Shah Jehan relocated to Delhi in 1638. Of course, he needed another red fort. And of course, it needed to be bigger and better than Agra's red fort.... and magically, took only nine years to build.
Unfortunately, not much of the fort is left -- after the 1857 rebellion, the British nearly leveled the complex. Partial pieces remain. The wall outside, and the massive gate.
A well. The hall of audience, with its gorgeous archways.
The ground reminds visitors where things must've been -- that there were fountains, canals, gardens. Just outside it, Shah Jehan's daughter designed Chandi Chowk, a massive market and garden with canals that glowed in the moonlight. Things from all over the world were displayed there: dancers, exotic animals, spices, and so on.
No remnants of canals remain. The market is still bursting with things from all over the world. As our friends say enthusiastically, "you can buy anything here."
And that includes the best buttery dal ever made, at Karim's, one of the oldest restaurants in Delhi....
...a restaurant with which it is impossible to find fault.
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