Red Fort

Red Fort is one of the historic monuments located in Delhi. This monument gets its name from the red colored sandstone used for construction by the Mughals. This fort is located in the center of the city and was used as a ceremonial spot for the royals. Even today, the spot is used for political and national ceremonies.

Red fort is not just about the outer beauty of the fortified wall. You can find many interesting attractions inside the fort, like palaces, halls, museums, and others.

Tourist Attractions in the Red Fort

Constructed in the 17th century, this monument is an attraction by itself. The fort covers 254 acres of land, covering 2.4 km. The fort is octagonal in shape, and many regions of the fort are decorated with marble works.

Kohinoor diamond is said to be a part of the decoration. There are three gates to the fort. The royals used to enter the fort via the Khizrabad Gate, and it is now closed to the public.

The Lahore and Delhi gates are open to the public. If you walk out of the Lahore gate, you can find a large shopping area, Chatta Chowk, for souvenir shopping and window shopping. The shopping complex is famous for household objects, silk, jewelry, and other items.

The fort includes garden design and other architectural elements that indicate that a palace was planned to be built inside the fort. In the 18th century, the fort was raided for the looting of precious artworks. Some of the apartments or buildings are in good condition and are open for tourists to explore.

The Naubat Khana is a small drum room. In ancient times, music was played from this room at specific intervals. Walk past the drum room to reach the main court area, NakkarKhana, a large, guarded public audience hall. The hall has large columns supported by decorated arches.

You can find a raised platform with a balcony from where the royals gave speeches. Walk past the hall to reach the imperial apartments on raised platforms.

You can find canals that connect all the pavilions. The water is drawn from the River Yamuna. The southernmost pavilions of the fort are women’s quarters, which contain Mumtaz Mahal and Rang Mahal. Mumtaz Mahal holds an archaeological museum. The museum holds artifacts from the Mughal era.

You can find astrolabes, jade objects, daggers, curtains, carpets, swords, inkpots, miniature paintings, and others. One of the galleries in the museum holds pictures of independence struggles.

Rang Mahal was used by the wife and mistresses of the emperor. The palace is brightly colored and is decorated with mosaics. You can find a large marble pool inside. Khas Mahal is the apartment of the king.

On the northern part of the audience hall, you can find a small court, which was used as the hall of private audience. This hall has a silvered ceiling and is decorated with precious stones. You can find a peacock throne and many other attractions here.

Other interesting elements are the step well, imperial bath, Moti Masjid, Hira Mahal, and others. On the northern part of the fort, you can find a small garden, which was fed by a reservoir in the past. There were similar gardens on the western side of the fort, which were destroyed by the British in the past.

Every evening, a sound and light show is conducted inside the fort, which is watched by thousands of people. This show explains the history of the Mughals, their lifestyle, and other elements.

A small teahouse is the only working restaurant inside the fort. Public toilets are available inside the park and at the entrance of the fort.

How to Reach the Red Fort

Delhi holds an international airport that connects several international destinations with Delhi. Delhi is connected with all states of the country via railways and roadways. Once you reach Delhi, you can find many modes of transportation to reach the Red Fort. The fort is one of the important tourist destinations in the city.

The fort is located very close to the Chandni Chowk metro station. If you get out of Gate 5 from the metro station, you can hire a rickshaw to reach the fort. You can also walk from the station to the destination. You can find taxis and autos from any part of the city to reach the Red Fort.

Best Time to Visit Red Fort

The fort is at its prime beauty throughout the year. If you visit during national holidays like Independence Day and Republic Day, you can find many interesting activities and even the Prime Minister’s speech. On the downside, the fort will be heavily crowded during these holidays, and security will be very high.

Season does not affect the beauty of the fort. However, visiting India during the summer can be a dehydrating and humid experience. Delhi experiences a very hot climate from March to June.

Monsoon starts in July and ends in September. The prime tourism season is the winter season, which starts in October and ends in February.

Entry Fee and Visiting Time of the Red Fort

The fort is open throughout the week except on Mondays. The fort is open from 7 in the morning until 5:30 in the evening for sightseeing. It takes around 2-3 hours to scale the whole place. The light and sound show takes place in the evening.

• Hindi Show: 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm
• English Show: 9 pm to 10 pm
• Children below the age of 15 are free to enter the fort. Indians, SAARC citizens, and BIMSTEC citizens are charged INR 10 per head. Others are charged INR 250 per head. Cost for the sound and light show is :
• Weekdays: INR 60 per head for adults and INR 20 per head for children
• Weekends and Holidays: INR 80 per adult and INR 30 per child
• Tickets for the show and entry to the fort should be purchased separately.