The Red Fort in Delhi is built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. The construction of this fort started in 1638 and was completed in 1648. Its original name was Qila-i-Mubarak and this served as the residence of the royal family. This has many major attractions inside namely Mumtaz Mahal, The Rang Mahal, The Khas Mahal, The Diwan-i-Am, The Diwan-iKhas, The Hamam and The Shah Burj.

The Diwan-i-am is a rectangular hall with nine arches with the royal throne under the marble canopy. The walls are ornamental and are decorated by the Florentine artist Austin de Bordeaux. The Rang Mahal is within the Diwan-Am. It is called Rang Mahal meaning the painted palace because of its colorful interior decorations. The main hall has an arched front with chambers. The Nahr-Bihisht which means the Stream of Paradise runs through it. It has a central marble basin with ivory fountain. The gateway that leads out of the Diwan-i-Am is Lal Purdah.

Diwan-i-Khas means hall of private audience. The private meetings of the king were held here. The lower portion of it has floral designs. The upper portion is painted beautifully. The pillared chhatris are seen on the four sides. The ceiling was made of silver and this was removed during the Maratha invasion. The famous Peacock Throne was placed here and this was removed by Nadir Shah in 1739. The words of poet Amir Khusrow are inscribed on the walls as ‘If there is a paradise on the earth, it is this, it is this and it is this.’

The Tasbih Khana in the Red Fort in Delhi has three rooms and a Khwabgah. It has the scales of justice on the northern screen. The Muthamman Burj is at the eastern wall of the Khwabgah and from here the king appeared before the people every morning. There is small balcony built in 1808 here and it from where the King George V and Queen Mary appeared before the public in December 1911.

The Hammam is the Bath with three main apartments and has marble flooring with colored stones. It had hot and cold water facility and one of the fountains emitted rose water. The Moti Masjid or Pearl Mosque lies to the one end of the Hammam and the Hayat Bakhsh Bagh or Life Giving Garden lies to the one end of the mosque. There is a pavilion made of red stone in its center and this is called as Zafar Mahal. Zafar Mahal is constructed by Bahadur Shah II in 1842. The Moti Masjid was contructed in 1659 by Aurangzeb. This has three domes and all are constructed with white marble.

The Red Fort in Delhi is one of the important historical places that attract tourists from all over the world. There were many residential palaces within it and many of them were destroyed by British after the First War of Independence in 1857.  It is from where the Prime Minister of India delivers his Independence Day address every 15^th August. The light and sound show is conducted during evenings in the Red Fort in Delhi.

Article Posted By : Sumazla  On December 09, 2011lView All Articles

Suhaina Mazhar is a freelance content writer and blogger with five years experience in content writing. http://sumazla.blogspot.com is her blog.

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Red Fort in Delhi , delhi red fort , historical red fort in delhi