UNESCO honour for Red Fort fully justifiedBy : Md Mudassir Alam
RED FORT is one of the four cultural sites selected by UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee; other sites include Japan’s Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine, Australia’s Sydney Opera and Turkmenistan’s Parthian Fortresses of Nisa.
Red Fort has a great historical significance and represents a rich cultural heritage of India, so, I think the declaration has come very late. From the very peak of Mughal power, British regime to India’s independence, Red Fort has witnessed a number of historic events. Amongst these historic events, we can’t forget the moment when India’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru hoisted the Indian tri-colour on the eve of India’s freedom from the clutches of British.
Traditionally, from 1947 till now, every year India’s Prime Minister hoists India’s national flag atop Red Fort, on Independence Day (15th August). However, the British when they left India caused much damage to the fort and took several costly gems and other artifacts to their country, but they couldn’t steal the charm of this fort.
On December 22nd, 2000 Red Fort was again in the news due to unfortunate reasons. A group of militants belonging to the Lashkar-e-Taiba stormed the fort and killed three people, which led to a certain amount of insecurity in the minds of visitors and tourists. Eventually the situation was brought back to normal and people again started to visit this imposing fort. Later the army officers who were guarding it round the clock were also sent away.
Today, the red sandstone monument is more than 350 years old, but it has managed to retain its old charm. An architectural masterpiece of Mughals, Red Fort is known for its innovating planning which you can see in the design of gardens and palaces. Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan built Red Fort between 1638 to 1648, but he couldn’t move his capital from Agra to his new city of Shahjahanbad in Delhi as his son Aurangzeb imprisoned him in Agra Fort. Mughals ruled for a very short time from here, Aurangzeb was the first and last great Mughal emperor to rule from here. Later the British East India Company captured the fort and retained it till India’s independence in 1947.
Now, Red Fort is a major tourist attraction of Delhi, which attracts tourists from all over the world. I was very lucky that I had the opportunity to visit it recently. Right from its entrance Lahore Gate, Red Fort will take you to the great historic past of India. On the walls of the ‘Diwan-i-Khas’ you will see famous Persian couplet "If there is a paradise on earth it is this, it is this, it is this," which is totally justified. There’s no doubt that Red Fort is the principle landmark of India and its pride. More importantly, UNESCO has honoured Red Fort with the status of World Heritage Site, now it depends on us how we maintain its dignity in the future.
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