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Old Delhi
When Shah Jahan built his new capital of Shahjahanabad here in the 17th century, one of the key elements was a high red-brick wall, pierced by 14 gates. The British then strengthened and repaired it with stone, and added a number of bastions for increased protection. Only three of the original gates remain today - Ajmeri, Turkman and Delhi - all on the southern side. The Kashmiri Gate was built by the British in 1835 and was the scene of desperate fighting when the British retook Delhi during the 1857 Uprising. Lahore Gate has been demolished (this is not the Lahore Gate of Red Fort, but the Lahore Gate of Old Delhi).
It's possible to walk along the only remaining stretch of wall running west of Delhi Gate towards Turkman Gate. West of Kashmiri Gate, near Sabzi Mandi, is the British-erected Mutiny Memorial, to the soldiers who lost their lives during the Uprising.
Near the monument is an Ashoka pillar which, like the one in Firoz Shah Kotla, was brought here by Firoz Shah.
A novel and relatively stress-free way of exploring crowded Old Delhi, where walking 10m can take close to 10 minutes, is to hire a cycle-rickshaw for a few hours.
Red Fort
The red sandstone walls of the Lal Qila, or Red Fort, extend for 2km. Marking out an irregular octagon, the walls vary in height from 18m on the river side to 33m on the city side. Shah Jahan began construction of the massive fort in 1638, and it was completed in 1648. He never completely moved his capital from Agra to his new city of Shahjahanabad in Delhi because he was deposed and imprisoned in Agra Fort by his son, Aurangzeb.The Red Fort dates from the very peak of Mughal power, when it was known as the Qila-e-Mu'alla (Auspicious Fort); the name Lal Qila dates from the British era. When the emperor rode out on an elephant into the streets of Old Delhi it was a display of pomp and power at its most magnificent. The Mughal reign from Delhi was a short one, however; Aurangzeb was the first and last great Mughal emperor to rule from here.
Today, the fort is typically Indian, with would-be guides leaping forth to offer their services as soon as you enter, but it's still a calm haven of peace if you've just left the frantic streets of Old Delhi. The city noise and confusion are light years away from the fort gardens and pavilions.
The Yamuna River used to flow right by the eastern DSedge of the fort, and filled the lOm-deep moat. Originally the moat, dry since 1857, was crossed on wooden drawbridges, which were replaced with stone bridges in 1811. These days the river is more than 1km to the east and the moat remains empty.
Entry to the fort, open from sunrise to sunset Tuesday to Sunday, costs US$10. Tickets are available from the kiosk opposite the main gate and need to be shown at the Naubat Khana (Drum House). There are three museums within the fort (see Museums later in this entry).
Lahore Gate The main gate to the fort takes its name from the fact that it faces Lahore, now in Pakistan. The ornate gate is obscured by a sandstone bastion, which was added at a later date by Aurangzeb, ruining the original vista 'like a veil drawn across the face of a beautiful woman', as one contemporary commentator put it. Before the outer wall was built there was a square where visiting noblemen camped. Other more recent modifications include the installation of a sandstone tower that houses a lift, and the filling in of the gate-tower windows with sandstone during the 1980s; it was thought they would make a great perch for a sniper trying to knock off the prime minister during the Independence Day speech.
If one spot could be said to be the emotional and symbolic heart of the modern Indian nation, the Lahore Gate of the Red Fort is probably it. During the struggle for independence, one of the nationalists' declarations was that they would see the Indian flag flying over the Red Fort in Delhi. After Independence, many important political speeches were given by Nehru and Indira Gandhi to the crowds amassed on the maidan (open grassed area) outside, and on Independence Day (15 August) each year, the prime minister addresses a huge crowd.
Chatta Chowk You enter the fort through the Lahore Gate and immediately find yourself in a vaulted arcade, the Chatta Chowk (Covered Bazaar). The shops in this arcade used to sell upmarket items that the royal household might fancy - silks, jewellery and gold. These days they cater to the tourist trade and the quality of the goods is certainly a little less, although some still carry a royal price tag. This arcade of shops was also known as the Meena Bazaar, the shopping centre for ladies of the court. On Thursday the gates of the fort were closed to men, and women staffed the shops and only women were allowed inside the citadel. Just above some of the shop signs it's still possible to make out the cusped arches of the original shopfronts. Above the central octagon are the rooms and offices where senior British officials were killed at the beginning of the Uprising.
