Red Fort, New Delhi

Shah Jahan A.D. 1628 - 58, the Mughal Emperor shifted his capital from Agra to Delhi in A.D. 1638 and established Shahjahanabad, the seventh city of Delhi. He commenced the construction of his citadel, 'Lal Qila' or the Red Fort on 12th May 1639 and it took 9 years and 3 months to complete it under the supervision of master builders Hamid and Ahmed. Originally it was known as 'Qila-i-Mubarak'.

The fort is built using the red sandstone and is octagonal on plan with the rampart surrounded by a moat originally connected with river Yamuna. This highly fortified citadel has two main gateways, the Lahori Gate on the west and the Delhi Gate or 'Hathi Gate' on the south.

Nadir Shah, the Persian invader plundered the city of Delho in A.D. 1739 and took away the prized booty including the Takht-i-Taus (Peacock Throne) with Kohinoor (world's largest diamond). In A.D. 1857 Bahadur Shah II was proclaimed Emperor by the freedom fighters. INA officers Shah Nawaz Khan, P.K. Sehgal and G.S. Dhilion were trailed in 1945-46. These are some of the imprints of history left on the Red Fort.