Mahal (), meaning "a mansion or a palace", though it may also refer to "living quarters for a set of people". It is an Indian word which derives from the
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
word ''mahal'', deriving from the
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
word ''mahall'' which in turn is derived from ''ḥall'' ‘stopping place, abode’. A place of destination would therefore be referred to as "mahal anuzul". A place of recreation would be referred to as "mahal anunzul". The term máhal to refer to a place was also adopted in Hindi for example Panch Mahals and
Jungle Mahals
Jungle Mahals, ( jungle estates) was a district formed by British possessions and some independent chiefdoms lying between Birbhum, Bankura, Midnapore and the hilly country of Chota Nagpur in what is now the Indian state of West Bengal.O’Malle ...
. The word developed its meaning for palace as in opposition to that of a jhopri or a "dilapidated house" as a neologism.
Both Muslim and Hindu rulers built many Mahals in India.
Hawa Mahal
The Hawa Mahal is a palace in the city of Jaipur, India. Built from red and pink sandstone, it is on the edge of the City Palace, Jaipur, and extends to the ''Zenana'', or women's chambers.
The structure was built in 1799 by the Maharaja Sawai ...
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 ...
Jahaz Mahal
Jahaz Mahal (in Urdu language ‘Jahaz’ means "Ship" and ‘Mahal’ means "Palace", the "Ship Palace"), is located next to Hauz-i-Shamsi in Mehrauli, Delhi on its northeastern corner. It was so named, since its reflection (illusion) in the s ...
*
Jal Mahal
Jal Mahal (meaning "Water Palace") is a palace in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake in Jaipur city, the capital of the state of Rajasthan, India. The palace was originally constructed in 1699; the building and the lake around it were later r ...
*
Lal Mahal
The Lal Mahal (Red Palace) of Pune is one of the most famous monuments located in Pune, India, where Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, founder of the Maratha Empire spent his childhood.
History
In the year 1630 AD, Shivaji Maharaj's Father Shahaji ...
*
Lalitha Mahal
The Lalitha Mahal, now renamed Lalitha Mahal Palace Hotel, is a luxury hotel-turned royal resident and the second largest palace in the southern Indian city of Mysore, Karnataka, after the Mysore Palace. It is located near the Chamundi Hills, ea ...
*
Noor Mahal
The Noor Mahal ( ur, ) is a Pakistan Army-owned palace in Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan. It was built in 1872 like an Italian chateau on neoclassical lines, at a time when modernism had set in. It belonged to the Nawabs of Bahawalpur princely ...
Pari Mahal
Pari Mahal or Peer Mahal, also known as The Palace of Fairies, is a seven-terraced garden located at the top of Zabarwan mountain range, overlooking the city of Srinagar and the south-west of Dal Lake in the Indian union territory of Jammu a ...
*
Prag Mahal
The Prag Mahal is a 19th-century palace located next to the Aina Mahal in Bhuj, Gujarat, India.
History
Prag Mahal is named after Rao Pragmalji II, who commissioned it and construction began in 1865.Shah Jahani Mahal a part of 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 ...
Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal
Thirumalai Nayak Palace is a 17th-century palace erected in 1636 CE by King Tirumala Nayaka, a king of Madurai's Nayaka dynasty who ruled Madurai from 1623 to 1659, in the city of Madurai, India. The palace is a classic fusion of Italian and R ...