The demand to ascertain the original construction of Red Fort through the scientific carbon dating process has been vociferously raised by intellectuals and Social scientists on numerous occasions. But the Historian who ruled ICHR/ UGC/ NCERT never gave credence to such demands.
Why?
In the world anywhere. If fake historians have been able to institutionalize the innuendo and prevarication, then it is India only. Even Egypt and Indonesia where Islam is being practiced by huge section of society have preserved their cultural Identity, civilizational and historical truth.
Who did it?
The list is long. It includes both illiterate political leaders and professional historians. Yes they have been able to conceal the truth related to Red fort. Certainly the red fort was not built by Shahjahan, rather it existed much before and different ruling dispensations improvised and built this magnificent fort. It encapsulated longer history and witnessed many brutal wars in its course.
Unknown truth. The Red fort at the present location near Yamuna was found to be associated with the Tomar Dynasty for the first time. Tomar King ruled Delhi between 8th and 12th Century for nearly 415 years. Total 19 kings succeeded this Kingdom at Delhi. King Anang Pal 1st in 736 AD was the founding King of this Dynasty. Abul Fazl’s Ain-i-Akbari (Bikaner manuscript) explains in detail about the Kingdom and its prosperity.
The Tomar Dynasty was succeeded by the Chauhan dynasty who ruled Delhi for 41 years (1151-1192). Famous King Prithviraj Chauhan at Delhi and Jaichand Rathod at Kannauj were the contemporary kings in those days.
During the rule of Tomar dynasty, a fortress called “Lal Kot” (Red Fort) – the ruins of which still stand near Qutub Minar was built by Tomar King Anangpal 1st around 786 AD. The fort had nearly 27 Jain temples and Series of Hindu Gods including Lord Vishnu Temple in the adjoining precincts which were systematically destroyed by Ghori and later on by the Slave dynasty.
Historians for their convenience use this Lal Kot (Red Fort) as the only fort made by Tomar thereby attaching the Red Fort near Yamuna to the Mughal Shahjahan.
The primary source of information about the mentioning of Lal Kot has been found in the book Prithviraj Raso by an eminent early medieval poet Chandbardai. The word Lalkot is literally translated as ‘Red fort’.
Later Tomar King gradually shifted towards river Yamuna from Aravalli range on account of strategic reason and water supply. The shift from Mehrauli to Lal Quila had many other reasons besides Yamuna being the one. Last Tomar kings ruled from here only.
It was during the regime of last Tomar Samrat Anangpal Tomar 2nd (1130-1151), who also happened to be the maternal grandfather of Prithviraj Chauhan, Delhi faced repeated aggression from Kannauj King Vijaypal Rathod (father of Jaichand Rathod). It is a historical fact that Someshwar Chauhan, father of Prithviraj Chauhan who was an ally with Tomars in this war, and together they succeeded in holding Vijay pal Rathod across the River Yamuna.
In order to fortify the bank of Yamuna, Tomar Samrat Anangpal Tomar 2nd (1130-1145) built the deep foundation and massive fortification called Red Fort to prevent an attack emanating from east of Yamuna.
Historians pledged to red color always encrypted this part of truth.
Later on When Shahjahan moved his capital from Agra to Delhi in the year 1638, he found the Lal Quila near Yamuna strategic and renovated it with present time diwan e aam and diwan e khas. The outer walls were also refortified.
So practically not a single person built The Agra fort. The present time fort is the result of several innovations and renovations. Still the Carbon dating process can remove all doubt about the foundation and founder of Lal Quila.
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