A monument that saw freedom fight of India

A monument that witnessed fight for Nation's freedom - Red Fort, Delhi:

The Red Fort

The Red fort, which was once the residence of the Mughal emperors of India nearly for 200 years, is a vast complex with walls around.

It has an area of 254.6 acres enclosed by 2.40 km of defensive walls. The height of the wall is varying from 18-33 meters. 

The fort is octagonal in shape. Shah Jahan, whose rule was marked the zenith of Mughal creativity, commissioned the construction in 1638, when he decided to shift the capital of his empire from Agra to Delhi. It is also on the bank of River Yamuna. 

After the Mughals there was no ‘true ruler’ of the red Fort and every one including the British came to loot it. Now on August 15th every year the Prime Minister of India hoists the national flag at the Red Fort and addresses the nation as a whole from here. 

Till now it is the largest monument in Delhi and one of the most popular tourist attractions. It is included in the World Heritage list of UNESCO.

History of Red Fort:

History

The history of Red Fort Delhi cannot be summed up in words as its history is connected with centuries of Mughal rule in country. Mughal ruler Shah Jahan had varied needs of this fort and it was made according to those needs. The mammoth sized fort made a distinguished presence in the medieval time of India and is related to the time line of this country to this date.

In 1639, when Mughal ruler Shah Jahan transited his capital from Agra to Delhi, the construction of RedFort was ordered by him in the north-eastern side of the newly founded city of Shahjahanabad. Shahjahanabad in present day is known as Old Delhi. The construction took nearly a decade to complete, and Yamuna water was used to feed the moat built all around the fort.

The construction of Red Fort by the sandstone of redcolor in large scale gave it the name Red Fort. The majesty of the fort is the first thing to notice but thered color became an essential feature of the aura of the fort and is easily recognized with it. The magnitude of the size of the fort can be estimated by the fact that it took ten years to complete the fort. It has almost two and half kilometer perimeter with tallest structure of 33 meters. The fort has become one of most sought after tourist destination in the modern time.  

History of Red Fort Delhi reveals that numerous sections were built in the fort according the specific functions and needs in mind. “Deewan-e-Aam” is hall built for general public to interact with the emperor. It has a string of columns made of Gold with rail that would mark the boundary between people and the king. “Deewan-e-Khas is another hall made up of natural stones which was used for privately held meetings of the emperor. Many other such marvels of architecture are present in the fort like the “Hammams” or the bath places specially built for the royal family. “Shahi Burj” is another place where the emperor’s office was built and the emperor spent time working privately. “Rang Mahal” or the Palace of Colors was a special place built for the wives of the emperor. It has a huge pool spot with beautiful crafted ceiling, having gold covered towers and a number of mirrors in arrangement.

“Naqqar Khana” is a place in the Fort where the musicians would play music specific to the particular time of the day. This place is situated at the very entry to the palace and visitors to the Place would disembark from their ride (elephants) at this place.

All the information about the history of the Red Fort Delhi is of the archeological importance or of tourist related activities. Red Fort being close to some other historical monuments also e.g., Jama Masjid and Raj Ghat gets large number of tourists every year. Also the Red Fort is used for addressing the nation on the Independence Day of India by the Prime Minister each year.

Major attractions :

As mentioned The Red Fort was a looting place for many of the invaders and they have taken many valuables from here. 

Nevertheless the structure and surrounding walls and ramparts, the main gates, the audience hall and the imperial apartments on the eastern river bank survived the attacks and stand proudly with its traditional look. 

Some important structures left over are: Lohori gate, water gate, Delhi gate, chhatta Chowk, Mumtaz mahal, Diwan-i-Khas, moti Masjid, Freedom Struggle Museum and Shahi Burj. There is a beautiful garden in the fort which is a harvest for our eyes.

An evening sound and light show re-creates the important events in India’s history connected with the fort. Red fort is still claimed to be one of the most beautiful and well designed forts in the world.

