Red Fort. agra fort

One of the outstanding architectural structures of Indian culture is the Lal Qila fortress in Delhi, often called the Red Fort. The construction of the Red Fort in Delhi was completed in 1648. This huge and at the same time beautiful building was intended for the residence of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. After the colonization of India, the fortress was occupied by the English garrison until 1947. Particular attention was paid to the beauty of the building. Inside, many palaces, pavilions, pools, green spaces were placed, which in general make an impression even today.

Red Fort in Delhi: history and description

The two-kilometer wall of the Red Fort in India has a height of 11 meters. The walls are built from local red sandstone. The entrance to the "red fort" is through the Lahore gate, behind which immediately opens a view of the square, in the old days filled with merchants. And then the palace buildings appear in all their beauty.

Diwan-i-Am - a ceremonial hall for public receptions of the emperor. Its walls are decorated with various floral ornaments, birds, still lifes. The artist from France, Austin de Borden, had a hand in the painting. In the center of the hall there is a marble imperial box. Previously, there was still a tent richly decorated with stones and pearls. In this hall, Shah Jahan received an audience every day. This ritual “darbar” began with the procession of the imperial guards on horseback, followed by elephants. Later, the emperor was informed about all the idle events and interesting curiosities obtained during the hunt. After the entertainment, the usual work of receiving ministers and ambassadors began.

Sofa-i-Am

The next building is Diwan-i-Khas. Private audiences with the emperor were held here. It was here that the famous Peacock Throne used to be installed. The throne was supported by massive legs of gold, he himself was richly decorated with precious stones. Its base was also carved from gold and stylized as a tree. A peacock was sitting on one of the branches of this tree.

Divan-i-Khas

On the back of the throne was the largest diamond in the world - Koh-i-Noor. After the conquest of Delhi by the Persian ruler, the throne was taken to Isfahan, and the diamond was broken into three pieces. One of them is currently on the English crown.

Rang Mahal - the palace where the wives and concubines were. The palace has a bright color and a lot of decorations, for which it was nicknamed the Multicolored Palace. Previously, the ceiling of this building was made of silver, but after the fall of the Mughal Empire and the devastation of the imperial treasury, the silver had to be melted down into coins. Another highlight of this place is the marble lotus fountain with a glass roof reflecting the beauty of the place.

rang mahal

Moti Masjid is a white marble and richly decorated Pearl Mosque. Before the Sepoy uprising in 1857, its domes were gilded, but after the destruction they had to be restored in marble.

Pearl Mosque

Behind the mosque are the famous Mughal gardens. Among the abundant greenery of this place are beautiful pools and pavilions. And in the very depths of this place is Shish Mahal, or the Palace of Mirrors, which now houses a museum of paintings and famous works of the Mughal era. Among other buildings of the Red Fort in Old Delhi, one can single out the Shah Baths and the Samman Burj tower, to the top of which in the old days the emperor himself climbed to perform morning prayers.

Tower

There is more than one city in India with a Red Fort fortress. Structures with the same names are found in Agra and Lahore, with which the Delhi fortress is periodically confused. Every year on Independence Day, the President of India reads his address to the nation within the walls of this fortress.

Remember who missed...

Why is the post named in plural? And because I started to collect material, I found that there are two popular Red Forts in Vindia, one in Agra and the other in Delhi and between them about 200 kilometers. Moreover, the details of these forts are very similar to each other. Let's find out the history of these ancient objects.

Agra Fort - Red Gate of India

Most of India in the XVI century was in the possession of the Mughal dynasties. The magnificent buildings built during their reign remind of the time of India's greatest prosperity.

“We took refuge in the ancient Agra fortress. I don't know, gentlemen, if any of you have heard of her. This is a very strange building. I have never seen anything like this, and believe me, I have seen a lot of strange things in my lifetime, ”the writer Arthur Conan Doyle described the citadel, located about 200 kilometers from the Indian capital of Delhi, in the story The Sign of Four.

The Agra Fortress is really amazing: it is a whole complex of palaces, squares, mosques, baths, parks and pavilions, located in the Indian city of the same name with a rich history and huge tourist potential.

Created by the efforts of three powerful Mughal emperors, Agra Fort is surrounded by a double wall of red sandstone, cut through by four tower gates. Known also under the name “Red Fort”, the building has become a symbol of Indian five-century history.

Agra Fort has been the “headquarters” of famous military leaders for centuries and the seat of important statesmen of the famous Mughal era. The luxury and splendor of Agra has always been to the taste of all the rulers who preferred life according to social status.