Naubat Khana The Chatta Chowk arcade leads to the Naubat Khana, or Drum House. where musicians used to play five times a day - this was also where the arrival of princes and royalty was heralded. Here visiting nobles had to dismount from their elephants and proceed on foot.
The grassed open courtyard beyond the Naubat Khana formerly had galleries along either side and a central tank, but these were removed by the British Army when the fort was used as their headquarters. Around the tank over 50 Europeans were executed on 16 June 1857. Another intrusive reminder of the British presence is the huge, conspicuous, three-storey barrack block section north of the courtyard.
Diwan-i-Am The Hall of Public Audiences was where the emperor would sit to h
ear complaints or disputes from his subjects, until Aurangzeb abolished
the customThe alcove in the wall was panelled with marble and set with precious stones, many of which were looted following the Uprising This elegant hall was restored as a result of a directive by Lord Curzon, Viceroy of India between 1898 and 1905. The marble panels behind the throne canopy are thought to have been designed in Italy.
The marble table below the throne is where the wazir, or chief minister, used to sit; he would listen to the petitioners and relay the complaints to the emperor. Justice was also rapidly dispensed here, with the convicted being put to death using various methods - poisonous snakes, the stomp of an elephant's foot or beheading. By the door in the walls to the right of the throne, two eunuchs would guard the entrance to the Imtiaz Mahal, which was reserved for women. Although the hall is in good condition, it would have created a vastly different impression when it was in use. Not only were the walls
and pillars completely covered with white plaster, but the floor was strewn with rugs and rich crimson awnings shaded the interior.
This was as far into the palace as most nobles could ever hope to go.
Diwan-i-Khas The Hall of Private Audiences, built of white marble, was the luxurious inner sanctum where the emperor would hold private meetings. The comers of the building are topped with marble chhatris (small domed canopies). This is where Bahadur Shah was proclaimed emperor at the height of the Uprising. The centrepiece of the hall was the magnificent Peacock Throne, until Nadir Shah carted it off to Iran in 1739. The solid gold throne had figures of peacocks standing behind it, their beautiful colours resulting from countless inlaid precious stones. Between them was the figure of a parrot carved out of a single emerald. This masterpiece in precious metals, sapphires,
rubies, emeralds and pearls was broken into | pieces, and the so-called Peacock Throne displayed in Teheran today is constructed from various bits of the original. The throne [ was said to have taken seven years to make, and it was 3m long, 2.2m wide and 4.5m high. The famous Kohinoor Diamond, taken from the throne, is now on display in the Tower of London, set in a crown belonging to the Queen Mother (see boxed text 'The Adventures of the Kohinoor Diamond'). The marble pedestal on which it used to sit is all that remains of the Peacock Throne in Delhi. In 1760, the Marathas also removed the silver ceiling from the hall; the gilt work on the ceiling dates to the time of the Coronation Durbar (see the Coronation Durbar Site section in this chapter) of 1903. Inscribed in gold on the walls of the Diwan-i-Khas is that famous Persian couplet, attributed to Shah Jahan's wazir, Saadullah Khan:
Agar firdaus bar rue zamin ast Hamin ast o hamin ast o hamin ast.
If there is a paradise on earth it is this, it is this, it is this.
Royal Hammam Just north of the Diwani-Khas are the hammams (baths) - three large rooms surmounted by domes, with a fountain in the centre - one of which was set up as a sauna. The eastern chamber, used as a dressing room, featured a fountain which sprayed scented rose-water. The floors used to be inlaid with pietra dura 'inlaid marble', work (for more on pietra dura, see the Taj Mahal entry in the Uttar Pradesh & Uttaranchal chapter), and the rooms were illuminated through panels of coloured glass in the roof. The baths are closed to the public.
Moti Masjid Built in 1659 by the ever-paranoid Aurangzeb for his personal use, the small and totally enclosed Pearl Mosque -made of marble - is next to the baths. Curiously, the mosque's outer walls are oriented to be in exact symmetry with the rest of the fort, while the inner walls are aligned at a different angle, so that the mosque inside has the correct orientation with Mecca.
