The historic Red Fort will reportedly be restored to its Mughal era glory in the next three years. Inside the fort premises, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has excavated water channels, which used to run fountains at Mahtab Bagh, which was later converted into a polo ground by the British. The seat of the Mughal Emperor called Takht-e Tavoos too has now been covered by a glass enclosure.
The ASI plans to make all the 230 fountains inside the fort premises functional over the next few years. Excavations being carried out by the ASI have revealed that the British had defaced the entire Mahtab Bagh and converted it into a polo ground. They had even raised some concrete structures in the garden.
Excavations being carried out since October 2014 at 20 sites in the 300 m x 300 m garden premises has shown that there were water channels which used to draw water from a nearby stepwell and other wells. One of the 100 m x 10 m channel excavated by the ASI shows there were fountains on its both sides, each at a distance of one metre. Another channel of 40 m x 3 m size excavated by the ASI has no evidence of any fountain. The artifacts found at the site include earthen items like hookahs, pottery, feeding bottle and a wine decanter.
A senior ASI official said there are about 230 fountains in the fort premises. “All fountains used to draw water from the Yamuna River or 20 other wells. At present only 12 wells are functional… At Nahr-i-Behisht channel, water used to be lifted from the river up to the Shark Burj and carried to various places by this channel called the stream of paradise to keep the interiors cool.”
Inside the Diwan-i-Khas, the ASI has put up a glass enclosure around Takht-e Tavoos, the seat of the Mughal Emperor. “The enclosure has been put up to ensure no damage is done to the marble takht,” the officer told this newspaper. “A mesh will be put up at corners to ensure there is free flow of air into the Takht area.”
The ASI is also renovating the circular path outside the Naubat Khana, which was used for playing the royal bands five times daily. It was also known as Hathipol as visitors dismounted here from their elephants and proceeded further on foot. The large rectangular building is three-storeyed and built of red sandstone. The officer said that the carved designs on the exterior walls appear to have been originally painted with gold while the interior was painted with other colours.
The fort was constructed by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as his citadel in the 16th century. Originally located on the west bank of the Yamuna river (which now flows about a kilometre away to its east), the fort is roughly octagonal on plan with two longer sides on the east and west and six smaller ones on the north and south. It occupies an area of about 124 acre.