The history of Agra goes back over 2500 years. Until the 16th century, it was one of the provincial towns, until Muslim rulers came here. Humayun, the founder of the Mughal Empire, received a rich inheritance and a number of gems as a gift from the King of Gwalior's family (including the famous Kohinoor diamond, which is now in England). But things got even better when his son Akbar the Great ascended the throne, in whose reign the Red Fort was built.

The construction of the fortress began in 1565 and was completed by 1571. The crescent-shaped fortification stretches along the Yamuna River. The military fort covers an area with a diameter of 3 km, the height of the walls is more than 20 meters. There are four gates in the double walls, two of which were walled up later. The fortress is built of red sandstone, which gave it its name. Contrasting with the defensive walls, there are graceful snow-white mosques and palaces inside.

One of the hallmarks of Agra Fort is its unique architectural forms and generous use of red stone and decorative marble inlays. Akbar himself preferred these materials, so it is to him that numerous tourists owe the opportunity to admire the current splendor of the fort.

True, the subsequent ruler Shah Jahan, who wished to expand the already grandiose structure, insisted on the further use of white marble in the construction, complemented by gold inserts and precious stones, which, in turn, made the interiors of Agra Fort irresistible.

In 1648, the capital was moved back to Delhi, in connection with which the Red Fort of Agra lost its significance. Emperor Shah Jahan, after the construction of the Taj Mahal mausoleum, was going to build a copy of it from black marble on the opposite bank of the Yamuga River. The legend says that his son Aurangzeb, just at that time rushing to power, used these fantasies of his father to prove his slight insanity and inability to rule the country.

A little later, Emperor Shah Jahan was imprisoned in the fortress of Agra at the direction of his son, who treacherously seized the throne in 1658. also located in the city of Agra, not far from the red fortress walls ...

After he was overthrown by his youngest son, he was imprisoned in a fort. On this fact, historians are still breaking spears, since the surviving documents do not clearly indicate in which fort the arrested ruler was sitting, in the Red Fort of Delhi or in the Red Fort of Agra. But, given the romantic prehistory, we have taken the position of those historians who believe that there was a fort in Agra.

So, the deposed Shah asked for only one concession - to be put in a room from which the Taj Mahal was visible. This was possible, since both structures were located on different banks of the same river. For the khan, a separate cell was equipped with a view of the Taj Mahal. How about a camera. Mini palace inside a palace. This section of the fort differs markedly from other rooms in rich decoration. Apparently, the youngest son, although he seized power, still did not forget about his father. Together with the Shah, his eldest daughter, who accompanied the Shah until his death, was also arrested.

In recent years, when the Shah's health failed and he could only lie down, a mirror was built over him, in which the Taj Mahal was reflected.

After the death of the Shah, while no one knew about it, the daughter transported his body by boat and secretly buried near the Taj Mahal. This is such a sad story. However, there are other interpretations of the events of those times.

Currently, Agra Fort has the original crescent shape. Its total length is more than two and a half kilometers, and the height of the surrounding walls is about 21 meters. In the mixture of architectural styles, two of the most striking can be distinguished - Hindu and Islamic architecture.

The inexorable time, of course, left its mark on the appearance of one of the most famous buildings in India. But, despite the multiple destruction, Agra Fort retains its grandeur and is of great interest to tourists. Not without reason, in 1983, the fort was taken under the protection of the ubiquitous UNESCO.

There were six mosques and palaces within the walls of the fort, but not all of them have survived to this day. One of the most significant is the multi-storey Jahangiri Mahal, built by Akbar for his wife Jotha Bai. The white-stone palace Mahal consists of the most beautiful halls with fine carvings and exquisite decoration. The walls are decorated with Persian-style paintings and stucco paintings in gold and blue. There is a large stone bowl in the yard, probably for rose water. On the outside of this stone ball, Persian verses are carved in decorative script.

The most delightful example of painting on the surface of marble has been preserved in Khas Mahal, the palace of Shah Jahan. Features of Islamic and Hindu architecture intertwined in the chambers of the emperor.

Sheesh Mahal (Mirror Palace) is undoubtedly the most famous example of glass mosaic in India. It was built by Shah Jahan as an imperial bath. Thick walls and ceilings, providing coolness, are generously inlaid with mirrors. With no windows, light enters the halls only through two doors and a ventilation hole in the south wall, which creates a beautiful dramatic effect of artificial lighting reflected in the mirrors. In the center of the room is a marble cistern with fountains and mechanisms for hot and cold water.

