Mughal era architecture Palaces

1. Mughal Architecture Palaces
Presented to: Madam Amina Ejaz
By Muhammad Sohaib Afzaal MCS-15

2. Palaces in Agra Fort
1. Akbari Mahal
2. Jahangiri Mahal
3. Khas Mahal
4. Musamman Burj the shallow monolithic marble basin,
5. Shish Mahal.
• Turkish bath with their fine mirror decorations are the most attractive
specimens of the marble buildings of Shah Jahan.
• Two rectangular pavilions and the Jharoka darshan, built in Bengal style
are matchless structures representing mature Mughal architecture.

3. Akbari Palace
• Red stone and paved surface on its ground
• The step-wells were meant for supply of water and also were used a retreats
for the inmates from the heat of summer time.

4. Jahangir Palace
 Chhajas
 Chhatris
 Jharokhas
• Lotus buds and marble arches that
spring from the elephant trunks which
are the modified form of Gaja
Lakshmi, a symbol believed to be
most auspicious by the Rajput rulers.
• Recorded by Abul Fazl, a court
historian of Emperor Akbar.
• Timurid customs; its
grand Iwans are large enough to
accommodate the entry of War
elephents, and its high position over
the landscape
allowed Cannons superior range.

5. East riverside court with ornamental pool and water channel
leading to the northern arched niche

6. Hauz-i-Jahangiri 1610
• Circular Bowl-shaped
• Monolithic Tank
• 5 feet high 8 feet in diameter 25 feet
circumference at Rim.
• Fragrant rose water.
• Persian inscription in “Nasta'liq
script”.
• Five couplets two are readable.
• Discovered in a court of Akbar
Palace in 1843.
• Placed in “Diwan-i-Am” in 1862.
• Removed to public Garden
• Sir John Marshal brought it back to
“Agra Fort”

7. Musamman Burj
• Northern Bengali
domed apartment was
known as Nashaiman-i-
Zill-Ilahi.
• Makra forms of the
Gujarati temple
architecture.
• Akbar, Maryamuz-
Zamani, mother of
Jahangir who also lived
in this palace.

8. Khas Mahal
• Char Bagh pattern with small
hexagonal grids of red
sandstone.
• Grapes were grown.
• Attached to the Khas Mahal by
Shah Jahan in 1637.
• chini-khana (series of canal
niches).
• A rainbow is created when the
fountains play with coloured
water.

9. Shah Jahan and Jahanara Palace
• Architecture by Pietra Dura
• central monolithic basin
• Curved eaves
• curtain walls known as “Sar-i-parda”

10. Taj Mahal

12. Fatehpur Sikri Fort
1. Jodha Bai Palace
2. Panch Mahal
3. Birbal’s Palace
4. Sunahra Makan Mahal
5. Anup Talao
6. Hujra-i-Anup Talao
7. Samosa Mahal

13. Jodha Bai Palace (Mariam Uz Zamani)
• Jodha Bai Palace is also known
as Raniwas and Zenani Dyodhi.
• Swans, Elephants, Parrots, ghant
mala, lotuses, Srivastsa Mark..
• Hawa Mahal or wind palace.
• Elegant tulip
• Traces blue galazed

14. Panch Mahal
• Rectangular colonnaded
structure open on all
sides and built from local
red sandstone.
• Asymmetrical pyramid
stacked over the
southeast corner.
• Chhatri with a copula.
• East elevation, double
and quadruple series of
columns facilitate the
transfer of load.
• Modern staircase
• The ground floor has a
carved jaali balustrade,
and no projecting
chhajja.

15. Birbal’s Palace
• Palace was used by the
queens Ruqaiyya
Begum and Salima
Begum.
• Persian architecture and
is of two storeys.
• Profuse carvings include
a ceiling crafted to
resemble a canopy of
blossoms.

16. Anup Talao
Khwabgah Mahal
• Khwabgah was connected to ladies
harem and was covered by jaalis.
• Pavilion of the Turkish sultana
• Char Chaman Tank
• Oak tester bed
• Carved set of 64 ear ring designs
on wall.

17. Khwabgah Mahal wall design of “Ear ring”

18. Hujra-i-Anup Talao
• Khaprel ceiling
• West elevation is a
rectangular portico
• Main chamber and supported
on piers.
• Octagonal columns.
• Ornamented pavillion
• Opulent carvings adorn dado
panels, columns, pilasters,
double columns, brackets,
and friezes.

19. Sunahra Makan or Maryam Makan
• Four rooms, a central room with
verandas, and three small rooms.
• Paintings depicting elephant fights,
hunting, scenes of battles and
tournaments.
• Carved designs, such as rows of
elephants, swans, and bears. Rama
and hanuman.

20. Samosa Mahal
• Indian snack known as 'samosa‘.
• Hammams or baths and toilets with earthenware pipes.
• ornamental arches and friezes
• caravanserai

21. Palaces in Lahore Fort
1. Lal Burj
2. Kala Burj
3. Jahangir Quadrangle
4. Shah Jahan Quadrangle
5. Naulakha Pavilion
6. Sheesh Mahal
7. Summer Palace

22. Lal Burj Tower (Red Pavilion) (built 1617-31
• Interior frescoes are mostly
from the sikh period, as is the
upper level.
• Jali, Solomonic symbolic.