How to reach :

There are various ways by air, rail or road you can reach red Fort. The fastest way for tourists from other states and countries to reach here is by using air ways. 

Many services are available to IGI international airport Delhi. By train or using Metro service you can reach easily to the spot. There are frequent bus services to the fort from various parts of the city and very cheap compared to other local means of transport.

Travel Options

By Air

Delhi’s airport is the Indira Gandhi International airport and is very well connected to cities across India and the world. There are regular flights to Delhi from Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Goa, Kolkata, Guwahati and international destinations as well. The airport is divided into two terminals, namely Terminal 1D and Terminal 3. Terminal 1 D is the domestic airport and is primarily used by low cost airlines such as Spice Jet, IndiGo and Go Air among others. Terminal 3 or T3 as it is commonly known, is the international terminal which is used by all international carriers operating to Delhi and full fare domestic airlines. A free shuttle service operates between both terminals every 20 minutes.

The Indira Gandhi International Airport is 22 kilometers away from the city centre. There are regular DTC (Delhi Transport Service) buses which operate regularly from outside the airport towards the city and the ISBT bus stand and the New Delhi Railway Station. The Delhi Airport Metro Express runs from the New Delhi Railway Station to Dwarka, crossing the airport along the way. The metro train service runs every 20 minutes and is a quick and convenient way to get to the city. You can also hire a pre-paid taxi from government registered counters at the airport, which would take you 40-50 minutes to get to the city centre depending on traffic.

By Train

Delhi is the headquarters of the Northern Railways and there are five major railway stations in Delhi, namely the The New Delhi Railway Station, Old Delhi Railway Station, Nizamuddin Railway Station, Anand Vihar Railway Terminal and Sarai Rohilla. The New Delhi Railway Station is one through which most trains arrive and depart from Delhi and is located in Paharganj, near Connaught Place. There is a pre-paid taxi booth outside the railway station and you can take a taxi from here to go further into the city.

The Delhi Metro line 2 also connects the New Delhi Railway Station to other parts of the city and is a convenient way to get into the city. There are also DTC buses (green and red coloured buses) which can take you into the city at a reasonable price. Apart from that you can also take auto rickshaws to places like Connuaght Place and Old Delhi. Though autos are supposed to go by the fare metre, many times they refuse to do so and it is best to ask a local how much the rough cost to a destination should be to make sure you are not cheated. You can also hop into a cycle rickshaw if you’re going to Connaught Place, though cycle richshaws are not allowed inside Connaught Place and you’ll be dropped slightly away from your destination.

By Bus

Delhi is well connected by bus to cities like Jaipur, Agra, Alwar, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Shimla, Manali, Dharamsala, Dehradun and even Kathmandu among others. The main bus stands in Delhi are the Interstate Bus Terminals, located at Kashmiri Gate, Anand Vihar and Sarai Kale Khan. Apart from that there’s Mandi House (near Barakhamba Road) which has regular air-conditioned bus services to hill stations in Himachal Pradesh, such as Shimla, Manali, Kasauli etc.

The Bikaner House (near Pandara Road) bus station has regular air conditioned buses to destinations in Rajasthan, such as Jaipur, Udaipur and Jodhpur. The Majnu ka Tila bus stand (near the Vidhan Sabha Metro Station) has regular buses to Dharamsala. The Delhi Metro and local DTC buses and auto rickshaws conveniently connect these bus stands to the rest of the city.

Visiting Time

9.30 am – 4.30 pm (all days except Monday)

Entry Fee

S.No.	Tourist Type	Amount(Rs.)
1.	Foreign tourist	250/-
2.	Indian	15/-
3.	adults on weekends(Light and Sound Show)	80/-
4.	Children on weekends (Light and Sound Show)	30/-
5.	Adults on weekdays (Light and Sound Show)	60/-
6.	Children on weekdays (Light and Sound Show)	20/-