Revisiting the old-world charms of Red Fort

It was a nice pleasant day when we went to the Red Fort. It was an exciting trip for me as it was my first visit to the historic monument. Shahjahanabad or Old Delhi consist of 14 gates. Red Fort was built during Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan’s reign. I was surprised to see the beautiful Meena Bazaar which was full of Indian handicrafts. We also visited the Naubat Khana or Drum House,a place used for greeting people. We went to see Diwaan-e-Aam. It took 10 years to build this hall,which has a lot of Petra Dura work. Then we saw Diwaan-e-Khas where the emperors used to meet with their courtiers. Behind it there was the Neher-e-Bisht,a water spring which kept the rooms pleasant and cool. The water in the Neher-e-Bisht comes from river Yamuna which enters and exits Red Fort through proper channels made exclusively for the Neher-e-Bisht. In front of that are the British buildings. Many years ago,some soldiers used to live here,but they left when the World War-I started. The visit made me realise that we had to do more to protect our precious heritage.

n Shivam Sharma ,X-D

Heritage is an integral and indispensable part of any country and India is very lucky that it has a very rich cultural heritage. The Red Fort plays a very important role in telling us about the Mughals and the grandeur of the Mughal rule. Built by Emperor Shah Jahan,the construction of the Red Fort began in 1638 and it took 10 years to complete it — by1648. It was built by Shah Jahan for defensive and residential purposes,and is spread over an area of 2.4km. This area came to be known as Shahjahanabad. Shah Jahan commissioned the construction of the Red Fort when he decided to shift his capital from Agra to Delhi. It has a mix of Hindu,Persian and Muslim architecture. It has 14 entrance gates. Some of the more famous are Kashmiri Gate,Ajmeri Gate,Lahori Gate and Delhi Gate. This marvelous building is made of red sandstone brought from Agra and white marble from Makaran. It was recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2007and is one of the three World Heritage Sites in Delhi. The Red Fort has many parts such as the Diwaan-e-Aam,where the emperor used to listen to the petitions of the common people,the Naubat Khana or Drum House for welcoming guests,and the Neher-e-Bisht,a spring which was once fed by the Yamuna. The preservation of such monuments is very important,otherwise we won’t have anything to show our future generations about the rich cultural heritage we inherited. We can help preserve these monuments by not writing on the walls and not littering the grounds. If everyone contributes this much,then we may be able to preserve our heritage because,“Even a journey of thousand miles,begins with a single step”.

n Divyanshu Taluja,X D

This heritage walk to Red Fort was was to make us understand our culture,diversity and universal brotherhood. On entering the fort,we first saw the huge moats which protected the fort against invasions. The fort is built with red sandstone brought from Agra. It has the same architecture as that of the Taj Mahal. It shows the cultural diversity of Hindu,Islamic and Persian architecture. After that,we entered the colorful Meena Bazaar,which was full of handicrafts,handlooms and other Indian artifacts. After moving a little forward,the first building which we saw was Diwan-e-Aam.It is the place where the emperors used to hear and solve the problems of the common people. There we saw a ‘swastika’ on the roof,which was a sign of cultural diversity. The place where the Emperor used to sit was known as Mayur Singhasan. It took ten years to build it. Then we saw the Diwan-e-Khaas. It was also known as Rang Mahal as it was here that the kings enjoyed dance performance. We also saw Moti Masjid which had an inverted lotus on its top. Besides the Masjid,the Neher-e-Bisht was seen. It was also known as the “spring of paradise”. The Red Fort had many secret paths to go to the river bank. The famous Jhali design of the Islamic architecture can be seen throughout the fort. The Britishers also built some buildings during their period which later came to be known as the British architecture. The entire walk was indeed an enriching experience for us.

n Saumya Nautiyal,X-D

We got a wonderful opportunity to visit one of the most beautiful heritage sites in the world — the Red Fort. This historical monument was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. This fort is situated in the seventh city of Delhi— Shahjahanabad. It was built for defence purposes. Here,we got to see a blend of Indian,Persian,Muslim and British architecture. The monument was of breathtaking beauty. Diwan-e-Aam (the assembly hall for commoners) and Diwan-e-Khaas (the assembly hall for ministers) were quite intriguing and interesting. Sadly,we couldn’t visit the Moti Masjid as renovation work was underway there. I hope the government keeps launching awareness camps to spread awareness about the restoration and conservation of our precious cultural sites.

n Mahima rastogi,X E

School days are referred as memorable days,and the statement was recently proved right.We went to the Red Fort with our teachers on a heritage walk. The Red Fort is a wonderful structure with a blend of Hindu,Islamic and Persian architecture.

The amazing Diwan-e-Aam,or Rang Mahal,Moti Mahal,mosques,Zafar Mahal and unique water canal system Neher-e-Bisht were extremely impressive. The fort was built with red sandstone and white marble. The fort is recognised by the UNESCO as a World Heritage Site since 2003. But people have made the place very dirty over the years.

Though some renovation is being done to recover the lost beauty of the heritage,more efforts will be needed to be done to restore the fort to its past glory.

n Kanishka Sharma,X E

The Red Fort is a mixture of Hindu ,Mughal and Persian architecture. The Red Fort,located in Shahjahanabad,is made of red sandstone and marble. We were impressed by the beauty of the fort built in 1639. The 2km moat running around the fort was once filled with water and had crocodiles in them to keep out invaders. The market,Meena Bazaar,inside the fort,currently has countless shops selling handicrafts. The Diwan-e-Aam,the hall for the commoners was beautifully built. The Neher-e-Bisht,also known as spring of paradise,was fed by river Yamuna. It added to the beauty of the fort and also as a natural air conditioner. The visit made us feel closer to our culture and heritage.

n Surbhi ,X-C

We were recently taken on a heritage walk to the Red Fort. It is one of the prized possessions of the city. It is a structure is made of red sandstone and marble. It is surrounded by a deep moat. The foundation of the Red Fort was laid by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1639 AD and it took ten years to complete the fort. The Red Fort is a landmark of Mughal architecture as it reflects the unique Mughal style with a harmonious blend of Hindu and Persian styles. It epitomises Shah Jahan’s unparalleled aesthetic sense and love of art. A couplet inscribed here reads,“If there is a paradise on earth,it is here,it is here,it is here.” The entrance to the fort was through various gateways,each of which was named according to the city that they faced. Thus gates had names like Lahori Gate,Kashmiri Gate,Kabul Gate and Ajmeri Gate. Inside the fort was a city in itself,with its own shopping arcades and gardens. Among the buildings,the Diwan-e-Aam was the hall of the public audience and the Diwan-e-Khaas was the hall of private audience. Both these halls were inlaid with precious stones. The Neher-i-Bisht was a continuous channel of water from the Yamuna that ran through the pavilions of the imperial apartments. The women’s quarters consisted of Mumtaz Mahal and Rang Mahal. Moti Masjid was the mosque for the public. The Red Fort,thus,is a veritable treasure of magnificent art and culture. It stands as a tribute to outstanding creativity of the Mughals.

n Rituparna Pati,X