Information on Khas Mahal (Agra, Uttar Pradesh) - History & Architecture

The Khas Mahal is one of the most famous monuments built by Shah Jahan. It was built around 1631-1640. The Khas Mahal was also known as the "Aramgah-i-Muqaddar". What add on to the beauty of this magnificent palace are the river and the Anguri Bagh which are present on the two ends of the palace. The Khas Mahal was actually made by Shah Jahan for his two daughters whose names are Jahanara and Roshanara. It is said that Jahanara used to stay in the northern pavilion, which being one amongst the two identical beautiful pavilions of the palace.

One of the most amazing facts about the palace is that there is an inscription on one of the southern arches which interprets the years when the construction began and ended. It also includes the amount of expenditure incurred during that era which is supposedly summed to be fifty lakh of rupees.

Khas Mahal Architecture

The Khas Mahal has an Islamic type of Architecture and looks just amazing as it is made of white crafted marbles. The ceilings of the palace are richly ornamented with precious stones which one can just gaze at, for hours together. And the stylish arched marbles have that extravagantly designed brackets. It has got a beautiful tank in front of it accompanied by an eye popping vision of the fountain with white marbles and open courts in the background. The Khas Mahal mainly consists of three important parts, which are as follows:

• The Diwan-I-khas which is also known as the Tasbih Khana. It is actually a chamber where devotion to Allah was done in the form chanting holy scripts with the help of beads, and thereby was a private worship area of Shah Jahan.
• The Khwabgah which consists of three beautiful rooms. These were used as the sleeping chambers by the royal family.
• The Tosh-Khana or the sitting chamber is the last important part of the palace where you can see decorated walls and ceilings which would make any visitor speechless.

The walls of the Khas Mahal had beautiful portraits of the Mughal Emperors, some of which still exist in the palace. The ceilings even today have iron rings, which are present exactly in the middle of the roof which portray that once upon a time there might be beautiful chandeliers in the palace.

The pavilions of the palace are mainly made of red sand stones and thereby are plastered skillfully with white shells. In the Khas Mahal you can also witness a hint of gold work in the ceilings. If you think this is it, then you are wrong as the Khas Mahal has got extravagant interiors to offer you which include precious stones embedded in the floral and geometric patterns on the wall and the ceilings. When you keenly see the walls then you shall notice the presence of the royal colors such as gold and blue being used abundantly. Factors like this add that extra charm to the Khas Mahal and make it different from the other palaces of the historic times.

It is said that, just in front of the palace, animal fights used to take place which were enjoyed by the royal family.

Khas Mahal Tourism Importance

The Khas Mahal is one of the most visited sites of Agra. As one of the most fascinating aspects of the palace is that when you visit it you shall feel that the walls shall speak volumes of the glorious past.