2. • The Red Fort, known locally as Lal Qila is a 17th-century fort complex
constructed by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan in the walled city of Old
Delhi (in present day Delhi, India) that served as the residence of the
Mughal Emperors. The design is commonly credited to Mughal architect
Ustad Ahmad. The fort was the palace for Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan's
new capital, Shahjahanabad, the seventh city in the Delhi site. He moved his
capital here from Agra in a move designed to bring prestige to his reign, and
to provide ample opportunity to apply his ambitious building schemes and
interests. It served as the capital of the Mughals until 1857, when Mughal
emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar was exiled by the British Indian government.
• The fort lies along the Yamuna River, which fed the moats that surround
most of the walls. The wall at its north-eastern corner is adjacent to an
older fort, the Salimgarh Fort, a defence built by Islam Shah Suri in 1546.
The construction of the Red Fort began in 1638 and was completed by 1648.
The Red Fort has had many developments added on after its construction by
Emperor Shah Jahan. The significant phases of development were under
Aurangzeb and later under later Mughal rulers. It was designated a UNESCO
World Heritage Site in 2007. The earlier Red Fort was built by Tomara king
Anangpala, now known as the Qulb Mosque.

3. • The Red Fort derives its name from the extensive use of red sandstone
on the massive walls that surround the fort. Shah Jahan commissioned
the construction of the Red Fort in 1638 when he decided to shift his
capital from Agra to Delhi. Ustad Ahmad was chosen as the architect for
construction of the royal palace. Construction began in the auspicious
month of Muharram on 13 May 1638. Construction of the fort was
supervised by Shah Jahan himself and was completed in 1648. The Red
Fort was originally referred to as "Qila-i-Mubarak" (the blessed fort),
because it was the residence of the royal family. Unlike the other
Mughal forts, layout of the boundary walls of the Red Fort is not
symmetrical so as to retain and integrate the older Salimgarh Fort. The
fortress palace was an important focal point of the medieval city of
Shahjahanabad (present day Old Delhi). The planning and aesthetics of
the Red Fort represent the zenith of Mughal creativity which prevailed
during the reign of emperor Shah Jahan. Aurangzeb, Shah Jahan's
successor, added the Moti Masjid to the emperor's private quarters and
constructed barbicans in front of the two main gates, which made the
entrance route to the palace more circuitous.

4. • The administrative and fiscal structure of the Mughals declined after
Aurangzeb. The 18th century thus saw a degeneration of the palace and
inhabitants of the Red Fort. When Jahandar Shah took over the Red
Fort in 1712, the palace had been without an emperor for 30 years.
Within a year of his rule, Jahandar Shah was murdered and replaced by
Farukhsiyar. To combat the declining finances, the silver ceiling of the
palace Rang Mahal was replaced by copper during this period. Muhammad
Shah, who was also known as Rangila (the colourful) for his deep interest
in arts, took over the Red Fort in 1719. In 1739, Nadir Shah, the Persian
emperor, attacked the Mughals. The Mughal army was easily defeated
and Nadir Shah plundered the Red Fort of its riches including the
Peacock Throne. Nadir Shah returned to Persia after three months
leaving a destroyed city and a weakening Mughal empire to Muhammad
Shah. The internal weaknesses of the Mughal empire turned Mughals into
titular heads of Delhi. A treaty signed in 1752 made Marathas the
protector of the throne at Delhi. The Maratha conquest of Lahore and
Peshawar in 1758, put them in direct confrontation with Ahmad Shah
Durrani. In 1760, the Marathas removed and melted the Silver ceiling of
the Diwan-i-Khas to generate funds for the defence of Delhi from the
armies of Ahmed Shah Durrani. In 1761, after the Marathas lost the
third battle of Panipat, Delhi was raided by Ahmed Shah Durrani. In
1771, Shah Alam ascended to the throne in Delhi with the support of the
Marathas. In 1783, the Sikh Misl Karorisinghia, led by Baghel Singh
Dhaliwal, conquered Delhi and the Red Fort. Sikhs agreed to restore
Shah Alam as the emperor and retreat from the fort on the condition
that Mughals would construct and protect seven historical Gurudwaras in
Delhi associated with the Sikh gurus.

5. Location of Red Fort in Delhi

6. • In 1803, during the Second Anglo-Maratha War, the forces of British
East India Company defeated the Maratha forces in the Battle of
Delhi, ending the Maratha rule over the city and their control over
the lal (red) fort. After the battle, British took over the
administration of Mughal territories and installed a Resident at the
Mughal courts in Red Fort. The last Mughal emperor to occupy the
fort, Bahadur Shah II "Zafar", emerged as a symbol of the 1857
rebellion against the British in which the residents of Shahjahanbad
participated.
• Despite being the seat of Mughal power and its defensive capabilities,
the Red Fort was not defended during the 1857 uprising against the
British. After the failure of the rebellion, Bahadur Shah II left the
fort on 17 September and was apprehended by British forces. He
returned to Red Fort as a prisoner of the British and was tried in
1858. He was exiled to Rangoon on 7 October of the same year. With
the end of the Mughal reign, the British gave official sanctions to
remove and sell valuables from the palace at the Red Fort. They put
down the harem apartments and instead of them erected a line of
barracks. After Indian Independence, the site experienced few
changes in terms of addition or alteration to the structures. The Red
Fort continued to be used as a cantonment even after Independence.
A significant part of the fort remained under the control of the
Indian Army until 22 December 2003, when it was handed over to the
Archaeological Survey of India for restoration.
• In 2009, the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan
(CCMP), prepared by the Archaeological Survey of India on the
Supreme Court's directions to revitalise the fort, was announced.

