khana (also known as Nakkar
Khana), the drum house. Music was played daily, at scheduled times and
everyone, except royalty, was required to dismount.
- · Diwan-i-Aam
The inner main court to which the Nakkar Khana led was 540
feet (160 m) wide and 420 feet (130 m) deep, surrounded by guarded galleries.
On the far side is the Diwan-i-Aam, the Public Audience Hall. The hall's
columns and engrailed arches exhibit fine craftsmanship, and the hall was
originally decorated with white chunam stucco. In the back in the raised recess
the emperor gave his audience in the marble balcony (jharokha). The Diwan-i-Aam
was also used for state functions. The courtyard (mardana) behind it leads to
the imperial apartments.
- · Nahr-i-Bihisht
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-Bihisht ("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").
- · Mumtaz Mahal
The two southernmost pavilions of the palace are zenanas
(women's quarters), consisting of the Mumtaz Mahal and the larger Rang Mahal.
The Mumtaz Mahal houses the Red Fort Archaeological Museum.
- · Rang Mahal
The Rang Mahal housed the emperor's 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-Bihisht.
- · Khas Mahal
The Khas Mahal was the emperor's apartment. Connected to it
is the Muthamman Burj, an octagonal tower where he appeared before the people
waiting on the riverbank.This was done mostly by all the kings present at that
time.
- · Diwan-i-Khas
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. François Bernier
described seeing the jewelled Peacock Throne here during the 17th century. At
either end of the hall, over the two outer arches, is an inscription by Persian
poet Amir Khusrow:
- · Hammam
The hammam were the imperial baths, consisting of three
domed rooms floored with white marble.
- · Baoli
The baoli or step-well, believed to pre-date Red Fort, is
one of the few monuments that were not demolished by the British after the
Indian Rebellion of 1857. The chambers within the baoli were converted into a
prison. During the Indian National Army Trials (Red Fort Trials) in 1945–46, it
housed Indian National Army officers Colonel Shah Nawaz Khan, Colonel Prem
Kumar Sahgal, and Colonel Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon. The Red Fort Baoli is
uniquely designed with two sets of staircases leading down to the well.
- · Moti Masjid
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.
- · Hira Mahal
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.
- · Shahi Burj and its pavilion
The Shahi Burj was the emperor's main study of the; its name
means "Emperor's Tower", and it originally had a chhatri on top.
Heavily damaged, the tower is undergoing reconstruction. In front of it is a
marble pavilion added by Aurangzeb.
- · Hayat Bakhsh Bagh
The Hayat Bakhsh Bagh is the "Life-Bestowing
Garden" in the northeast part of the complex. It features a reservoir,
which is now dry, and channels through which the Nahr-i-Bihisht flows. At each
end is a white marble pavilion, called the Sawan and Bhadon Pavilions, named
after the Hindu months, Sawan and Bhadon. In the centre of the reservoir is the
red-sandstone Zafar Mahal, added in around 1842 by Bahadur Shah Zafar, and
named after him.
- · Princes' quarter
North of the Hayat Bakhsh Bagh and the Shahi Burj is the
quarter of the imperial princes. This was used by member of the Mughal royal family
and was largely destroyed by the British forces after the rebellion. One of the
palaces was converted into a tea house for the soldiers.
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