SUPERINTENDING ARCHAEOLOGIST
DELHI CIRCLE, RED FORT, DELHI

RED FORT
• SHAHJAHAN (1628-1658) SHIFTED HIS CAPITAL FROM AGRA
TO DELHI IN 1638.
• LAID THE FOUNDATION OF THE FORT ON 16 TH APRIL 1639,
WHICH WAS COMPELETED ON 16 TH APRIL ON 1648.
• ONE CRORE OF RUPEES WAS SPENT ON ITS
CONSTRUCTION AND HALF OF THIS AMOUNT SPENT ONLY
ON THE PALACES (AN INSCRIPTION OVER THE SOUTHERN
ARCH OF KHWABAGH).
• IT IS ROUGHLY OCTAGONAL ON PLAN, WITH TWO LONGER
SIDES ON THE EAST AND WEST.
• IT MEASURES ABOUT 900 M (N-S) BY 550 M (E -W).
• RAMPART IS CONSTRUCTED IN LAKHAURI BRICK
MASONRY IN LIME MORTAR WITH RED SAND STONE
VENEERING.
• ITS RAMPART HAVE A PERIMETER OF 2.41 KM AND RISES
TO A HEIGHT OF 33.5 M ON THE TOWN SIDE (WESTERN
SIDE) AND 18 M ALONG THE RIVER SIDE (EASTERN SIDE).

• MOAT RUNS OUT SIDE THE RAMPART EXCEPT ON EASTERN
SIDE, ORIGINALY CONNECTED WITH THE RIVER YAMUNA.
• THE FORT HAS TWO IMPOSING THREE STOREYED MAIN
GATEWAYS ON THE WESTERN AND SOUTHERN SIDE
KNOWN AS LAHORI AND DELHI GATE RESPECTIVELY.
OTHER GATES OF LESS IMPORTANT ARE KHIZRI GATE OR
WATER GATE (UNDER MUSAMMAN BURJ), WATER GATE
(CLOSE TO ASAD BURJ ETC.).
• THE MAIN ENTRACE TO THE FORT IS THROUGH THE
LAHORI GATE AND THE PALACES ARE REACHED THROUGH
A ROOFED PASSAGE CALLED CHHATTA CHOWK AND NOW
USED AS SHOPS.
• USTADS HAMID AND AHMED WERE THE MASTER BUILDERS
OF THE FORT .
• FORT WITNESSED FIRST WAR OF INDEPENDENCE AND A
GREAT DAMAGE WAS CAUSED TO THE MONUMENTS.

• BRITISH ARMY OCCUPIED THE FORT FROM 3 RD QUARTER OF 19 TH
CENTURY TILL INDEPENDENCE OF INDIA (1947).
• MAJOR PORTION OF FORT WAS UNDER THE CONTROL OF INDIAN
ARMY TILL DECEMBER 2003.
• INDIAN NATIONAL FLAG WAS UNFURLED ON 15 TH AUGUST 1947
FROM THE RAMAPARTS OF RED FORT AND PRACTICE CONTINUES
TILL DATE.
• SUCCESIVE OCCUPATION OF FORT CAUSED DAMAGE, ADDITION,
ALTERATION IN THE ORIGINAL FABRIC OF THE MONUMENT.

RED FORT
• RAMPARTS AND GATEWAYS
• NAUBAT OR NAQQAR KHANA- DRUM HOUSE
• DIWAN –I- AM – HALL OF PUBLIC AUDIENCE
• MUMTAZ MAHAL (CHHOTI BAITHAK)
• NAHAR-I- BIHISHT – STREAM OF PARADISE
• RANG MAHAL – PALACE OF COLOURS
– SHISH MAHAL - HOUSE OF MIRRORS
• KHAS MAHAL – PRIVATE PALACE
– TASBIH-KHANA (CHAMBER FOR TELLING BEADS)
– KHWABGH BAGH (SLEEPING CHAMBER)
– TOSH KHANA (ROBE CHAMBER)
– BEAUTIFUL MARBLE SCREEN (CARVED WITH ‘SCALE OF JUSTICE
SUSPENDED OVER A CRESCENT SURROUNDED WITH STARS AND
CLOUDS)
• MUTHAMMAN BURJ (OCTAGONAL TOWER CONSTRUCTED IN 1808-09
BY AKBAR II AS STATED BY HIM IN INSCRIPTION OVER ITS ARCHES
– KING GEORGE V AND QUEEN MARY APPEARED BEFORE THE
PUBLIC IN 1911.

