The Jal Mahal, also known as the Jal Mahal of Narnaul or the Water Palace, is a late 16th century

palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

fortification A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

, and

artificial lake A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

located in

Narnaul Narnaul is a city, a Municipal Council, and location of headquarters of the Mahendragarh district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is located in the National Capital Region of India. History Narnaul is built on a prominent tell, but th ...

Haryana Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land ar ...

. Built by a Mughal governor of Narnaul, the structure currently serves as a tourist attraction.

Description

The Jal Mahal was built in 1591 AD by

Shah Quli Khan Ali Quli Istajlu, also known by his later, given name of Sher Afgan Khan ( fa, شيرافگن خان) was a Turkoman who initially served the Safavids, and later became a Mughal courtier, becoming the ''jagirdar'' of Burdwan in West Bengal (160 ...

, a member of the nobility of the Mughal empire and the governor of Narnaul. Khan was a protegee of

Bairam Khan Muhammad Bairam Khan(Persianمحمد بیرام خان) (18 January 150131 January 1561), commonly known as Bairam Khan or Bayram Khan was an important military commander, and later commander-in-chief of the Mughal army, a powerful statesman a ...

, an important official in the Mughal court and one-time

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

of the empire. He was also a successful military commander who served in the Mughal army under

Akbar the Great Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...

. The campaigns of Akbar to conquer northern India made Khan wealthy, and the commander distinguished himself by wounding the Suri general

Hemu Hemu (; also known as Hemu Vikramaditya and Hemchandra Vikramaditya; died 5 November 1556) was an Indian emperor who previously served as a general and Wazir of Adil Shah Suri of Sur Empire during a period in Indian history when Mughals and A ...

at the

Second Battle of Panipat The Second Battle of Panipat was fought on 5 November 1556, between Akbar and the king of Delhi, Hemu. Hemu had conquered Delhi and Agra a few weeks earlier by defeating Mughal forces under Tardi Beg Khan in the battle of Delhi and crowned him ...

. In gratitude for Khan's service, Akbar granted him titles, wealth, and appointed him as the governor of Narnaul. In addition to being a competent military leader, Khan was a noted architectural patron. Upon being appointed governor, he began a series of construction projects in Narnaul; these projects, the first of which was a tomb (built 1574-75) for himself, are described as being of a "personal sort" and as being different from some of his projects elsewhere in India; furthermore, Khan's projects were noteworthy enough to be recorded in contemporary Mughal texts. 15 years after completing his tomb, Khan began to construct a new palace in Narnaul; this structure became what is now the Jal Mahal. Khan began by creating a square artificial lake (often described as a tank or reservoir) with an island in the center; this lake was intended to form a "second Kausar" (the

Pond of Abundance In Islam, the Pond of Abundance ( ar-at, حَوْضُ ٱلْكَوْثَرِ, Ḥawḍ al-Kawthar) refers to a pond or river that exists in Paradise. The traditional Muslim belief is that on the Day of Judgement, when people will be resurrect ...

in Muslim paradise) for the palace's occupants. Khan then ordered the construction of a fortified gateway on the northern edge of the lake. Following this, a causeway was built out into the center of the reservoir, where a foundation was laid and a palace built. The construction of the Jal Mahal, its gate, and the lake took 2-3 years. The palace itself was decorated in the style of other Mughal palaces and pavilions; the structure was adorned with art and carvings, including inscriptions that celebrated Khan's famous victory over Hemu. In terms of area, the compound encompasses 11 acres. In the centuries after its completion, the palace's pool gradually filled with earth. This debris was cleared in the late 20th century and the lake restored.

References

{{coord missing, Haryana Palaces in Haryana Mahendragarh district Mughal architecture