4/5 Shivank Y. 2 years ago on Google
Emperor
Shah
Jahan
commissioned
construction
of
the
Red
Fort
on
12 May
1638,
when
he
decided
to
shift
his
capital
from
Agra
to
Delhi.
Originally
red
and
white,
Shah
Jahan's
favourite
colours,[7] its
design
is
credited
to
architect Ustad
Ahmad
Lahori,
who
also
constructed
the Taj
Mahal.[8][9] The
fort
lies
along
the Yamuna
River,
which
fed
the moats surrounding
most
of
the
walls.[10] Construction
began
in
the
sacred Islamic
month of Muharram,
on
13 May
1638.[11]: 01 Supervised
by
Shah
Jahan,
it
was
completed
on
6 April
1648.[12][13][14] Unlike
other
Mughal
forts,
the
Red
Fort's
boundary
walls
are
asymmetrical
to
contain
the
older Salimgarh
Fort.[11]: 04 The
fortress-palace
was
a
focal
point
of
the
city
of
Shahjahanabad,
which
is
present-day Old
Delhi.
Shah
Jahan's
successor, Aurangzeb,
added
the Moti
Masjid
(Pearl
Mosque) to
the
emperor's
private
quarters,
constructing barbicans in
front
of
the
two
main
gates
to
make
the
entrance
to
the
palace
more
circuitous.[11]: 08
The
administrative
and
fiscal
structure
of
the
Mughal
dynasty
declined
after
Aurangzeb,
and
the
18th century
saw
a
degeneration
of
the
palace.
In
1712 Jahandar
Shah became
the Mughal
Emperor.
Within
a
year
of
beginning
his
rule,
Shah
was
murdered
and
replaced
by Farrukhsiyar. Muhammad
Shah,
known
as
'Rangila'
(the
Colourful)
for
his
interest
in
art.
In
1739,
Persian
emperor Nadir
Shah easily
defeated
the
strong
Mughal
army
of
around
200,000
soldiers,[15] plundering
the
Red
Fort,
including
the Peacock
Throne.
Nadir
Shah
returned
to
Persia
after
three
months,
leaving
a
destroyed
city
and
a
weakened
Mughal
empire
to
Muhammad
Shah.[11]: 09 The
internal
weakness
of
the
Mughal
Empire
made
the
Mughals
only
titular
rulers
of
Delhi,
and
a
1752
treaty
made
the Marathas protectors
of
the
throne
at
Delhi.[16][17] The
1758
Maratha
victory
at Sirhind aided
by
the
Sikhs
and
successive
defeat
at Panipat[18] placed
them
in
further
conflict
with Ahmad
Shah
Durrani.[19][20]
In
1760,
the Marathas removed
and
melted
the
silver
ceiling
of
the Diwan-i-Khas to
raise
funds
for
the
defence
of
Delhi
from
the
armies
of
Ahmed
Shah
Durrani.[21][22] In
1761,
after
the
Marathas
lost
the third
battle
of
Panipat,
Delhi
was
raided
by
Ahmed
Shah
Durrani.
Ten
years
later,
the
Marathas
recaptured
Delhi
from
the
Rohilla
Afghans
under
the
leadership
of
Visaji
Biniwale,
Ramchandra
Kanade,
Mahadji
Scindia
and
Tukoji
Holkar
and
placed
their
puppet
Mughal
emperor Shah
Alam II on
the
throne.[11]: 10
In
1764 Bharatpur
State under Jat ruler
Maharaja Jawahar
Singh the
son
of
Maharaja Suraj
Mal attacked
on Delhi and
captured
Red
Fort
of
Delhi
on
5
february
1765.[23] Two
days
later,
after
taking
tribute
from
the Mughals,
removed
their
armies
from
the
fort
and
the Jats took
away
the
throne
of
the Mughals,
called
the
pride
of
the Mughals,
and
the
doors
of
the
Red
Fort
as
a
memorial,
and
this
throne
is
today
enhancing
the
beauty
of
the
palaces
of Deeg.
The
doors
are
located
in
the Lohagarh
Fort of Bharatpur.[24]
~Shivank
yadav
