Rang Mahal (Red Fort)

28.655671°N 77.243544°E / 28.655671; 77.243544

The Rang Mahal in the Red Fort (2008)
Drawing of the Rang Mahal in the early 1850s, by Ghulam Ali Khan

The Rang Mahal or Palace of Colour is located in the Red Fort, Delhi.

It originally served as a part of the imperial harem. It was the part of the palace in which female members of the royal family could rest at. It was known as the Palace of Distinction (Imtiaz Mahal) during the rule of Shah Jahan. After the British occupied the fort in 1857, Rang Mahal was used as a mess hall for a brief time.[1]

The building's interior was once richly painted and decorated. Some apartments of this building are called Shish Mahal due to tiny pieces of mirrors that cover the ceilings.[2]

Through the center of the marble palace, a shallow canal called the Stream of Paradise (Nahr-i-Bihist) flowed into a marble basin carved into the floor. Under the Rang Mahal was a basement (tehkhana), which women would use on hot summer days.

  • Drawing of the interior with the Stream of Paradise in the 1850s
    Drawing of the interior with the Stream of Paradise in the 1850s
  • Interior with the Stream of Paradise in 2012
    Interior with the Stream of Paradise in 2012
  • The mirrored ceiling
    The mirrored ceiling
  • The Corner View
    The Corner View
  • Rang Mahal Description
    Rang Mahal Description

References
  1. Murray, John (1911). A handbook for travellers in India, Burma, and Ceylon (8th ed.). Calcutta: Thacker, Spink, & Co. p. 198. ISBN 978-1175486417. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  2. "Rang Mahal of Red Fort". Archaeological Survey of India. 2011. Retrieved 9 December 2013.

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