Posted on: 31 August, 2017
Author: Swan Tours
Here is information on Khas Mahal old Delhi:- Khas Mahal located inside the fort, Khas Mahal (house palace) follows, three marble rooms where the emperor ate, slept and worshipped... It was on the decorated balcony that the royal day began, observed by Sir Thomas Roe to run 'as regular as the clock that strikes at set hours'. As the morning star appeared, the royal musicians played appropriate morning music and the muezzins of all the Delhi mosques called the faithful to prayer. By sunrise, a crowd of citizens had gathered beneath the balcony and the emperor presented himself to show he was alive and well, a ritual called Jhuroka-i-Darshan. Mid-morning was public business in the Diwan-i-Am, then private business in the Diwan-i-Khas, then the most private business. Whacked out, the emperor retired to his harem for a four-hour lunch break, when 50 or more dishes were served on gold and silver by eunuchs via favourite ladies, the morsels eaten to the soothing tones of music and poetry readings. After a siesta, he dealt with the extensive harem business—many women did charity work or ran estates and trading business—and then gave public proof of his existence again before, perhaps, watching an elephant fight. The day ended with prayers, family dinner and a return to the harem. Also Visit - Golden Triangle Tour Packages The Diwan-i-Khas (private audience hall) is conveniently next door. This is the heart of the fort, the inner sanctum for top meetings, vital decisions, the best parties and the most tragic events. Here Shah Jahan sat on his Peacock Throne or relaxed on silk rugs and cushions, while candlelight danced on the jewel-encrusted silver ceiling. Here the poet Amir Khusrau's couplet; 'If on earth there be a paradise of bliss, It is this, it is this, it is this' is inscribed in fading gold above the arches. Less blissfully, it was there that Muhammad Shah surrendered to Nadir Shah in 1739. Affairs of state were also discussed in the next rooms, the more informal harnams (baths), now closed but their carpets of marble inlay have miraculously survived and can be glimpsed by peeping through the window. Shah Jahan's blissful Delhi life ended in sadness after nine years. In 1657 he became ill. His four sons quickly began plotting for the throne. Dara Shukoh, the heir apparent and the favourite, went with his father to Agra and sent armies to quell the other brothers. The next, Shah Suja, was defeated and fled to Burma. The third, Aurangzeb, allied with the youngest, Murad Bakhsh, and defeated Dara Shukoh. He then imprisoned his father in Agra Fort (where he died in 1666), tricked Murad and had him murdered, proclaimed himself emperor in 1658, captured Dara Shukoh and his son and had both executed in 1659, and then again proclaimed himself emperor. It was a bloody beginning to the long rule of the last Great Mughal. The same year the orthodox (and perhaps penitent) Aurangzeb added the tiny marble Moti Mahal (pearl mosque) to the fort, for on-site prayers five times a day rather than journey to the Jama Masjid. It is set back from the hamams. Beyond lies the peaceful Hayat Bakhsh Bagh (life-bestowing garden), where blossoms and water-channels surround the central Zafar Mahal. Article Tags: Dara Shukoh Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com For more information on Khas Mahal Old Delhi contact Swan Tours one of the leading travel agents in India.