23. Kala Burj Tower (built 1617-31)
• Interior frescos dating from the
mughal and sikh era were also
plastered over at this time.
• Solomonic angels

24. Jahangir Quadrangle 1617-18
• Akbar, but was completed
under Jahangir in 1617-18.
• Akbar's influence, column
brackets that are carved in
the form of animals.
• The north end of the
quadrangle is dominated by
the Barri Khwabgah,
Jahangir's sleeping chamber.
• Seh Dahri pavilion to the
east was added during the
Sikh period.

25. Shah Jahan Quadrangle 1645
• Marbles jali, fluted column,
fountain at the centre of
pavilion, pietra Dura (stone
mosaic) and chathri northeast
corner.

26. Naulakha Pavilion 1633
• Its centrally arched and extraordinarily curved roof typical of Bengal’s Do
Chala style.
• It reflects a mixture of contemporary traditions of sloping-
roof from Bengal, and Baldachin from Europe. This demonstrates
the imperial as well as religious image of the subject.

27. Naulakha Pavilion
• The inner walls are minutely inlaid with precious and semi-precious stones
and silver with delicate parchin kari ornamentation are considered among
the finest in the world.
• Glazed tile mosaics have been used to decorate the spandrels of the
arched openings with floral designs and images of angels, genies
and Solomonic symbols.

28. Marble column with inlay work “Pietra Dura”

29. Sheesh Mahal 1631
• The Sheesh Mahal was built by Emperor Shah Jahan. It was built in the
middle of Jahangir's rule. The facade, consisting of five cusped
marble arches supported by coupled columns, opens into the courtyard.
• The engrailed spandrels and bases are inlaid with precious stones. The
pavilion is in the form of a semi-octagon, and consists of apartments roofed
with gilded cupolas and intricately decorated with pietra dura
and convex glass and mirror mosics (ayina kari) with thousands of small
mirrors.
• The decorative features also include stucco tracery (munabat kari) and
carved marbles screens in geometrical and tendril designs.
• The roof of the central hall rises up to two storeys. The hall was originally
decorated with fresco paintings that were later replaced with
glass mosaics in different colors.

32. Summer Palace (Fairy Palace) 1631-32
• Summer palace was also known as pari
mahal ( fairy palace).
• Small holes of the window grills
solomonic symbols.
• Ventilation systems, labyrinth style
basement with tunnels, small window
for light.

33. • The walls and ceilings were
ornamented with silver, gold
and fresco paintings.
• Ceilings had no iron or wooden
beams or even the cement,
rather those were made of
grams , white lentils, clay,
jiggery, eggs, dried grass, lime
plaster and small bricks.
• Walls decorated with fresco
work and gold painting.

34. • Two floors a sewerage system was laid through which the water of river
ravi ran, keeping the floors cold.

35. Palaces in Red Fort Delhi
1. Mumtaz Mahal
2. Rang Mahal
3. Khas Mahal
4. Hira Mahal
5. Moti Mahal
6. Zafar Mahal

36. Mumtaz Mahal (Nahr-i-Bishisht)
• White marble in the lower half of its walls and pillars.
• It consists of six apartments divided by arched piers and was originally painted
with floral decorations on the interior.
• Red marble chajja.

37. Rang Mahal & Nahr-i-Behisht
(The Stream of Paradise) -1639
• Outer arches were filled in with perforated screens and there were triple
arches of lattice work placed across the centre of each side.
• The structure takes the form of a open pavilion in one storey, its façade of
engrailed arches shaded by a wide eave or chhajja. Above this rises a
parapet and from each corner a graceful kiosk.
• The piers are massive and twelve sided, giving a spacious soffit to the
arches.

38. • Ornamentation of gilt coloured and inlaid
patterns are distributed throughout the
structure.
• Foliations of the walls, piers and arches,
conventional flowers were introduced
freely, the mughals being enamored of
flowers.

39. Khas Mahal
• The Khas Mahal is relatively small, and divided into four main parts. On
the south, facing the Rang Mahal, is the Baithak, or sitting room, which is a
veranda painted in lavish white and gold floral patterns, with accents in
blue and green. Three chambers make up the bedroom suite, or khwabgah.
On its eastern side, overlooking the fortress wall is the Mussaman Burj (or
Burj-i Tila), an octagonal tower.

40. Hira Mahal 1842
• Four-sided pavilion of white marble was built in 1842, during the reign
of bahadur shah II.
• The arches are carved and the pavilion is overhung with chhajja, overhanging
eave.

41. Zafar Mahal (Last Palace)
• Bahadur shah zafar II 1847-48.
• Chhajja (cantilevered projection)
• Small projecting windows flanked by curved
and covered bengali domes.
• large lotuses
• Classic tripolia or three-arch opening into
the baaraadaree or 12 opening structure, which
fully draws the breeze.

42. Reference
• History of Mughal architecture, volume 1, By R Nath
• Mughal architecture, By Koch Ebba
• Architecture of Mughal India, Part 1, volume 4, By Catherine B. Asher
• The Rough Guide to India - Page 275 - Google Books, David Abram, Rough
Guides (Firm) - 2003
• http://www.orientalarchitecture.com
• http://www.agraindia.org.uk/fatehpur-sikri/samosa-mahal.html
• https://archnet.org/sites/2637
• http://www.tracyanddale.50megs.com/India/Rajasthan/HTML/maryam.html
• http://pakteahouse.net/2016/04/04/photo-essay-summer-palace-the-hidden-
jewel/
• http://www.monumentsofdelhi.com/monuments/zafar-mahal