Red Fort

Every year on 15 August, India's Prime Minister hoists the national flag on the ramparts of the Red Fort and addresses the nation. Walk through the Lahori Gate on an ordinary day and you enter the same massive red sandstone walls that once enclosed the palace city of the Mughal emperors.

Inside, the covered bazaar of Chatta Chowk leads to the Naubat Khana (drum house), the Diwan-i-Aam where the emperor heard ordinary petitions, and the white marble Diwan-i-Khas, the hall of private audience that once held the legendary Peacock Throne. Pavilions, gardens and water channels – the Nahr-i-Bihisht, or "stream of paradise" – connected the royal apartments along the eastern side of the fort.

Shah Jahan built the fort as the citadel of his new capital, Shahjahanabad (today's Old Delhi), after moving the court from Agra. Construction began in 1638 and was completed in 1648. The fort remained the seat of Mughal emperors until 1857, when, after the uprising, the British exiled the last emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, and many buildings inside the fort were demolished to make way for barracks.

After independence the fort became a powerful national symbol. The Red Fort Complex, including the adjoining Salimgarh Fort, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2007.

The Red Fort represents the peak of Mughal palace architecture and planning, combining Persian, Timurid and Indian traditions. Its design influenced later buildings and gardens across Rajasthan, Delhi and Agra.

The fort is in Old Delhi, opposite the Chandni Chowk market. Lal Quila station on the Delhi Metro Violet Line and Chandni Chowk station on the Yellow Line are both within walking distance. Cycle-rickshaws are a fun way to explore the old city lanes around the fort.