Shahi Burj This modest, three-storey octagonal tower at the north-eastern edge of the fort was once Shah Jahan's private working area and was also a favourite place for the emperors to hold their private conclaves. From here the Nahr-i-Bhisht (Stream of Paradise) water channel used to flow through the Royal Baths, the Diwani-i-Khas, the Khas Mahal and the Rang Mahal. These days the channel is now largely over-grown and it's difficult to imagine what it must have looked like when it was flowing Like the baths, the tower is closed to the public but was undergoing renovation at the time of research.
Khas Mahal The small Khas Mahal, south of the Diwan-i-Khas, was the emperor's private palace, divided into rooms for worship, sleeping and living. Today its most outstanding feature is the fine jali (inlaid marble screen), which spans the Nahr-i-Bhisht. The screen shows the sun, moon and stars, as well as the scales of justice.
A small balcony protrudes out over what was the river bank, and from here the emperor used to give a morning audience. If for some reason he didn't appear, nervous speculation would rapidly mount as to his wellbeing.
Below the Khas Mahal is the gate through which the emperor and senior nobles would enter the Rang Mahal.
Rang Mahal The Rang Mahal (Palace of Colour) pavilion took its name from the painted interior that is now sadly gone. The building was badly defaced after the Uprising, when it was used as an officers' barracks. This was once the residence of the emperor's chief wife. On the floor in the centre is a beautifully carved marble lotus, and the water flowing along the channel from the Shahi Burj used to flow into here. Originally there was a fountain made of ivory in the centre, and the ceiling was silver. In the rooms at either end it is still possible to see the inlaid mirrorwork on the ceilings.
In an effort to alleviate the heat of Delhi's fierce summers, many people built the ground rooms. This is the case with
Mahal, although you can only peer in through the sandstone grilles that line the building below the raised platform that serves as its floor.
Mumtaz Mahal Still farther south along the eastern wall is the last of the remaining pavilions, the Mumtaz Mahal. It was formerly the residence of one of the Mughal court's greatest women, Jahanara Begum, Shah Jahan's favourite daughter and overseer of the royal harem. Today this building houses a small and tatty, but interesting, archaeological museum.
Gardens Between all the exquisite buildings were highly formal Persian gardens, complete with fountains, pools and small pavilions. Sadly, while the general outline and some of the pavilions are still in place, the gardens were all uprooted by the British and replaced with sterile, featureless lawns.
Museums There's a dusty Indian War Memorial museum, displaying armoury and uniforms upstairs in the Naubat Khana. In the Mumtaz Mahal, the archaeological museum displays weapons as well as carpets, textiles and scenes of courtly life. It's well worth a look, although most visitors seem to rush through the Red Fort, bypassing the museum.
Another museum worth seeing is the Svatantrata Sangrama Sangrahalaya (Museum of the Independence Movement), to the left before the Naubat Khana, among the army buildings. The independence movement is charted with newspaper cuttings, letters, photos and several impressive dioramas. Did the Rani of Jhansi really ride into battle with a baby strapped to her back?
Tickets to all three museums (Rs 2 each), open from 9 am to 5 pm Saturday to Thursday, are available from the booth by the Naubat Khana.
Sound-and-Light Show Each evening an entertaining sound-and-light show re-creates events of India's history, particularly those connected with the Red Fort. Shows are in English and Hindi, and tickets are available
from the fort (Rs 30). The English sessions start at 7.30 pm from November to January, at 8.30 pm from February to April and September to October, and at 9 pm from May to August. It's well worth making the effort to see this show, which degenerates into a comedy at stages, but make sure you are well equipped with plenty of mosquito repellent.
Chandni Chowk
The main street of Old Delhi is the colourful shopping bazaar known as Chandni Chowk (Silver St). It's hopelessly congested (and polluted) day and night, in very sharp contrast to the open, spacious streets of New Delhi and the street Shah Jahan knew. During his reign it was lined with mansions and gardens and an ornamental canal ran down the centre. One of the only mansions left today is Begum Samru's Palace north of Chandni Chowk. Unfortunately, the building is all but obliterated by hoardings.
At the eastern (Red Fort) end of Chandni Chowk there is a Digambar Jain Temple, with a small marble courtyard surrounded by a colonnade. There's also an interesting bird hospital for injured pigeons, run by the Jains; entry is free but donations are gratefully accepted. The entrance is about 50m south of Chandni Chowk.
Next door, behind all the marigold garlands, is the 800-year-plus Gauri Shankar Temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. The marble chair in the courtyard is where the saint Bhagwat Swaroup Brachmachari spent more than 50 years. It's his photo and sandals on the chair.
