|
Gate or the Chatta Chowk. Lal Quila is now
a busy market place called the 'Meena Bazaar'. This bazaar has an
excellent collection of antiques, miniature paintings and skillfully
crafted fake ivory jewellery. The bazaar also sells some fabulous
carpets beautifully woven. Just beyond the Chhata Chowk, is the
heart of the fort called Naubat Khana, or the Drum House. Musicians
used to play for the emperor from the Naubat Khana, and the arrival
of princes and royalty was heralded from here.
The Fort sports all the obvious trappings befitting a vital centre
of Mughal governance: halls of public and private audiences, domed
and arched marble palaces, plush private apartments, a mosque, and
elaborately designed gardens. Even today, the Fort remains an
impressive testimony to Mughal grandeur, despite being attacked by
the Persian Emperor Nadir Shah in 1739, and by the British soldiers,
during the war of independence in 1857.
The Fort also houses the Diwan-i-Am or the Hall of Public Audiences,
where the Emperor would sit on a marbled paneled alcove, studded
with gems, and hear complaints of the common people. The
Diwan-i-Khas is the hall of Private Audiences, where the Emperor
held private meetings. This hall is made of marble, and its
centre-piece used to be the Peacock Throne, which was studded with
rubies and gems and was carried away to Iran by Nadir Shah in 1739.
Today, although the Diwan-i-Khas is only a pale shadow of its
original glory, yet the verse of Amir Khusro " If there is Paradise
on the face of earth, it is here, it is here, it is here" reminds us
of its former glory.
The Rang Mahal or the 'Palace of Colours' as it is known, holds a
spectacular Lotus shaped fountain, made out of a single piece of
marble, and housed the Emperor's wives and mistresses. The palace
was decorated with excellent paintings, gold bordered projections,
mosaics of mirrors and the ceiling was made with gold and silver
which wonderfully reflected in a central pool in the marble floor.
The other attractions enclosed within this monument are the hammams
or the Royal Baths, the Shahi Burj, which used to be Shahjahan's
private working area, and the Moti Masjid or the Pearl Mosque, built
by Aurangzeb for his personal use.
Even today, the Lal Quila is an eloquent reminder of the glory of
the Mughal era, and its magnificence simply leaves one awestruck. It
is still a calm haven of peace, which helps one to break away, from
noisy and busy life outside the walls of the Fort, and transports
the visitor to another realm of existence. Sound and light shows or
son et lumiere as it is better known, highlighting particular phases
of history are held here. The shows are in Hindi and English with
tickets costing Rs. 20, available at the Fort. The English seasons
are from November to January at 7.30 p.m., in January to April and
September to October at 8.30 p.m. and from May to August at 9 p.m.
|
