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Red Fort Delhi
Category: - All India Travel Tourism > Delhi >
Fort & Palaces > Red Fort
Lal Quila, or the Red Fort, is the largest of old Delhi's monuments. The thick
red sandstone walls have withstood the vagaries of time and nature. Mughal Emperor
Shahjahan started the construction of the massive fort in 1638, and work was completed
in 1648.
The Lal Quila rises above a wide dry canal of the Yamuna in the North East corner
of the old city of Shahjahanabad. Its walls have a circumference of two kilometers,
and vary in height from 18 meters on the riverside to 33 meters on the city side.
Even today, the fort remains an impressive testimony to Mughal architecture, despite
being attacked by the Persian Emperor Nadir Shah in 1739, and by the British soldiers,
during the First War of Independence in 1857.
The fort's entrance is through the Lahore Gate that faces Lahore, now in Pakistan.
This gate has a special significance for India and is the venue of the flag
hoisting and address to the Nation by the Prime Minister on Independence Day.
The main entrance opens on to the Chatta Chowk, a covered street once flanked
with Delhi's most skilful jewelers, carpet makers, weavers and goldsmiths. Also
known as the Meena Bazaar, the shopping center for the ladies of the court,
is in the heart of the fort called Nahabat Khana, or the Drum House. Musicians
used to play for the Emperor from the Nahabat Khana.
The fort also houses the Diwan-e-aam or the Hall of Public hearing, where the
Emperor would hear complaints of the common folk. The Emperor's alcove in the
wall was marble-paneled, and was set with precious stones. The Diwan-e-Khas
is the hall of private audiences, where the Emperor held private meetings. This
hall is made of marble, and its masterpiece used to be the Peacock Throne, which
was carried away to Iran by Nadir Shah in 1739.
The other attractions enclosed within this monument are the hamams or the Royal
Baths, the Shahi Burj, which used to be Shahjahan's private working area, and
the Moti Masjid or the Pearl Mosque, built by Aurangzeb for his personal use.
The Rang Mahal or the 'Palace of Colors' housed the Emperor's wives and mistresses.
This palace was crowned with gilded turrets, delicately painted and decorated
with intricate mirrors, and a ceiling overlaid with gold and silver, that was
wonderfully reflected in a central pool in the marble floor.
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