Describe the salient features of the Red Fort in Delhi ?
The Red Fort was built by Shah Jahan when he decided to transfer his capital to Delhi. He began its construction in 1639 and completed it in 1648 A.D. He held his first darbar in it on April 1648. The building of the Red Fort was supervised by Shah Jahan himself. It is said that about one crore rupees were spent on those days to build this fort. The Red Fort is built of red sandstone and marble on the bank of the Yamuna.
The fort is in the form of a parallelogram measuring 930 metres by 495 metres. It is surrounded by a strongly fortified wall. The walls facing Chandni Chowk are higher than those facing the Yamuna. There are two gateways- Lahori Gate, which is the western gateway, was the main and the ceremonial entrance. Some of the prominent buildings in this fort are Diwan-i-Aam, the Diwan-i-Khas and the Rang Mahal.