Opposite the Victorian-era Fountain Chowk is the Sikh Sisganj Curdwara, built on the site where the ninth Sikh guru, Tegh Bahadur, was executed by Aurangzeb. There is a kitchen and accommodation here.
Next to the old kotwali (police station) is the Sunehri Masjid. In 1739, Nadir Shah, the Persian invader who carried off the Peacock Throne, stood on the roof of this mosque and watched while his soldiers conducted a bloody massacre of Delhi's inhabitants.
The western end of Chandni Chowk is marked by the Fatehpuri Masjid, which was erected in 1650 by one of Shah Jahan's wives. The building ceased to function as a mosque after the Uprising, when Muslims were driven out of Old Delhi. On their return they found a Hindu family had bought and were living in the courtyard. The British had to buy the family out - by offering them four Hindu villages - in order to return it to the Muslims.
The street running west from the mosque is Khari Baoli, where Gadodia Market, Delhi's bustling wholesale spice market, is situated. Things have changed very little over the decades in this atmospheric area, where huge sacks of goods are brought here on long narrow barrows heaved by wiry labourers. In the morning it gets hectic as literally hundreds of barrow boys jostle for position. Other goods for sale include giant jars of chutneys and pickles, nuts, lentils, tea and soap (see also the boxed text 'Shopping Spots' later in this chapter).
Jama Masjid
Jama Masjid literally means 'Friday Mosque'.' A jama masjid is the main mosque of an area, and holds the Juma prayer service on Friday afternoons (Juma, or Friday, is the holy day of the Muslim week, the equivalent of Sunday in the Christian week). The Jama Masjid of Delhi, built by a team of around 5000 workers, is the largest mosque in India and was the final architectural extravagance of Shah Jahan. Designed by the architect Ustad Khalil, the process of its construction began in 1644 and was not completed until 1658. It has three great gateways, four angle towers and two minarets standing 40m high and constructed of alternating vertical strips of red sandstone and white marble.
Broad flights of steps lead up to the imposing gateways. The eastern gateway was originally only opened for the emperor, and is now only open on Friday and on Muslim festival days. The general public can enter by either the north or south gates (Rs 10). Shoes must be removed, and those considered unsuitably dressed (bare legs for either men or women) can hire robes at the northern gate.
In the north-east corner is a small pavilion containing relics of the Prophet. Pilgrims come here from all over India. In 1766 there was a vision here of the Prophet in par-adise, and legend has it that the Prophet win appear here on Judgement Day. For Rs 5 (Rs 10 with a camera) it's possible to climb the southern minaret but women should be accompanied by a male as unaccompanied women have reported being hassled at the top. The views in all directions are superb - Old Delhi, the Red Fort and the polluting factories beyond it across the river and New Delhi to the south. You can also see one of the features that the architect Lutyens incorporated into his design of New Delhi - the Jama Masjid, Connaught Place and Sansad Bhavan (Parliament House) are in a direct line. There's also a fine view of the Red Fort from the east side of the mosque.
Raj Ghat
North-east of Firoz Shah Kotla, on the banks of the Yamuna River, a simple square platform of black marble marks the spot where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated following his assassination in 1948. A commemorative ceremony takes place each Friday, the day he was killed.
Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Indian prime minister, was cremated just to the north at Shanti Vana (Forest of Peace) in 1964. His daughter, Indira Gandhi, who was killed in 1984, and grandsons Sanjay and Rajiv were also cremated in this vicinity (in 1980 and 1991 respectively).
The park is a beautiful and tranquil place to wander and is also the venue for prayers on the anniversaries of Gandhi's birth and death in October and January.
Gandhi Darshan & Gandhi Memorial Museum
Across the road from Raj Ghat, the Gandhi Darshan (t 3319001) is a poorly patronised display of paintings and photos about the Mahatma's life and deeds. It is open from 10 am to 5.30 pm Monday to Saturday; ad-mission is free.
On the opposite corner is the Gandhi Memorial Museum (t 3310168), with yet more memorabilia, including photos, the bamboo staff Gandhi carried on the Salt March in Gujarat, the bullet which killed him and even two of his lower teeth, which were extracted in 1936. The museum is open from 10 am to 5.30 pm Tuesday to Sunday; admission is free and there is a library.
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