Piece Red Drum

Red Fort Information Guide

If you want to get nostalgic about the foregone Mughal era, than walk into the Red Fort commonly known as Lal Quilla. Red for is one of the largest monument and popular tourist destination of Old Delhi. It is one of the spectacular masterpiece of Mughal architecture was started by the emperor Shah jahan during his reign in 1638, when he transferred his capital from Agra to Delhi and completed in 1648. Lal Quilla is located at the town's northern end on the right bank of the Yamuna and south of Salimgarh. Due to its architectural brilliance, Red fort has been notified as a monument of national importance in the year 1913. Again in the year 2007, Lal Quilla has been declared as a World Heritage site by the UNESCO.

Even today, the Fort remains an impressive testimony to India's grandeur and power. This fort serves as the main venue for Prime Minster of India's address to the nation on 15th August celebrated as Independence day.

Architectural significance of Red Fort:

Red fort is an perfect example of high level of art form and ornamental work of the Mughal dynasty.

The art work in the Red fort belongs to the Shahjahani style, which is a blend of Persian, European and Indian art work. This kind of style is rich in form, color and expression. The fort is surrounded by strong stone walls extending up to 2kms in length with the height varying from 18 mts. on the river side to 33 mts. on the city side. At regular intervals the fort wall has bastions, gates and wickets. There are all total 14 gates among which, the important ones are the Mori, Lahori, Ajmeri, Turkman, Kashmiri and Delhi gates, some of which have already been demolished. The walls, gates and few other structures of the fort are built of red sand stone whereas the palaces within the fort are made up of

marble. The entrance to this splendid fort is from the Lahori Gate which got its name because its direction towards Lahore in Pakistan .

See and admire:

This beautiful edifice has endless array of spectacular palaces which will at once behold your eyes. The center of the fort is known as the Naubat Khana or the Drum House. It was built in front of the Chhata Chowk. In the erstwhile era, the musicians of the court used to play music for the emperors and the announcement of arrival of the royalties has been done from here. The fort has some other beautiful palaces, halls, elaborately designed gardens and a mosque.

Diwan-i-am or the hall of public audiences served as a place to listen complaints of the common people. In contrast to it Diwan-i-khas was the hall of private audiences where the emperor meets with the private audiences. This hall is made up of marble and the centre of attraction of this hall was the Peacock throne studded with rubies and gems.

Another spectacular attraction of Red Fort is the Zenanas or the women's quarter. It is comprised of the Rang mahal and the Mumtaz mahal. Rang mahal or the palace of colors, which was the home to the royal ladies. The main attraction of this building is the lotus shaped fountain which is made out of a single piece of marble. It was decorated with excellent paintings, gold bordered projections and mosaics of mirrors. The ceiling was made with gold and silver which wonderfully reflected in a central pool in the marble floor. The other attractions enclosed within this monument are the hammams or the Royal Baths, the Shahi Burj which used to be Shahjahan's private working area, and the Mumtaz mahal has now been transformed into a museum.

The Moti Masjid or the Pearl Mosque, built by Aurangzeb in 1659 for his personal use. It is located to the west of the hammam and is a three domed mosque carved in white marble.

Nahr-i-behisht or the stream of paradise are the continuous source of which runs through the center of each pavilion of the imperial private apartments which lie behind the throne. The Shah Burj, a tower situated at the northeastern corner of the fort helps to draw water from the Yamuna river for this stream.

Khas Mahal has the imperial chambers. It is the third pavilion from the south and contains a suite of bedrooms, prayer rooms, a veranda and a tower named Mussaman Burj built against the fortress walls.

Last but not the least, a large formal garden known as the Hayat Bakhsh Bagh or the "Life-Bestowing Garden" lies to the north of the mosque. Some later modification and reconstruction were made to enhance the beauty of the garden.

Things to do:

Light and sound show:

Delhi Tourism Ministry puts on a spectacular sound and light shows or sonet lumiere at the Purana Quila which displays the 5000 years old history of the Delhi city. These shows are a great way to spend time. The subject of these shows includes the creation of the Indraprastha by the Pnadavas, Status of Draupadi reduced to a dasi of Hastinapur, Prithviraj Chauhan gallooping away with Samyogita, and some stories related to Mughal dynasty like the legendary Razia sultana, Bhahadur Shah Zafar surrendering to the British. The shows are basically composed in both Hindi and English. The English seasons are from November to January at 7.30 p.m in January to April and September to October at 8.30 p.m and from May to August at 9 p.m.

Shopping:

Lal Quila is now surrounded by a busy market place called the 'Meena Bazaar'. This bazaar is one of the favorite shopping hub which has an excellent collection of antiques, miniature paintings and skillfully crafted fake ivory jewelery. The bazaar also sells some beautifully woven fabulous carpets.

Photography:

The Red fort of Delhi is a place for photographers delight. It has some beautiful monuments where you can click photographs as a memoir of this trip.

You can reserve your Golden Triangle Tour Package and explore this magnificent monument - http://www.delhitoagra.com/golden-triangle-india-tours/

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