Red Fort Timeline

The last Mughal emperor to occupy the fort, Bahadur Shah Zafar, became a symbol of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against Company rule, in which the residents of Shahjahanabad participated. Despite its position as the seat of Mughal power, the Red Fort was not a site of any engagements during the rebellion.

Image source: Indian Rebellion of 1857

At the northern edge of the Red Fort stood the Moti Mahal, a twin building that was demolished during or shortly after the 1857 rebellion.

Bahadur Shah Zafar left the fort on 17 September 1857, was apprehended by British forces, returned to the Red Fort, tried in 1858, and exiled to Rangoon on 7 October of that year.

Image source: Bahadur Shah Zafar

Following the Indian Rebellion of 1857, many of the fort's marble structures were demolished by the British, although the defensive walls remained largely intact. The side arcades and central tank were demolished, and one palace was repurposed into a tea house for soldiers.

The baoli (step-well) is one of the few structures within the Red Fort that survived the widespread demolitions carried out by the British after the rebellion of 1857. Its chambers were repurposed as a prison.

Lord Curzon, who served as the Viceroy of India from 1899 to 1905, initiated restoration efforts for the Red Fort.

Image source: Mary Curzon, Baroness Curzon of Kedleston

Even prior to its designation as a monument of national importance in 1913, efforts were undertaken to ensure its preservation for posterity.

The first trial was conducted at the Red Fort between November and December 1945. The fort's baoli chambers housed INA officers General Shah Nawaz Khan, Colonel Prem Kumar Sahgal, and Colonel Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon during the trials of 1945–46.

Image source: Indian National Army trials

On 15 August 1947, the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, hoisted the Indian national flag above the Lahori Gate, the main entrance of the Red Fort.

The Red Fort was the site of a terrorist attack on 22 December 2000, carried out by six Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives.

Image source: 2001 Indian Parliament attack

A significant portion of the Red Fort remained under the control of the Indian Army until 22 December 2003, when it was transferred to the Archaeological Survey of India for restoration and conservation.

Image source: Archaeological Survey of India

The Red Fort, as part of the Red Fort Complex, was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007.

In 2009, the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP), prepared by the Archaeological Survey of India under the auspices of a Supreme Court direction to revitalise the fort, was announced.

In April 2018, the Dalmia Group adopted the Red Fort for maintenance, development, and operations under the government's "Adopt A Heritage" scheme, through a contract worth ₹25 crores for five years.

Image source: Qutb Minar

In May 2018, the Indian National Congress demanded the suspension of the agreement until an "impartial review" could be conducted by the Central Advisory Board of Archaeology or another recognized body of experts.

Image source: Indian National Congress

Four museums inaugurated in 2019 are housed in the colonial-era barracks: Barrack B1 is dedicated to the 1857 War of Independence, Barrack B2 commemorates the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, and Barrack B3 focuses on Subhas Chandra Bose and the INA movement.

On 26 January 2021, during the 2021 Indian farmers' Republic Day protest, a coterie of protesting farmers breached the fort, hoisted religious flags from its ramparts, and scaled the domes of the fort.

Image source: 2021 Indian farmers' Republic Day protest

Since the late 20th century, environmental pollution has turned the Red Fort's color from red to black. According to recent Italo-Indian studies in September 2025, repeated events of air pollution have contributed to the formation of tarry black crusts on the fort's walls.