To the right of the Shish Mahal, away from the embankment, is the Divani Khas, a hall for private audiences of the emperor. If you look closely, you can see the dimples in the walls where the gems once were. Maybe you will be lucky to find a preserved piece of jewelry? Here, Emperor Shah Jahan spent his last days, when he was overthrown by his own son, looking at the Taj Mahal, a symbol of eternal love, where he was later buried, reunited with his beloved Mumtaz.

The Red Fort in Agra is located just 2 km from the Taj Mahal. Despite the fact that part of the fort is used for military purposes, the main attractions of the fortress are open to visitors daily from dawn to dusk. The entrance fee is 300 rupees.

In the Red Fort, you may encounter a division into winter and summer residences, which were then in all ancient buildings. Summer houses have many windows and are usually located so that they do not get heated by the rays of the sun. Winter ones, on the contrary, are on the sunny side and closed from the wind. In addition, the buildings had an artificial system of tunnels in the walls, which were used as a means of heating or cooling. The tunnels passed either hot or cold water.

In addition to "modern" heating technologies, the palaces were not without mysticism. And not the primitive one, as in the case of the Delhi pillar, but quite real.

Since 1803, the fort has been used by British troops. And during the sepoy uprising of 1857, the fort was the site of armed clashes.

And here is the second fort.

The Red Fort in Delhi is one of the most important historical complexes in India, embodying a long period of Indian history, a symbol of the architectural beauty and power of India's ruling dynasties. The main attractions of the Fort are Diwan-i-Am (Hall of General Audience), Diwan-I-Khas (Hall of Private Audience), Rang Mahal (Colorful Palace). There are shops, a museum of paintings, an archaeological museum, a memorial museum. In 2007, the Red Fort was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The Mughal emperor Shah Jahan began building the massive fort in 1638, and 10 years later the work was completed. The fortress-palace became an important center of medieval Shahjahanabad, where Shah Jahan moved his capital from the city of Agra. The planning and aesthetics of Delhi's Red Fort represent the pinnacle of Mughal creativity during the reign of Emperor Shah Jahan. Subsequent emperors of India expanded the construction of a complex of new buildings. During the British rule, the fort was mainly used as a military camp, and even after independence, a significant part of the fort remained at the disposal of the Indian army. In December 2003, the army handed over the fort to the Indian authorities, and since then it has been used as a tourist attraction in Delhi.

Bahadur Shah II was the last Mughal emperor to occupy the fort. Despite the fact that the Red Fort served as the center of imperial power of the Mughal Empire and was a fortified fortress, it was not defended during the uprising against the British in 1857. After the defeat of the uprising, Bahadur Shah II became a prisoner of the British in the Red Fort.

The Red Fort is one of the most popular tourist sites in Old Delhi. On the anniversary of independence from Great Britain (August 15 of each year), it is from here that the Prime Minister of India addresses the Indian people. It is the largest historical monument in Old Delhi.

By the way, do not confuse red fort in Delhi With agra fort in Agra (it is also sometimes called the Red Fort, but this is erroneous). The fact is that although both forts were built (among other materials) from red sandstone (hence the name and the red color of the walls), the official name of the fort in Agra - exactly agra fort .

red fort in Delhi stands on the banks of the river Jumny (Yamuna).

The perimeter of the fortress wall of the fort is 2500 m. The height is from 16 to 33 meters.

The Red Fort (Lal Qila) is the largest monument of Old Delhi with blood-red bastions and bulging towers that have withstood the vagaries of nature and time. Above the entrance to the palace of the fortress, the words "If there is a paradise in the world, then it is here" are carved. The citadel, in the image and likeness of the paradise described in the Koran, was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, who moved the capital to Delhi in the middle of the 17th century and called it Shahjanabad - the city of Shah Jahan.

The Red Fort in Delhi contains all the attributes of an imperial residence: ceremonial halls for public and private audiences, convex-arched marble palaces, beautiful mosques and intricate gardens. The red palace-fortress became the pinnacle of architecture and power of Shah Jahan. In its original grandeur, it would have eclipsed the Palace of Versailles with its splendor, and the area was twice the size of Escorial, the largest palace in Europe.

But the glory was short-lived, as was the Mughal empire. In 1739, the fortress was attacked by the Persian emperor Nadir Shah, in 1783 it was captured by the Sikhs, and in 1857 by British soldiers. The raiders wrested the treasure and demolished much of the fort. And although today, instead of 3 thousand courtiers, the surviving palaces are inhabited only by ghosts, the city maintains ancient buildings and flowering gardens, and the descendants of merchants and artisans who served Shah Jahan still trade near the walls of the Red Fort.

