Little Blue Birdie's Diary:

And now...it's the Red Fort!

Dear Diary,

Remember, last time I visited and wrote about the Amber Fort. This time, it's the Red Fort. Looks like India has forts in many colours, isn't it?

The Red Fort is also known as Lal Quila. If not for the high entrance ticket, this is a great place to visit. You can visit this place after seeing the Taj Mahal. It is situated close to Delhi.

This was the palace for Shah Jahan's new capital, Shahjahanabad, the seventh Muslim city in the Delhi site. Shah Jahan moved his capital from Agra in a move designed to bring prestige to his reign, and to provide sufficient opportunity for his grand building schemes. The Red Fort stands at the eastern edge of Shahjahanabad.

As I told you before, the Red Fort got its name from the huge wall of red sandstone (and it is really red) that defines its eight sides. The wall is 2.5km long, and varies in height, from 16m closer to the river, to 33m towards the city.

The fort lies along what was once the course of the Jamuna river (it has since changed its course). The wall at its north-eastern corner is adjacent (next) to an older fort, the Salimgarh, a defense built by Islam Shah Sur in 1546.

The walls open at two major gates, the Delhi and Lahore Gates. The Lahore Gate is the main entrance; it leads to a long covered bazaar street, the Chatta Chowk, the walls of which are lined with stalls for shops.

The Chatta Chowk leads to a large open space where it crosses the large North-South Street that was originally the division between the fort's military functions, to its west, and the palaces, to its east. The southern end of this street is the Delhi Gate.

The palace of the fort is designed as an imitation of paradise as it is described in the Koran; a couplet (two-lined verse) 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 (models), but each pavilion reveals in its architectural elements the Hindu influences typical of Mughal buildings. The palace complex of the Red Fort is counted among the best examples of the Mughal style at its Shah Jahani peak.

The two southernmost pavilions of the palace are zenanas, or women's quarters: the Mumtaz Mahal (now a museum), and the larger, more lavish Rang Mahal, which is renowned for its gold painted, decorated ceiling and marble pool. The third pavilion from the south, the Khas Mahal, contains the imperial chambers.

These include a suite of bedrooms, prayer rooms, a verandah, and the Mussaman Burj, a tower built against the fortress walls, from which the emperor would show himself to the people in a daily ceremony.

The next pavilion is the Diwan-i-Khas, the lavishly decorated hall of private audience, used for ministerial and court gatherings. This finest of the pavilions is ornamented with floral pietra dura (hard stone) patterns on the columns, with precious stones and golden paintings. A painted wooden ceiling has replaced the original one, of silver inlaid with gold.

The next pavilion contains the hammam or baths, in the Turkish style, with Mughal ornamentation in marble and coloured stones. 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,a descendant of Shah Jahan. It is a small, three-domed mosque in carved white marble, with a three-arched screen which steps down to the courtyard.

To its north lies a large formal garden, the Hayat Bakhsh Bagh, or 'Life-Bestowing Garden', this is cut through by two bisecting (dividing into two parts) channels of water.

A pavilion stands at either end of the north-south channel, and a third, built in 1842 by the last emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, stands at the centre of the pool where the two channels meet.

There are many stories about these places. They are just as beautiful as the love story of King Shah Jahan and Queen Mumtaz. Be with us to get to know more about these lovely places in India.

Bye!

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