Architectural lights will adorn Red Fort by Independence day
ILLUMINATING HERITAGE Beams will be cast on various components of the fort, adding value and enhancing its appearance and beauty after sunset
NEW DELHI: This Independence Day, Delhi’s Red Fort will adorn a newer look. The existing façade lights at the 17th century Mughal fort would be replaced with architectural lightings to enhance its aesthetics after sunset.
The task is being executed by National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC), which says the project will be completed before August 15.
Façade lighting is a simple method to illuminate historical structures in which the beams are directed towards the front or surfaces in question. However, architectural lighting, also known as ‘element illumination’, is a programming-based technique in which beams are cast on components such as domes, ramparts, minarets, arches and balconies from different directions to highlight their architectural details.
Raman Kumar Aggarwal, executive director, NBCC, said the Lal Quila or Red Fort illumination project is part of the corpo- ration’s corporate social responsibility, which it has taken up to celebrate the country’s rich tangible heritage.
“The tender has been approved and we have selected top five to seven companies for the job. We will be using RGBLED lamps to light up the fort. We are targeting a July-august deadline so that the Red Fort is ready for the Independence Day celebrations,” he said.
Around 2,500 lamps of different watts will be used to illuminate the 1.3 km length of parapets facing Netaji Subhash Marg and Chandni Chowk, including the ramparts from where Prime Minister addresses the nation on Independence Day, domes and minarets at Dilli Gate and Lahore Gate. The cost of the project is ₹4 crore. The lights will remain switched on till 11 pm everyday, said an official privy to the project.
“The fort structure will be lit up in different stages in order of the importance of each element. First, part of fortification will be illuminated, followed by domes, minarets, ramparts at Lahore Gate, and lastly the moat wall facing Chandni Chowk. Once all lights are on, they will remain static for an hour after which the whole process will start again,” said Aggarwal.
Facades lights at Red Fort and other Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and state archaeology department-protected historical structures such as Feroz Shah Kotla, Purana Quila, Safdarjung Tomb, Gol Gumbad, Mutiny Memorial, and Quli Khan’s tomb were installed in the run-up to the Commonwealth Games in 2010.
The India Tourism Development Corporation had illuminated 14 monuments for ASI and Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) did the job at equal number of sites for the state archaeology department.
More lights at Red Fort were set up along the moat a few years ago on the recommendations of the security agencies.
“Architectural lighting is the correct way to illuminate a monument, which adds value and enhances its nocturnal appearance,” said an ASI official.
Ajay Kumar, project director, Delhi chapter of INTACH, however, warned that illumination should be done systematically. “We should be careful and rope in good designers for the purpose because different sites have different requirements,” Kumar said.