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Delhi Red Fort or Lal Qila

Red Fort, also known as Lal Qila or Lal Kella, consider as the largest fort in Delhi. It was constructed by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1648 ad. It took around 10 years (1638 ad to 1648 ad) to complete the entire fort construction. The location city of the fort initially called as Shahjahanabad (now Old Delhi) and the city was served as the capital for the Mughal Emperor.

The last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah II, lost his empire including the beautiful Red Fort in the rebellion (Sepoy Bidroho) of 1857 by the British. After that, British Indian Government changed the fort into a headquarters of the British Army till Indian independence of 1947. Now it is one of the most popular historical tourist destinations in world and it chosen as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007.

Delhi Red Fort or Lal Qila, Old Dilli

(Delhi Red Fort, a great architecture of Mughal Empire)

The original name of Red fort is Qila-i-Mubarak, as it was a residence of the royal family. Today, the buildings of Red Fort are protected by Indian army and a millennium of tourist visits this site across the world. Red Fort or Lal Qila covers an area of 254.66 acres alongside the Yamuna River just next to the Chandni Chowk on Netaji Subhash Marg.

Basically, the fort architecture is constructed with the combination of Persian, European and Indian art. And barricade of the fort stretch about 2.6 km with a height variations of 16 meters to 33 meters. Lal Qila has two main gates namely, the Delhi gate and the Lahore gates. Lahore Gate is the prime entrance. There have lots of buildings inside the fort namely, the Diwan-E-Aam, Diwan-i-Khas, Nahr-i-Behisht, Moti Masjid, Mumtaz Mahal, Rang Mahal, Shish Mahal, Hammam, etc.

Buildings in Red Fort or attractions in Lal Qila

Diwan-i-Aam (hall of public audience) was a large open pavilion for common people. A decorated balcony is located on the eastern side of the pavilion. The emperor sat on a throne of this balcony and he listen to the petitions of his commoners.

Diwan-i-Khas (hall of private audience) was used for special member of Mughal Empire where the emperor sat for private meeting. Common people of the kingdom were not allowed here.

Khas Mahal is relatively a small building divided into four main apartments. Among these, three apartments were reserved for a series of royal bedroom. It is placed on the southern side of the fort.

Nahr-i-Behisht: All the buildings of Lal Kella are connected with a continuous water channel from Yamuna River which is called as Nahr-i-Behisht. It is an Arabian word means stream of paradise.

Zenanas (quarter for royal women) is a group of pavilion divided into five separate apartments. It is located to the south most end of the fort on the bank of Jamuna River. Rang Mahal was the main apartment of Zenanas.

Moti Masjid (Pearl Mosque) is placed by the west of the Hammam. It was constructed by Aurangzeb (son of Shah Zahan) in 1659 as a private mosque. It is a small mosque of carved white marble added later for religious purpose.

Naubat Khaana is in the shape of a rectangular and this apartment was reserved for Mughal Emperors to listening music played by their musicians constituting of the Cymbal, Hautboy, Kettledrums, etc.

Hayat-Bakhsh-Bagh is a big garden placed on the northern side of Moti-Masjid. You will find a tower by the north east corner of the garden which is called as Shah-Burj and another a similar tower located on the south-eastern corner of the fort.

How to reach Red Fort or Lal Kella?

Travel by Airways
Being the capital city of the country, Delhi is the busiest city in India. You can get the city easily from across the World through the Indira Gandhi International Airport. If you are an Indian and have planned to visit here then you can also catch a flight to this airport. After reaching this airport you will get lots of passenger cars to Red Fort which takes a few minutes to reach.

Travel by Railways
Delhi is the central junction of Indian railway network and it connected to all the states of the nation. If you wish to go Delhi by railways then you get lots of trains from your nearest big cities. Major trains which available are Rajdhani Express, Swaraj Express, Paschim Express, Lal Quila Express, Kalka Mail, Howrah Duronto Express, Kongu Express, Karnataka Express, Hazrat Nizammudin Rajdhani Express, and many more. For local transport, Chandni Chowk metro station is the best option which is the nearest station to Red Fort.

Contact these numbers for Railway information
Reservation: 011-3348686
Enquiries: 011-3348789
Metro helpline: 011-155370

Travel by Roadways
Delhi city roadway network is very well connected where thousands of local and long rooted bus services are available for internal transport and also for neighboring cities or states communication. The city is directly connected to Haryana through the Outer Ring Road or NH2 and Uttar Pradesh by the Nizamuddin Road-Uttar.

Contact these numbers for local Cabs
Quick Cabs: 011-44333222
She Cabs: 011-45333333

Hotels near Red Fort or Lal Kella

Pallvi Palace 
Arakshan Road, Paharganj, New Delhi
Phone Number: 011-23530363.
Jaypee Siddharth
Rajendra place, New Delhi
Phone Number: 011-25760000.
Parkway Deluxe
Close to New Delhi Railway Station
Phone Number: 111-23531125.
Qutab Hotel
Shaheed Jeet Singh Marg, New Delhi
Phone Number: 011-41200000.
Yuvraj Deluxe
Arakshan Road, Ram nagar, New Delhi
Phone Number: 011-23544053.
The Maidens Hotel
Sham Nath Marg, Civil Lines, New Delhi
Phone Number: 011 23975464.
Hotel Broadway
4/15, Asaf Ali Road, Delhi-03
Phone Number: 011-43663600.
Tara Palace
Esplanade Road, New Delhi-06
Phone Number: 011-23276465.
The Pearl Hotel
Deshbandhu Road, Paharganj
Mobile Number: 09873371533.
Ashoka Continental Hotel
8370 Arakashan Road, Ram Nagar
Phone Number: 011-23528037.

Common Information about Delhi Red Fort or Lal Qila

Country India
Union Territory Delhi
City Old Delhi
Landmark Netaji Subhash Marg
Nearest Metro Station Chandni Chowk
STD Code 011
ISD Code 009111
Clothing Summer Season - Light Cottan
Winter Season - Light Woolen
Entry Fees Rs. 10 (Indian), Rs. 250 (Foreigners)
Timing 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Open Days Every day in a week except Monday.
Languages Hindi (main language), English, Punjabi, etc.
Best season to visit October to March
climate Summer - max 43°C min 27°C avg 34°C.
Winter - max 23°C min 7°C avg 15°C.
Extra attraction The Sound and Light Show that tells tales of Indian Mughal and British History...
Sound & Light Show timing 6 pm, Ticket Charges: Rs. 80 (adults), Rs. 30 (children).
Photography charges None, (Rs. 25 for video filming)