The Red Fort has been conferred World Heritage Status by UNESCO. The 17th century Mughal marvel and three other cultural sites - - Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape (Japan), Parthian Fortresses of Nisa (Turkmenistan) and Sydney Opera House (Australia) -   have been given World Heritage status. The Red Fort is  the third Delhi monument to get this status after the Qutab Minar and Humayun's Tomb.

The Red Fort was the palace for Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan's new capital, Shahjahanabad, the seventh Muslim city in Delhi. The Red Fort stands at the eastern edge of Shahjahanabad, and gets its name from the massive wall of red sandstone that defines its four sides. The wall is 1.5 miles (2.5 km) long, and varies in height from 60ft (16m) on the river side to 110 ft (33 m) towards the city.

The fort lies along the Yamuna River, which fed the moats that surround most of the wall. Construction on the Red Fort began in 1638 and was completed by 1648. (ANI)

India’s first Independence Day- on August 15, 1947- was celebrated with the unfurling of the Indian tricolour on the ramparts of Delhi’s Red Fort. Red Fort is largest of Delhi’s many medieval monuments, the Red Fort is one of those places where history was made- it remained the epicentre of Indian governance for close to 200 years, and its pavilions and gardens, till today, retain a magnificence highly reminiscent of its past glory.

Constructed between 1638 and 1648 by the greatest of the Mughal emperors (in terms of architectural ability, that is), Shahjahan, the Red Fort was then known also as the Qila Mubarak (`The Auspicious Fort’).  Surrounded by solid walls of red sandstone, the Red Fort’s main entrance is through the Lahore Gate- so named because it faces Lahore, in Pakistan. Beyond the gate lies the Chhatta Chowk or Meena Bazaar, a covered market which in its heyday harboured wares as varied as gemstones and midgets, Persian carpets and eunuchs- but is today home to sellers of touristy souvenirs.The main fort begins beyond the Naubat Khana, which is the reception counter for the fort.

Beyond it spreads a vast complex of gardens and pavilions, once threaded by a canal known as the Nahar-e-Bihisht, the Stream of Paradise. Here, in a state which is a mere shadow of its medieval splendour, are the many palaces of the Red Fort, including the white-marble Diwan-e-Khas which housed the legendary Peacock Throne, and the somewhat less ornate Diwan-e-Am, built of red sandstone and once decorated with heavily gilded stucco work. Also part of the Red Fort are the ostentatious Moti Masjid, a small but extremely ornate mosque of white marble, constructed by the emperor Aurangzeb; the Rang Mahal, that at one time used to be a  gloriously ornate creation adorned with gold, silver, mirrors and paint; and the Hammams, the royal baths.

Best time to go

The best time to visit Delhi is between October and March, when the weather is very pleasant. During the peak of winter in January, however, pollution causes a thick fog to envelop the city. Summers are searing hot and dry, so avoid the city at this time- or come prepared.