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Red Fort
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Red Fort Description : |
 Red
Fort is laid outalong the river Yamuna as an irregular octagon.
The Mughal king Shah Jahan transfered the capital from Agra to Delhi
and the Fort was completed in 1648. The fort has two main entrances ,
the Delhi Gate and the Lahori Gate which faces the famed Chandni Chowk
market. The Fort has Diwan-e-am, and Diwan-e-Khas where the king would
grant audience to the public and would grant audience to important
people respectively . Besides this is the Rang Mahal, the water cooled
Apartment for the royal ladies. In the basement of the fort is a
market where traditional Indian goods can be purchased at nominal
rates . Another attraction is Light and Sound show held in the
evenings. It measures about 900m by 550m, with its rampart walls
covering a perimeter of 2.41-km and rising to a height of 33.5m on the
town side and 18m along the river.The places lie along the eastern
side of the fort, while two imposing three-storeyed main gateways
flanked by semi-octagonal towers and consisting of several apartments
are located in the centre of the western and southern sides and are
known as the Lahori and Delhi Gates respectively.
Naubat-Or Naqqar-Khana :- The Naubat or 'Naqqar-Khana' (drum
house) stands at the entrance of the palace area, and was used for
playing music five times a day at propitious hours. It was also called
"Hathipol", as visitors dismounted from their elephants (hathi) here.
Mumtaz Mahal :- There existed originally six main palaces along
the river front, with the 'Nahr-i-Bihisht' (stream of paradise)
flowing through them. One of these to the north of the Mumtaz-Mahal,
called 'Chhoti Baithak', has disappeared. The emperor received the
general public here and heard their complaints. A marble dais, inlaid
with precious stones.
Diwan-I-'Am :- The Diwan-i-'Am (hall of public audience) is the
next building reached by the visitor. Originally, it had a courtyard
on its front. The hall proper, three bays in depth, originally
ornamented with gilded stucco work and hung with heavy curtains, is
raised on arches springing from pillars and has an impressive facade
of nine openings of engrailed arches.
Hammam :- On the north of the Diwan-i-Khas lies the
bathroom set or Hammam, consisting of three apartments separated by
corridors. The floors and dados of these apartments are built with
marble, inlaid with floral patterns of multicoloured stones.
Moti-Masjid :- To the west of the Hammam lies the small
mosque, called the Moti-Masjid (pearl mosque), built by Aurangzeb for
his personal use. The prayer-hall of the mosque is inlaid with
outlines of 'musallas' (small carpets for prayers) in black marble.
Hayat-Bakhsh Garden And The Pavilions :- The area north of the
Moti-Masjid is occupied by a garden, called the Hayat-Bakhsh-Bagh
(life-bestowing garden), divided into squares on the pattern of Mughal
gardens with causeways and channels between them. |
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