Visit To Naubat Khana
The arcade leads to Naubat Khana, or Drum House , where the musicians used to play for the emperor and the arrival of princes and royalty was heralded from here. Five times a day, ceremonial music was palyed on the kettledrum, shahnais (a kind of oboe) and cymbals, glorifying the emperor. In 1754, Emperor Ahmed Shah was murdered here. Here everyone except the princes of the royal family had to dismount and leave their horses or elephants, hence its other name is Hathi Pol (elephant gate).
The gateway with four floors is decorated with herbal or floral designs. In Shah Jahan's day, the Drum House gave onto an inner courtyard where the palace guards were stationed. Now it is a lawn bordered by the shrubs. There is an Indian War Memorial upstairs.
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