The Shah Jahan Mahal is palace in the

Agra Fort The Agra Fort is a historical fort in the city of Agra in India also known as the Red Fort. Rebuilt by the Mughal emperor Akbar in 1565 and completed in 1573, it served as the main residence of the rulers of the Mughal Dynasty until 1638, when t ...

in northern

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

History

Palace is situated between the white

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite. Marble is typically not Foliation (geology), foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the ...

''Khas Mahal'' and the red stone ''

Jahangiri Mahal Jahangiri Mahal may be the most noteworthy building inside the Agra Fort of India. The Mahal was the principal zenana (palace for women belonging to the royal household), and was used by the Rajput wives of Akbar. It is a form of Islamic archi ...

'' and is set, transitionally, in between these two major residential complexes of two different ages. It is the earliest attempt of the Mughal Emperor

Shah Jahan Shihab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram (5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), better known by his regnal name Shah Jahan I (; ), was the fifth emperor of the Mughal Empire, reigning from January 1628 until July 1658. Under his emperorship, the Mugha ...

to convert an existing redstone building in accordance with his taste. It is his earliest palace in Agra Fort and has a large hall and side rooms, and an octagonal tower on the river side. The skeletal construction of the brick masonry and red stone were all white, stuccoed with a thick plaster and colourfully painted with floral designs. The whole palace once glistened white, like white marble. On its face towards the ''Khas Mahal'' is a white marble dalan, composed of five nine-cusped arches supported on double pillars and protected externally by a

Chhajja A ''chhajja'' is an overhanging eave or roof covering found in Indian architecture. It is characterised with large support brackets with different artistic designs. Variation is also seen in its size depending on the importance of the building on ...

. Its western bay was closed to house the Ghaznin gate.

Babur Babur ( fa, , lit= tiger, translit= Bābur; ; 14 February 148326 December 1530), born Mīrzā Zahīr ud-Dīn Muhammad, was the founder of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent. He was a descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan through his ...

baoli Stepwells (also known as vavs or baori) are wells or ponds with a long corridor of steps that descend to the water level. Stepwells played a significant role in defining subterranean architecture in western India from 7th to 19th century. So ...

and well are situated beneath it. The subterranean apartments in several stories are also situated under this palace.

References

External links

http://www.india9.com/i9show/Shah-Jahani-Mahal-32083.htm
Agra Fort {{India-palace-stub