The Red Fort

Red Fort
The largest of old Delhi's monuments is the Lal Quila, or the Red Fort, the thick red sandstone walls of which, bulging with turrets and bastions, have withstood the vagaries of time, and nature. The Red Fort was the palace for Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan's new capital, Shahjahanabad, the seventh Muslim city in the Delhi site. He moved his capital 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. The Red Fort stands at the eastern edge of Shahjahanabad, and gets its name from the massive wall of red sandstone that defines its four sides. The wall is 1.5 miles (2.5 km) long, and varies in height from 60ft (16m) on the river side to 110 ft (33 m) towards the city. Measurements have shown that the plan was generated using a square grid of 82 m.

General view of the complex
The On 11 March 1783, Sikhs entered Red Fort in Delhi and occupied the Diwan-i-Am. The Red Fort was conceived as a whole, and subsequent modifications have not taken away from the overall unity of the scheme. In the 18th century, however, occupiers and looters damaged some sections of the palace.

Location: On Netaji Subhash Marg, near Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi
Time to Visit: Open on all days except Monday, from sunrise to sunset.
Preferred Timings: 10 a.m - 4 p.m.
Admission Fee: INR 11 for Indian citizens/ INR 100 for foreigners (including the tickets of all the three museums inside).
Video filming charges: INR 25.
How to Reach: Tourists can either take local buses from various points within the city to reach this monument, which is located in Old Delhi, or they can hire auto-rickshaws and taxis or metro rail.