The main entrance is the Lahore gate, facing the city of Lahore (Pakistan). This gate has a special meaning for India - important speeches of freedom fighters and national leaders were held here. On the other side is the more luxurious Delhi Gate, which was once used by the emperor during the ceremonial procession to the mosque.

Behind the main entrance, the Chatta Chowk market opens, where the most talented jewelers and weavers sell jewelry and carpets. It was known as the Ming Bazaar for court ladies. Immediately behind it is the Nubat Khana or Drum House, where the ancient cymbals, timpani and oboes of the emperor's musicians are kept.

The Red Fort also contains the Divan-i-Am, a public audience hall where the emperor listened to the complaints of the common people. Divan-i-Khas - a private audience hall in which the ruler held closed meetings. Another interesting feature of the fort is the imperial baths or hammam. The white marble walls of the halls are illuminated by multi-colored rays through the colored glass on the ceiling. The Rang Mahal (Palace of Color) housed the emperor's wives and concubines. The opulent palace was topped with gilded turrets, adorned with an intricate mosaic of mirrors, and the ceiling covered in gold and silver reflected in a central pool.

The Red Fort, or as it is also called Lal Qila, was built during the reign of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. By his order, in 1639, the construction of a fortress was begun in the new capital of the state, transferred to Shahjahanabad (Old Delhi) from Agra. It was completed in 1648, and initially the citadel was called "Kila-i-Mubarak", which means "blessed fortress", but as new buildings appeared in the fort, a new name appeared.

Lal-Kila is a large complex of buildings that housed the family of the ruler and about three thousand more courtiers and nobles. Built of red sandstone, this architectural monument has a characteristic bright brick-red color, which gave the new name to the fortress. It was built in the Muslim style, has the shape of an irregular octagon, and the height of its walls ranges from 16 to 33 meters. The interior decoration of the fortifications fully corresponded to the imperial status of its inhabitants. Carved columns of incredible beauty, the walls of the halls, decorated with elegant ornaments and mosaics of marble slabs, neat domes and openwork forged lattices made the Red Fort a unique monument of Mughal architecture.

As already mentioned, the Red Fort is a system of several parts, the most significant of which were the Divan-i-Aam courtyard and the Divan-i-Khas hall, where the emperor received visitors, the personal apartments of the ruler of Nahr-i-Behisht, women's quarters (zenans Mumtaz Mahal and Rang Mahal), the luxurious garden of Hayat Bakhsh Bagh and the famous Moti Pearl Mosque, completely made of snow-white marble.

Today, there are several museums on the territory of the fortress.

The Red Fort still remains a significant place for the people of India, and not only because of the huge tourist flow, but also because every year on August 15, on Independence Day, it is there that the Prime Minister of India reads his address to the people.

Red Fort (Lal Qila) - the largest monument of Old Delhi with blood-red bastions and bulging towers that have withstood the vagaries of nature and time. Above the entrance to the palace of the fortress, the words "If there is a paradise in the world, then it is here" are carved. The citadel, in the image and likeness of the paradise described in the Koran, was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, who moved the capital to Delhi in the middle of the 17th century and called it Shahjanabad - the city of Shah Jahan.

Myths and facts

The construction of the fortress began in 1639 and was completed in 1648 on a hill on the northeast side of the new city. The surrounding walls of red sandstone, which gave the fort its name, stretch for 2.5 km, reaching a height of 16 meters on the river side and 33 meters on the city side.

The Red Fort in Delhi contains all the attributes of an imperial residence: ceremonial halls for public and private audiences, convex-arched, beautiful mosques and intricate gardens. The red palace-fortress became the pinnacle of architecture and power of Shah Jahan. In its original grandeur, it would have eclipsed with its splendor, and in terms of area it was twice the size of Escorial, the largest.

But the glory was short-lived, as was the Mughal empire. In 1739, the fortress was attacked by the Persian emperor Nadir Shah, in 1783 it was captured by the Sikhs, and in 1857 by British soldiers. The raiders wrested the treasure and demolished much of the fort. And although today, instead of 3 thousand courtiers, the surviving palaces are inhabited only by ghosts, the city maintains ancient buildings and flowering gardens, and the descendants of merchants and artisans who served Shah Jahan still trade near the walls of the Red Fort.

What to see

The main entrance is the Lahore gate, facing the city of Lahore (Pakistan). This gate has a special meaning for India - important speeches of freedom fighters and national leaders were held here. On the other side is the more luxurious Delhi Gate, which was once used by the emperor during the ceremonial procession to the mosque.

