Lal Qila, or the Red Fort, is a historic 17th-century Mughal fortress in Delhi, India, built by Emperor Shah Jahan between 1638 and 1648 when moving his capital from Agra. As a UNESCO World Heritage site, it is renowned for its massive red sandstone walls, blending Persian, Timurid, and Indian architectural styles. It serves as a major national symbol, where the Prime Minister of India hosts the annual Independence Day ceremony. 

The Lahori Gate, the primary entrance to the Red Fort, derives its name from its orientation towards the city of Lahore, which was once part of the Mughal Empire. During Aurangzeb’s reign, the aesthetic appeal of the Lahori Gate was modified by the construction of a barbican, which Shah Jahan poetically described as “a veil drawn across the face of a beautiful woman.” Since 1947, on every Indian Independence Day, the national flag is ceremonially unfurled, and the Prime Minister delivers a speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort.

The Delhi Gate serves as the southern public entrance to the Red Fort and shares a similar layout and appearance with the Lahori Gate. Flanking the gate are two life-sized stone elephants positioned to face each other.^[66]

Adjacent to the Lahori Gate is the Chhatta Chowk (or Meena Bazaar), where silk jewelry and other items for the imperial household were sold during the Mughal period. This market was earlier known as Bazaar-i-Musaqqaf or Chatta-bazaar (both meaning “roofed market”). The Lahori Gate, the main entrance to the Red Fort, opens into an outer court that intersects with a large north–south street. This street originally separated the fort’s military functions, located to the west, from the palaces situated to the east. At its southern end lies the Delhi Gate.^[67]