Jahaz Mahal (in

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

language ‘Jahaz’ means "Ship" and ‘Mahal’ means "Palace", the "Ship Palace") is located next to

Hauz-i-Shamsi Hauz-i-Shamsi (literally "sunny water tank"), also known as ''Shamsi Talab'', is a water reservoir built by Iltutmish of the Slave Dynasty in 1230 CE. According to legend, its location was revealed to him in a dream by the Islamic prophet Muhamm ...

Mehrauli Mehrauli is a neighbourhood in South Delhi, Delhi, India. It represents a constituency in the legislative assembly of Delhi. The area is close to Gurugram and next to Vasant Kunj. History Mehrauli is one of the seven medieval cities that ...

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

. It was so named, since its reflection (illusion) in the surrounding reservoir looked like a ship floating on a lake. It is inferred to have been built during the

Lodi dynasty The Lodi dynasty was an Afghan royal family that ruled Sultanate of Delhi from 1451 to 1526. It was the fifth and final dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate, and was founded by Bahlul Lodi when he replaced the Sayyid dynasty. Bahlul Lodi Followin ...

(1452–1526) as a pleasure

resort A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that aims to provide most of a vacationer's needs. This includes food, drink, swimming, accommodation, sports, entertainment and shopping, on the premises. A hotel ...

Sarai Sarai, Serai, or Saraj may refer to: Places * Sarai (city), a large medieval city, and the capital city of the Golden Horde * Saray-Jük, the ''Little Sarai'' of the Golden Horde Azerbaijan * Sarai Village, an old Turkic village in Absheron ...

or an

inn Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway. Before the advent of motorized transportation, they also provided accomm ...

History

Jahaz Mahal on the bank of Hauz-i-Shamsi

One reason for building the Jahaj Mahal retreat was to provide transit accommodation as a

or (

) to the large number of pilgrims from

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

Arabia The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

and

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

who came to Delhi to visit the many

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

shrine A shrine ( "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred space">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...: ''escri ...

s. Another version is that it was built as a retreat for the emperors,

Akbar Shah II Akbar II (; 22 April 1760 – 28 September 1837), also known as Akbar Shah II, was the nineteenth Mughal emperors, Mughal emperor from 1806 to 1837. He was the second son of Shah Alam II and the father of Bahadur Shah II, who would eventually ...

and

Bahadur Shah II Bahadur Shah II, (Abu Zafar Siraj-ud-din Muhammad; 24 October 1775 – 7 November 1862), usually referred to by his poetic title Bahadur Shah ''Zafar'' (; ''Zafar'' ), was the twentieth and last Mughal emperor and a Hindustani poet. His spous ...

and their families, during the summer months, away from the heat and dust of Delhi. Its construction is dated between 1451 AD and 1526 AD, before

Babar Babar (), also variously spelled as Baber, Babur, and Babor is a male given name of Persian language, Persian origin, and a popular male given name in Pakistan. It is generally taken in reference to the Persian language, Persian ''babr'' (Persian ...

's invasion and the beginning of

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

rule in Delhi.

Structure

The palace is approached from the eastern side. A courtyard, originally in a rectangular shape now seen in ‘U’ shape, is in the center of the palace. The palace has carved impressive square

chhatris ''Chhatri'' are semi-open, elevated, dome-shaped pavilions used as an element in Indo-Islamic architecture and Indian architecture. They are most commonly square, octagonal, and round. Originating as a canopy above tombs, they largely serve ...

(six of them with different numbers of pillars – six, eight and twelve) or

tower A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...

s in the corners and the centre, ornamented with beautiful

squinches In architecture, a squinch is a structural element used to support the base of a circular or octagonal dome that surmounts a square-plan chamber. Squinches are placed to diagonally span each of the upper internal corners ( vertices) where the w ...

in different chambers and walls (pictures in the gallery). The domed pavilion over the central gate is decorated with blue tiles. A small

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

is also located within the palace, as discerned from a

mihrab ''Mihrab'' (, ', pl. ') is a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the ''qibla'', the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca towards which Muslims should face when praying. The wall in which a ''mihrab'' appears is thus the "''qibla'' wall". ...

in a niche on the west wall.

Cultural event

Jahaj Mahal is the venue of the annual colorful festival of the

Phool Walon Ki Sair Phool Waalon Ki Sair meaning "procession of the florists" is an annual celebration by the flower sellers of Delhi. It is a three-day festival, generally held in the month of September, just after the rainy season in the region of Mehrauli. It ...

