The hot seat of power of the sub-continent, the symbol of control, the Red Fort locally known as Lal Qila built of Red Sandstone was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. Annual Independence Day parade is held on the open grounds in front of the Fort. The light and sound show held in the evenings bring to life the Days as it was over the years with important events, which have marked the history of India. The Red Fort is one of the most magnificent palaces in the world. India's history is also closely linked with this fort. It was from its ramparts that the first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawharlal Nehru, announced to the nation that India was free form colonial rule. The Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, after ruling from Agra for eleven years, decided to shift to Delhi and laid the foundation stone of the Red Fort in 1618.

Built in Red Sand stone this imposing fort is 3 kms in perimeter with the height of the wall varying from 18 to 30 meters at places. When the Red fort was being built Yamuna used to flow on its one sides and there were deep moats on the other. Shah Jahan started construction of the massive fort in 1638 and it was completed in 1648. Before he could move his capital from Agra to Shahjahanabad in Delhi, he was deposed and imprisoned in Agra Fort by his son Aurangzeb. The largest of old Delhi's monuments is the Lal Quila, the thick red sandstone walls of which, bulging with turrets and bastions, have withstood the vagaries of time, and nature. The fort sports all the obvious trappings, befitting a vital centre of Mughal government: halls of public and private audience, plush private apartments, a mosque, and elaborately designed gardens. Even today, the fort remains an impressive testimony to Mughal grandeur. Entrance to the fort is through the imposing Lahore Gate, which as its name suggests faces Lahore, now in Pakistan. This gate has a special significance for India, since the first war of independence, and has been the venue of many an important speech, delivered by freedom fighters and national leaders of India.

With a circumference of almost one and a half miles, the fort is an irregular octagon and has two entrances, the Lahore and Delhi Gates. The main entrance opens on to the Chatta Chowk, a covered street flanked with arched cells that used to house Delhi's most skilful jewellers, carpet makers, weavers and goldsmiths. This arcade was also known as the Meena Bazaar, the shopping centre for the ladies of the court. Just beyond this is the heart of the fort called Naubat Khana, or the Drum House, where the musicians used to play for the emperor. The arrival of princes and royalty was heralded from here. The Fort also houses the Diwan-i-Am or the Hall of Public Audiences, where the Emperor would sit and hear complaints of the common folk. The Diwan-i-Khas is the hall of private audiences, where the Emperor held private meetings. Today, the Diwan-i-Khas is only a pale shadow of its original glory, yet the famous Persian couplet inscribed on its wall reminds us of its former magnificence: "If on earth be an eden on bliss, it is this, it is this, none but this." The other attractions enclosed within this monument are the hammams or the Royal Baths, the Shahi Burj, which used to be Shahjahan's private working area, and the Moti Masjid built by Aurangzeb for his personal use. The Rang Mahal housed the Emperor's wives and mistresses. Even today, the Lal Quila is an eloquent reminder of the glory of the Mughal era, and its magnificence simply leaves one awestruck. It is still a calm haven of peace. It takes one to the grand Royal days of Kings and Queens.