Day 1 of our trip starting with Red Fort or Lal Qila.

A trip for Mom was long due and finally, we went on a 8 day trip, that covered historic and religious places. She loves to travel, so I have taken her to many places earlier including the four dhams (Char Dham) , Jagannath Dham being at our place is a frequent visit for us. However, she still wanted to visit Vrindavan and Kashi Vishwanath Temple at Kashi or Varanasi, both being at a large distance. Keeping all her interest in consideration, I planned a trip, that covered New Delhi, Vrindavan, Agra, Varanasi, Ayodhya and Prayagraj ( Allhabad). This trip was long due as the last trip we had was just before Covid came ( In fact it was discovered in Gujurat on the very day when we returned). Ayodhya and Prayagraj were not on the plan, but the recent Ram temple inauguration added Ayodhya to the list. And then Prayagraj is nearby airport from where we have a direct return flight. A lot of preparation had to be done to make her ready for the trip, and kudos to her enthusiasm at this age, to get ready to walk a lot.

At Bhubaneswar Airport, Vistara did welcome us as they were celebrating JRD's birthday. A nice zero spice breakfast on board was very helpful for her, we love Vistara for this and book wherever available.

By the time we reached Delhi, it was almost 1 p.m. and our tour operator advised us to go for sight seeing directly as going to hotel and checking in would take additional two hours.

For her comfort, I always book a better vehicle and our Innova crysta driver was waiting for us and guided to the multi-level parking. Even though it was a working day, the traffic was no less and it took 1.5 hrs to reach Red Fort from the airport.

The view from the ticket counter below.

There are museums available inside and tickets are sold until 4 pm only. Unfortunately only one person was inside, serving all the counter in a round robin league, may be others just took unofficial break which was not acceptable. And on top of that, a hand pencil written note sticked to the wall saying "ONLY CASH COUNTER", was disappointing - many were struggling to have the cash, asking others to help by doing a UPI transfer. UPI is so common in India, and a place like this should have this facility.

Battery operated autos are available from the ticket counter to go near the entrance and is quite unorganized. The driver cheated us and charged ₹50 each instead of ₹20, which we realized when we returned.

This is the place where in a shocking incidence on the nation's 72nd Republic Day, Delhi Cops were forced to jump off the wall in an attempt to escape the attack from the farmers, who were protesting there - anything is possible in the name of democracy in this country.

An antique piece near the Lahore Gate entrance reminding our history.

As you enter, you see the Chhatta Chowk , a small market selling different kind of items.

The building and the roof clearly showcases ancient architectural marvels keeping the inside pretty cool.

The walk to the Public audience Hall (Diwan-i-Am) and museums is a bit far, but worth visiting.

The royal apartment has been sealed and only this tower is visible from outside( with a sealed glass boundary), where the emperor would show up to the public. Zooming in I could feel the luxurious lifestyle they built.

There are four museums, two on each side but in the interest of time, we decided to go to only one to the right.

A big well from that era, covered for safety purpose. And now let me take you through a photographic journey of the museum showcasing some rare items.

Notice the antique radio.

The locks and keys were worth paying attention.

No Refusal - once upon a time that was our courteousness which is a thing of past unfortunately.

Mom did not want to walk through the stairs to the first floor, and unfortunately, the lift was not in a working condition, but who cares.

We decided to leave the place from this point.

A unusual set up for plants caught my attention.

There is an auditorium playing some shows, if you have time.

You have to walk back the same way through that small market and exit the same way, walking back a lot - could have been managed better to have the exit near the forte entrance.

The side view of the Red Fort.

As we walked back, saw a long queue for the entry as the afternoon was cooling.

It was hot, and she had to walk almost couple of miles, but look at her face. Could not resist taking few more clips before coming back.

A family mistook me as a professional photographer and asked me to take their photograph. I politely conveyed that it was a personal camera, but still took their snap and shared through mail.

This post will be part of my Google review of Red Fort.

Pinned on https://pinmapple.com/ - //:# (!pinmapple 28.65598 lat 77.23841 long Red Fort or Lal Qila, New Delhi d3scr)

A small video to cherish her memories - these are more valuable than anything else.

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