Located at Old Delhi, the Red Fort derives its name from its huge red walls, which feature the eight sides of the fort. The Red Fort bears the sign of magnificent power and pomp of the Mughal emperors with its high standing red sandstone walls.  It was built in 1638 by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to keep out the foe. It was the residence of the Mughal emperor of India till 1857, which consists number of museums. It is regarded as the political centre of Mughal government and the fifth capital of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. It represents the sublimity of Mughal creativity during the time of Shah Jahan. There are many apartments that comprises of pavilions connected by water channel. The Red fort is designed with lush green gardens in

front of palaces, which influenced later buildings and gardens in North India.

The Red Fort is a prestigious monument of India where the Prime Minister of India hoists the national flag at the main gate every year on the independence day of India. Also, the prime minister delivers a speech addressing the nation’s varied issues that is broadcasted across the nation through radio and television.

Architecture of Red Fort

Red fort is the English translation of the Hindi root word Hindustani Lal Quila. The whole fort includes an area of 254.67 acres covered by 2.41 kilometers of defensive walls that are anecdotal in height like 18 meters on the side of river Yamuna and 33 meters on the city side. The north-south axis of the fort is longer than the east-west axis giving the fort an octagonal shape.

The exemplary architecture of the fort is well defined by the marble, floral decorations along with the double domes. Thorough survey of the fort reveals that Kohinoor diamond was used in the furnishing. It is an emblem of Persian, Indian, and European art that bears a captivating theme through its choice of colors, form, and expression. The main structures of the fort are the walls, the main gates, the imperial apartments on the eastern riverbank and the audience halls.

There is Lahori gate, which is the main gate to the Red Fort that gains the name for its orientation towards the city of Lahore. The Delhi gate is built towards the southern side and designed with two big stone elephants on either side of the gate facing each other. There is another gate, named as water gate that is built at the southeastern end of the walls. Just near the Lahori gate the area is known as Chhatta Chowk, where the Mughals were used to sell silk, jewelry and other items. There is a drum house near the east wall of the Fort, where music was played on regular basis.

Nakkar Khana is another main court, which was built with 540 feet wide and 420 feet deep and was surrounded by guarded galleries. There is a public audience hall that is known as Diwani-i-Alam that portrays finest craftsmanship and was used for state functions.

The pavilions facing the south consist of palaces like Mumtaz Mahal and Rang Mahal. The Mumtaz Mahal is used as the Red Fort Archaeological Museum presently. The Rang Mahal was the palace of emperor’s wives and mistresses. As the name suggests itself, this palace was painted brightly and designed with mosaic of mirrors.

The emperor used to stay in Khas Mahal and the Diwan-i-khas was used as a hall of Private audience. This whole Diwan-i-khas is constructed with white marble and precious colorful stones. There are Hammams that were used as bathroom and was structured of three domed rooms floored with white marble. The west side of Hammam is known as Moti Masjid, a small three domed mosque furnished with white marble. However, it was destroyed during the rebellion of 1857. There is an emperor’s study room, labeled as Shahi Burj that originally had an umbrella on the top.

There is a life bestowing garden inside the Red Fort that is known as Hayat Bqakhsh Bagh and faces the northeast part of the compound. Just to the north of Hayat Bakshsh Bagh and Shahi Burj, there lies some royal quarters that were utilized by the princess during Mughal sovereignty.

The Red Fort was used as the place to hide from the enemies during freedom fight of 1857 against the British. For its magnificent contribution a Swatantrata Sangram Sanghralaya was set up in 1995 that preserves many photographs, documents, paintings, sculptures, etc. of the movement.

Best Time to Visit

Though groups of visitors come to visit this one of the significant historical fort any time of the year; however, it is best to visit during October to March. During this time, the weather remains pleasure allowing you to move around the fort.

How to Reach

Delhi being the capital city of the country provides optimum commute facility through all three ways, like rail, road, and air.

By Air

Delhi has two airports, i.e. domestic and international to serve for national as well as international passengers. Both these airports have different flights to connect all parts of the country along with other countries of the world.

By Train

Train facility of Delhi is equally improved and the city is well connected with all the major cities of India. There are three railway stations in Delhi. They are accordingly, New Delhi Railway Station, Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station, and Old Delhi Railway Station.

By Road

Delhi is well connected by a wide network of roads and national highways with all the main cities of India. There are three bus terminals in Delhi. They are Inter State Bus terminus (ISBT) at Kashmiri Gate, Anand Vihar Bus Terminus, and Sarai Kale Khan Bus Terminus. The government bus and private bus services are there, which can be availed for commute. Additionally, there are many stands of cabs that can be hired to reach the Red Fort.    

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