(means a procession of the florists) or 'Sair-i-Gulfaroshan' held in October. A procession of flower bedecked pankhas (fans) made and carried by the flower vendors starts from

at the overflow outlet of the Hauz-i-Shamsi tank, called "Jharna", stops at the

Yogmaya Temple Yogmaya Temple, also Jogmaya temple, is a Hindu temple dedicated to the goddess Yogmaya, also considered to be a sister of Krishna as she took avatar as Vindhyavasini, and situated in Mehrauli, New Delhi, India, close to the Qutb complex. Acco ...

for the first offering of the flower fan as mark of reverence, moves to the Jahaj Mahal and finally ends at the famous dargah of

Hazrat The Arabic word ''ḥaḍra'' (, ; construct state: ''ḥaḍrat''; plural: ''ḥaḍrāt''), and its derivatives in languages of the Persianate world (; ; ; ; ) are used to form various styles in the Arab world, Iran, the Republic of Azerbai ...

Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki ''Quṭb al-Aqṭāb'' Khwāja Sayyid Muḥammad Bakhtiyār al-Ḥusaynī, Quṭb al-Dīn Bakhtiyār Kākī (born 1173 – died 1235) was a Sunni Muslim Sufi mystic, saint and scholar of the Chishti Order from Delhi, India. He was the disci ...

for the presentation of the fans and chaddar at Kaki's

dargha A Sufi shrine or dargah ( ''dargâh'' or ''dargah'', Turkish: ''dergâh'', Hindustani: ''dargāh'' दरगाह درگاہ, ''dôrgah'') is a shrine or tomb built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often a Sufi saint or dervish. ...

. It marks the syncretic Hindu-Muslim composite culture. The festival was started by

Emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

in 1820. It was popularised by

. It was discontinued from 1942 for a time during the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

period but was restarted in 1961 at the initiative of

Pandit A pandit (; ; also spelled pundit, pronounced ; abbreviated Pt. or Pdt.) is an individual with specialised knowledge or a teacher of any field of knowledge in Hinduism, particularly the Vedic scriptures, dharma, or Hindu philosophy; in colonial-e ...

Jawaharlal Nehru Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, and statesman who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a pr ...

, the first

Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen Union Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers, despite the president of ...

. The three-day festival is held at the Jahaj Mahal where elaborate cultural programmes are organised. Cultural troupes from several

States of India State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country ** Nation state, ...

perform dances, drama programmes and hold musical soirees (particularly

Qawwali Qawwali is a form of Sufi Islamic devotional singing originating in the Indian subcontinent. Originally performed at Sufi shrines throughout the Indian subcontinent, it is famous throughout Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Afghanistan and has ...

s), in their colourful regional costumes and aspire for honours recognising their talent. Fire dancers lead the procession with pankahs.

Sound and Light Show at Jahaz Mahal

'Light and Sound Shows' at this historical monument are incorporated with state-of-the-art technology offering a once in a lifetime experience. Among the numerous architectures, Jahaz Mahal, Mandu provides the most extravagant experience showcasing the history and its associated monuments. This light and sound show takes you to the medieval era.

Conservation measures

The Conservation Society, Delhi,(CSD), established in 1984 as a voluntary organisation for preservation of Delhi's environment and architectural heritage with the main objective of creating awareness among the public of Delhi's heritage, conducts seminars, workshops and heritage walks to promote awareness and pursue conservation activities. Jahaj Mahal is one of the monuments identified by CSD to pursue concerted conservation activities with the agencies responsible for such works, in

, Delhi's urban village which is one of 111 such villages identified all over Delhi.

Visitor information

The heritage monument is open on all days of the week from sunrise to sunset. The nearest railway station is Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station. The metro station is at Chattarpur on the Yellow Line. The nearest international airport is the

Indira Gandhi International Airport Indira Gandhi International Airport is the primary international airport serving New Delhi, the capital of India, and the National Capital Region (NCR). The airport, spread over an area of ,

. It is easily approachable from any part of the Delhi city by road transport. It is better to see with Mehruli Archeological Park to enjoy Delhi sultanate monuments. Inside the park there is an ample parking space.

Gallery

File:Jahaz Mahal on the bank of Hauz-i-Shamsi tank.jpg, View of Jahaz Mahal from

References

{{Delhi Palaces in Delhi History of Delhi Mehrauli Monuments of National Importance in Delhi Architecture of the Lodi dynasty