RED FORT
• DIWAN –I- KHAS – HALL OF PRIVATE AUDIENCE
– FAMOUS PEACOCK THRONE REMOVED IN 1739 BY NADIR SHAH.
– AMIR KHUSRAW EXCLAIMING ‘IF THERE BE A PARADISE ON THE EARTH,
IT IS THIS, IT IS THIS, IT IS THIS’. (INSCRIPTION OVER THE CORNER-ARCHES
BELOW THE CORNICE).
• HAMMAM – BATHROOM
– ARRANGMENTS FOR EMITTING ROSE WATTER, WATER VAPOURS (FOR
HOT BATH)
• MOTI MASJID – PEARL MOSQUE BUILT BY AURANGZEB FOR HIS PERSONAL
USE.
• HAYAT BAKSH BAGH – LIFE BESTOWING GARDEN
– CHAR BAGH WITH CAUSEWAYS AND CHANNELS
– SHAH BURJ
– SAWAN AND BHADON PAVAILIONS
– MOTI-MAHAL (NORTHERN) AND HIRA-MAHAL (SOUTHERN)
(REMOVED AFTER THE MUTINY)
-ZAFAR-MAHAL

• SOME PORTION OF RED FORT WERE NOTIFIED AS MONUMENT
OF NATIONAL IMPORTANCE UNDER THE PROVISION OF
ANCIENT MONUMENTS PRESERVATION ACT 1904 (NO. 1268 Edn.
DATED 13 FEBRUARY 1913) THE REST OF THE AREA REMAINED
WITH INDIAN ARMY TILL DECEMBER 2003. REMAINING
PORTIONS WERE NOTIFIED IN THE YEAR 2002 EVEN BEFORE
ITS NOTIFICATION AS CENTRALLY PROTECTED MONUMENT
THE MONUMENT WAS LOOKED AFTER BY ARCHAEOLOGICAL
SURVEY OF INDIA.
• RED FORT COMLEX IS INSCRIBED IN THE LIST OF WORLD
HERITAGE SITES IN THE YEAR 2007.

OUTSTANDING UNIVERSAL VALUE
• CRITERION (II) THE FINAL FLOURISHING OF MUGHAL ARCHITECTURE BUILT UPON
LOCAL TRADITIONS BUT ENLIVENED THEM WITHIMPORTED IDEAS, TECHNIQUES,
CRAFTSMANSHIP AND DESIGNS TO PROVIDE A FUSION OF ISLAMIC , PERSIAN,
TIMURID AND HINDU TRADITIONS. THE RED FORT DEMOSTRATATION THE
OUTSTANDING RESULTS THIS ACHIEVED IN PLANNING AND ARCHITECTURE.
• CRETERION (III) THE INNOVATIVE PLANNING ARRANGEMENTS AND
ARCHITECTURAL STYLE OF BUILDING COMPONENTS AND GARDEN DESIGN
DEVELOPED IN THE RED FORT STRONGLY INFLUENCED LATER BUILDINGS AND
GARDENS IN RAJASTHAN, DELHI AGRA AND FURTHER A FIELD THE RED FORT
COMPLEX ALSO REFLEXTS THE PHASE OF BRITISH MILITARY OCCUPATION,
INTRODUCING NEW BUILDINGS AND FUNCTIONS OVER THE EARLIER MUGHAL
STRUCTURES.
• CRETERION (IV) THE RED FORT HAS BEEN SYMBOLIC POWER SINCE THE REIGN OF
SHAH JAHAN HAS WITNESSED THE CHANGE IN INDIAN HISTORY TO BRITISH RULE
AND WAS THE PLACE WHERE INDIAN INDEPENDENCE WAS FIRST CELEBRATED
AND IS TILL CELEBRATED TODAY. THE RED FORT COMPLEX HAS THUS BEEN THE
SETTING OF EVENTS CRITICAL TO THE SHAPING OF REGIONAL IDENTIFY AND WHICH
HAVE HAD A WIDE IMPACT ON THE GEO CULTURAL REGION.

RED FORT - 1850 RED FORT - PRESENT