The Red [Agra] Fort

Introduction:

Lal Quila, or the Red fort is the largest piece of  Mughul architecture in Agra, and its history is intimately linked to the Mughul emperors. The location of the present fort was first developed by Sultan Sikander Lodi. Later, then-emperor Akbar tore Lodi's buildings down and began construction of the high ramparts of red sandstone from which the fort takes its name. It is believed that Akbar built more than 500 buildings and palaces on the banks of the Yamuna River. Akbar's son, Jahangir added to the construction of the site. However, Akbar's grandson, Shah Jahan, is credited with the construction of the fort as it exists in its present form. He began construction in 1638 and completed it 10 years later. In order to accomplish his architectural vision, Shah Jahan tore down most of the original structures; Akbar's palace lies in ruins today, with only Jahangir's palace intact. Shah Jahan's architectural vision was multi-facteted: in addition to serving as a massive fortress with high, thick red sandstone walls, the Lal Quila contained the palaces of Shah Jahan, and his successors, as well a several mosques. It remains, along with Taj Mahal and Fatehpur Sikri, one of the outstanding examples of Mughul architecture. In an ironic twist, Shah Jahan never ruled from behind the wall of the Red Fort. Rather, he was captured by his son Aurangzeb, and spent his remaining days a prisoner in the fort that he constructed.

Layout:

The Red Fort is laid out in the Karmuka style, the typical design of an emperor's capital city. It is approximately rectangular on three sides, while the fourth side follows the curve of the Yamuna River. The Fort uses a double moat system, with one water moat (reputedly filled with crocodiles) and a dry moat (populated with man-eating tigers). It is further protected by two sets of red sandstone walls, the outer one 40' high and the inner wall 70' high. There are two functioning turrets or bastions, the Shah Burj and the Bengali Burj, along with  70 smaller towers. Access was gained via three primary gateways: the Delhi Gate (main entrance), the Amar Singh Gate (current visitor's entrance), the Lahore Gate (facing Pakistan, the site of many famous political orations.) Our tour begins at the Amar Sing Gate or Akbar Darwazah. As with most Mughul forts, the road to the main gates are laid out at right angles, creating a bottleneck for any would-be invaders, who would find themselves caught in a crossfire of arrows from the walls above.

Virtual Tour of the Agra Fort

Instructions: There are two ways to use this tour. You may place the mouse over the numbers in the illustration below, and the respective description page will open [note: this requires that adblock is turned off for this site]. If that does not work, please select the appropriately numbered box the table below and click on the link to open the page.

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