Rashed's View

Ever since reading the book The Peacock Throne, I have wanted to see Shah Jahan’s Red Fort in Delhi. The book has great descriptions of life in the palaces in the fort. It was very exciting to see, for example, the balcony at the back of the palace from where Shah Jahan would make a public appearance every morning to let his people know that he was well.

The main entrance to the fort now is the Lahore Gate – so called because it faces Lahore on the west. On the southside is the Delhi gate. Entering through Lahore Gate, we first passed through Chatta Chowk, a vaulted arcade which once had shops serving the royal household, and now have many little shops catering to tourists. On Thursdays, this also became the Meena Bazaar for the women of the royal household.

Passing through, next we came to the Naubat Khana, the drum house where musicians played on the arrival of royalty. Visitors had to dismount their elephants here, and proceed on foot. We walked through the grassy courtyard to the Diwan-i-Am – the Hall of Public Audience. Most nobles only got as far as here. Shah Jahan sat here to hear petitions from his subjects, although Aurangzeb later abolished this practice.

Going around the Diwan-i-Am, we came to the palaces along the eastern wall of the fort – at that time along the river Jamuna. Shah Jahan’s private palace, Khas Mahal, is in the middle. There are underground rooms which remained cooler than the upper chambers. Most of the top floor is open space, with pillars. South of his palace is the Rang Mahal, the palace of his chief wife. Beyond this is Mumtaz Mahal where Shah Jahan’s favourite daughter, Jahanara Begum, lived.

North of his palace is the Kiwan-i-Khas. This is the white marbled Hall of Private Audience, where Shah Jahan would hold private meetings. On the marble pedestal used to stand the famous Peacock Throne which Nadir Shah took to Persia in 1739. It was made of solid gold. On the walls are inscribed the famous Persian couplet (attributed to Saadullah Khan, Shah Jahan’s wazeer):

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

We looked at the Moti Masjid which was locked, the pavilions, and the museums before we left for Raj Ghat, where Gandhi was cremated. By the time we got there, I was so tired from walking, from the heat (46 degrees) and my new shoes, that we decided to head back home.