Red Fort Lal Qila Delhi Mughal Architecture

The Red Fort (Lal Qila) in Old Delhi, built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and completed in 1648 as his imperial residence after moving the capital from Agra to Shahjahanabad (now Old Delhi), is the largest Mughal fortification and palace complex in India, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007, covering 2.41 square kilometers of red Agra sandstone walls 2.5 kilometers in length and 33 meters high along the Yamuna riverfront. The fort's interiors, severely damaged during the 1857 uprising and subsequent British occupation, originally contained the jewel-set Diwan-i-Khas (Hall of Private Audience) with the Peacock Throne, the marble Rang Mahal (Painted Palace) with a lotus-carved channel fountain carrying the Nahr-i-Bihisht (Canal of Paradise) that cooled the palace, and the Moti Masjid (Pearl Mosque) in white marble for imperial prayer. The fort's Diwan-i-Am inscription reads that if paradise exists on earth, it is here, it is here, it is here. After Indian independence, the Red Fort has served as the site of the Prime Minister's Independence Day address to the nation from its central battlement on August 15 each year, making it a symbol of Indian sovereignty. The Chhatta Chowk (covered market) inside the fort was the first covered shopping arcade in India, designed to supply the imperial household.