October 12, 2020

History of Red Fort

History of Red Fort,The construction of the Red Fort began on 13 May 1638 in the holy month of Muharram. It took nine years to build and the fort was completed on 6 April 1648 under the supervision of Shah Jahan. To include the old Salimgarh Fort inside its borders. The walls were contrasted, unlike any other Mughal buildings.

It remained the seat of Imperial Mughal rule until 1857, when the Great Rebellion took place. It includes many other structures that were built during Shah Jahan’s life, and some that were added by later rulers. His son and successor Aurangzeb added the Pearl Mosque or Moti Masjid to the fort’s complex, when he took over as emperor after a fierce war of succession between himself and his three brothers.

The fort saw its erosion after Aurangzeb’s rule ended. In 1712, another ruler, Farrukhsiyar, replaced the silver roof with copper. In 1739, the Persian Emperor Nadir Shah invaded Delhi and looted the distant Red Fort, taking the precious Peacock throne himself. The fort was captured, looted and attacked several times between 1739 and 1857 by Ahmed Shah, Marathas, Sikhs and British. To raise funds to protect the armies from Ahmad Shah Durrani, the Marathas sold the silver roof of Diwan-i-Khas in 1760. The fort was the seat of the Mughals for 200 years, but after the Revolt of 1857, the last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah II, was exiled to Rangoon. He was the last Mughal resident of the fort and a symbol of the 1857 rebellion against the British in which Shahjahanabad residents participated. This marked the end of the Mughals.

The fort was then occupied by the British colonial rulers who invaded many valuable artifacts such as the Kohinoor diamonds, the Jade wine cup of Shah Jahan and the crown of Bahadur Shah II. He planned the systematic destruction of the fort which included destroying furniture, gardens, harem apartments and servant quarters. Except the white marble buildings, almost all the internal structure was destroyed. Later in 1899, when Lord Curzon became Viceroy of India, he ordered the reconstruction of the building and the gardens were also restored.

After the British left India, the first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, raised the national flag from Lahori Gate and since then, every Independence and Republic Day Prime Minister was seen hoisting the national flag and giving his formal speech at the Red Fort.