Red Fort

Well, today was a day for sightseeing. I headed out as usual and made my way into Delhi. Along the way, I saw this. Maybe I could try this with Daddy when I we get back.


My first stop was Humayun's Tomb. Humayun was the second of the Mughal rulers (the first being Babur, or Babar). He ruled during the 1600s. Shortly after he came to power, he lost the empire won by his father to Sher Shah Suni, or Sher Khan as he was also known. The first tomb in the complex is that of Isa Khan, who was the chief assistant to Sher Khan. It is a beautifully symetric octagonal tomb.


After this, I headed on to Humayun's Tomb. After losing the kingdom to Sher Khan, and being forced into exile in Persia, Humayun built his forces there. Eventually he was strong enough to return and reclaim the empire built by his father, and then some. Shortly after reconquering the empire, he was walking up the stairs in his library. The prayer bell tolled and he, being the faithful Muslim he was, fell to his knees. Unfortunately, he tripped on his robe on the way down, and ended up falling down the stairs and hitting his head on an outcropping at the bottom. His wife had this tomb built for him.


It was the first example of what was to become the Mughal style of architecture. Influenced by both Mongol and Persian, it is the same style Humayun's great-grandson Shah Jahan used when building the Taj Mahal.


Speaking of Shah Jahan, I continued my travels to the Red Fort. This fort was built by Shah Jahan when he moved his capitol from Agra to Delhi. I has walls between 60 and 110 feet in height that surroung and area 1.5 miles across.


Inside the Jahal Gate was the Diwan-i-Am, or public receiving hall. Here Shah Jahan would listen to public disputes and sit in judgement on public affairs.


Inside the walls lived some 3000 people, including the imperial family. Behind the Diwan-i-Am, the homes of the royal family extended in a line against one wall of the fort, and had channel flowing through them called the Stream of Paradise. The princesses of the kingdom lived in the Colored Palace, which had intricate designs and even mirrors in the ceilings. It also including a large marble bath in the middle through which the Stream flowed.


Shah Jahan's private residence was just upstream from this, and included a balcony covered with a dome where he would make daily addresses to his subjects each morning.


Further upstream was the Diwan-i-Khan (private receiving place) or Khan Mahal (private palace), used for entertaining guests of state. It was on this pedastal that the famous Peacock Throne sat.


Rounding out the main complex was the baths, in a Turkish style, and the Pearl Mosque. Built of the same white marble as the rest of the imperial palaces, it was inlaid with many jewels, and then surrounded by a wall for privacy.


The princes lived off by them selves, and the queens lived in a slightly smaller building further downstream from the princesses. It was removed from the main three to offer them more privacy. It was a long day, so on my way out I just had to stop for a drink.


And take this snap of the massive walls and moat that surround this fort.


After such extensive travels, I was in shambles. It is very rigorous travelling for a paper Froggie such as myself. With the risk of being retired after this trip, I resorted to extreme measures to keep myself alive. Super-plastination should do the trick. Maybe I will submit myself to the Body Worlds exhibit when I finish my travels...