7. • The Red Fort covers a total area of about 254.67 acres enclosed within
2.4 kilometres of defence walls. The walls are punctuated by turrets and
bastions. They vary in height from 18 m on the river side to 33 m on the
city side. The fort is shaped like an octagon with the north-south axis
longer than the east-west axis. The use of marble, floral decorations,
double domes in the buildings inside the fort exemplifies the later phase
of Mughal architecture.
• It showcases a very high level of art form and ornamental work. It is
believed that the Kohinoor diamond was a part of the furniture. The art
work in the Fort is a synthesis of Persian, European and Indian art which
resulted in the development of unique Shahjahani style which is very rich
in form, expression and colour. Red Fort is one of the important building
complexes of India which encapsulates a long period of Indian history
and its arts. Even before its notification as a monument of national
importance in the year 1913, efforts were made to preserve and
conserve the Red Fort, for posterity.
• The walls of Lahore and Delhi gates were for the general public and
Khizrabad Gate was for emperor's personal use. The Lahore Gate is the
main entrance leading to the domed arcade containing shops called the
Chatta Chowk (covered bazaar).
Architectural
designs

8. Lahori Gate
• The Lahore gate is the main gate to the
Red Fort named after its orientation
towards the city of Lahore. It is said that
during Aurangzeb's reign the beauty of
both the gates was spoiled by adding
bastions: "The vista like a veil drawn
across the face of a beautiful
woman".Every year since Indian
Independence Day 1947, the national flag
has been raised and the Prime Minister has
made a speech from the ramparts at gate.
Diwan-i-Am
In the Diwan-i-Aam the Emperor, seated in a
canopied alcove, would hear complaints and
pleas of the commoners through a jharokha
(balcony). The hall was ornamented with
stuccowork and featured a series of gold
columns. It also included a large railing that
separated the commoners from the emperor.
The Diwan-i-Aam was also used for state
functions. The spacious mardana or courtyard
behind the Diwan-i-Aam is surrounded by
several interesting structures.

9. Naubat Khana
The Naubat Khana was the drum house that stood
at the entrance to the inner complex of the fort.
Music was played at specific times in the day
alongside a large gate. People who visited the fort
and would come on elephants, would get off of at
this gate.
Diwan-i-Khas
In the Diwan-i-Khas the Emperor held private
meetings with courtiers and state guests. The hall
comprises a rectangular chamber with engraved
arched openings supported on piers, on all of its
sides. Each of the piers is gilded, painted and
decorated with floral designs. Pillared chatris
cover the corners of the roof. At the centre of the
chamber, the famous Peacock Throne was placed
over a marble pedestal. The throne was looted in
1739 by Nadir Shah. Two of the marble pedestals
were taken away by Captain Tytler from the fort
after the 1857 uprising and one of these is located
at the New York Metropolitan Museum. In 1760,
the Marathas removed and melted the Silver ceiling
of the Diwan-i-Khas to generate funds for the
defence of Delhi from the Afghan invader Ahmed
Shah Durrani. Nahr-i-Bihisht or the "stream of
paradise" flowed through the centre of the hall.
The arches at the corner of the walls contain the
inscription of the famous verse of the 9th century
Persian poet Ferdowsi, which reads– "Agar Firdaus
Bar Rooe Zaminast Haminasto Haminasto Haminast"
("If there be a paradise on the earth, it is this, it
is this, it is this").

10. • The imperial private apartments lie behind
the throne. The apartments consist of a row
of pavilions that sits on a raised platform
along the eastern edge of the fort, looking
out onto the river Yamuna. The pavilions are
connected by a continuous water channel,
known as the Nahr-i-Behisht, or the "Stream
of Paradise", that runs through the centre
of each pavilion. The water is drawn from
the river Yamuna, from a tower, the Shahi
Burj, at the north-eastern corner of the
fort. The palace is designed as an imitation
of paradise as it is described in the Quran; a
couplet repeatedly inscribed in the palace
reads, "If there be a paradise on earth, it is
here, it is here". The planning of the palace
is based on Islamic prototypes, but each
pavilion reveals in its architectural elements
the Hindu influences typical of Mughal
building. The palace complex of the Red Fort
is counted among the best examples of the
Mughal style.
Nahr-i-Behisht

11. • To the west of the hammam is the Moti
Masjid, the Pearl Mosque. This was a later
addition, built in 1659 as a private mosque
for Aurangzeb, Shah Jahan's successor. It
is a small, three-domed mosque carved in
white marble, with a three-arched screen
which steps down to the courtyard.
• The Moti Masjid measures approximately 12
× 9 metres, with a height of nearly 8 metres.
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, and it stands at a
higher level than the courtyard. The hall is
surmounted by three bulbous domes,
originally copper-plated, which appear to be
too constricted at the neck. The eastern
door is provided with copper-plated leaves.
The mosque was also used by the ladies of
the seragli
Moti Masjid

12. Thank You
Made By:
Shagun
IX-C