Dear Local Guides Community,
I’m sure that most of us in India or even abroad must have visited the Red Fort at least once in their lifetime, watching the beautiful structures and admiring the well maintained lawns.
I would like to present a different view - the objects that are either missing in the Red Fort or the objects which were originally not part of the original Red Fort complex.
Introduction / Background : By the late 18th Century, most of the royal coffers were empty due to the invasion of Nadir Shah in 1738, and the revolt of 1857 proved to be the final nail in the coffin of the Mughal empire. Additionally, almost 70-80% of the buildings inside the Red Fort were destroyed in the 1857 retribution by the British.
Cannons :
These cannons in the Lahori Gate were installed in the Red Fort during the battle of Patparganj between the Marathas and the British. They were excavated and installed in their current place in 2009. The numbers on the Cannon display the weight of the cannon in pounds, and the “P” symbol shows Quality assurance, much like the ISI certification mark in India.
Open roof Market : While the Bazaar e Musakkaf or the Chatta Bazaar (Closed Roof Market) still exists today, there used to be Bazaar e Sarbaaz (Open Roof Market) which no longer exists
An out of place tombstone :
There is a tombstone which is placed in the Naubatkhana building, which mentions that it was built during the reign of Farukhsiyar. It’s the tombstone of Mohammed Masoom, one of the courtiers of Farukhsiyar. As per the tombstone, Mohammed Masoom was in possession of a very important relic, the relic of a handprint of Prophet Mohammad. Though no signs of that relic remain, this tombstone was excavated from Adchini in Delhi. Coincidentally, Farukhsiyar was assassinated in the same Naubatkhana building where this tombstone is placed now.
Silver Roof of Diwan-i-Khas : The Diwan-i-Khas had pure silver roof, which was taken down by the Marathas for payment of troops
Moti Masjid : The Moti Masjid situated inside the Red Fort was built by Aurangzeb which had a single dome. This dome was destroyed in 1857. Later, the British rebuilt the dome, infact added 3 domes to the Masjid using white marble instead of Brass which was used originally.
As I walked through the Red Fort complex, I was transported back to the era of 17th Century, reflected on the destruction of 1857. As terrible as the destruction was, a few Britishers did try to restore, conserve and protect the monuments in and around Old Delhi.
Accessibility :
Wheelchair accessible entrance is available from the Delhi Gate entrance. It’s a long walk from Delhi Gate entrance to the Lahori Gate (Where visitor entrance is permitted). However E-rickshaw facility is available to facilitate ease of access
Wheelchair accessible washrooms are available in multiple places inside the Red Fort
Wheelchair accessible parking is available near the Delhi Gate entrance
Tickets can be purchased online or through the ticket counter available near the Delhi Gate entrance
Credit for this goes to the INTACH Delhi Chapter, who organized a heritage walk. Hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I did to learn about these little known facts.
Regards,
and strolled through the mysterious artifacts that were and were not notified to general public. It’s is indeed the best place to be if you are a history buff like me.