Behind the main entrance, the Chatta Chowk market opens, where the most talented jewelers and weavers sell jewelry and carpets. It was known as the Ming Bazaar for court ladies. Immediately behind it is the Nubat Khana or Drum House, where the ancient cymbals, timpani and oboes of the emperor's musicians are kept.

The Red Fort also contains Divan-i-Am, a public audience hall where the emperor listened to the complaints of ordinary people. Divan-i-Khas - a private audience hall in which the ruler held closed meetings. Another interesting feature of the fort is the imperial baths or hammam. The white marble walls of the halls are illuminated by multi-colored rays through the colored glass on the ceiling. The Rang Mahal (Palace of Color) housed the emperor's wives and concubines. The opulent palace was topped with gilded turrets, adorned with an intricate mosaic of mirrors, and the ceiling covered in gold and silver reflected in a central pool.

Even today, the Red Fort remains a telling reminder of the glory of the Mughal era and a haven of peace to escape from the frantic pace of modern Delhi.

“We took refuge in the ancient Agra fortress. I don't know, gentlemen, if any of you have heard of her. This is a very strange building. I have never seen anything like this, and believe me, I have seen a lot of strange things in my lifetime, ”the writer Arthur Conan Doyle described the citadel in Agra in the story“ The Sign of Four ”. Agra is famous not only, but also for the city fort, which is located just 2 kilometers from it. I adore all kinds of fortresses, so a walk through the fort made a strong impression on me.

The first mention of a fort in Agra was recorded in 1080, when it was captured by the Ghaznavids. It was an ordinary brick fortress. In the 16th century, the fort passed to the Mughals. Emperor Akbar in 1565 destroyed the old fortress and began to build a new one - the one that has come down to us. Under him, in 1558 Agra became the capital of the Mughal Empire. He built the living quarters, walls, gates of the fort out of red sandstone. Shah Jahan (the one who built , remember?), his grandson, built most of the interior buildings and palaces in white marble, while Aurangzeb's great-grandson added bastions.

You can get inside only through the Lahore Gate (they are also called the Amar Singh Gate), the second gate, like part of the fort, is used by the military, therefore it is closed to tourists.

A moat was dug around the entire fort, which was filled with water, where about 250 crocodiles lived.

And between the walls of the fort, the jungle grew, in which tigers were kept.

To get inside, you need to go through several gates. If the first do not survive, the second will wait for the enemies, and then the third.

Well, if the third ones do not survive, the army will have to go along a long corridor, falling under fire from the defenders of the fortress.

After passing through all the gates and going up the corridor on the right, a palace of red sandstone for the wives of Jahangir is immediately visible.

The inner courtyard of this palace.

This place was decorated in a pure Hindu style.

When decorating the palace, the same technology was used that was used when decorating the Taj.

Unfortunately, not all the beauty of the interior decorations has come down to us. The British, leaving India, took off gold in some chambers.

Shah Jahan's private apartments (Khas Mahal), built in 1636 of white marble as sleeping quarters.

On the sides of the palace are two golden pavilions in which the wives and concubines of the Emperor lived.

From the roof of this and other similar pavilions, the British also took gold.

The vineyard (Anguri Bagh) sprawls in front of Khas Mahal. Wide marble paths served for the Emperor's walks with the women of the court.

In front of the terrace of the Khas Mahal there is a pool with jagged edges. Its fountains were supplied with water from reservoirs located above.

The fish yard (Machchi Bhavan), where there used to be a lake with fountains and fish that the Shah used to catch with a line.

There are good views from the walls of the fort and the balconies of the palace.

To the right is part of the marble palace Khas Mahal, which Shah Jahan built for his beloved daughter Jahanara. It was in it that from 1658 until his death on January 22, 1666, he was imprisoned, deposed by his own son Aurangzeb. His daughter was also under arrest with him.

In the last years of his life, from the windows of this tower, the Emperor contemplated his creation, which glorified his name for centuries - incomparable, the appearance of which is now hardly breaking through the smog.

Divan Ai Am - a place for public audiences.

Sitting on the throne under these arches, the rulers communicated with mere mortals.

The events in the restless Indian politics had a significant impact on the further fate of the fortification. In 1648, ancient Delhi again became the capital of the state. Agra and its fort have significantly lost their defense and state importance. Along with the neighboring Taj Mahal, in 1983 the Red Fort deservedly took a place in the UNESCO World Heritage Register.

Initially, I came to Agra to see the Taj, so the fort was a real discovery for me. A very interesting place where I advise everyone to visit if you find yourself in Agra.