Saturday, May 23, 2009

Panch Mahal

dscn1835 by fredericknoronha.

Panch Mahal: A five-storied palatial structure. The bottom floor has 176 intricately carved columns.

Panch Mahal is a five-storey palace in Fatehpur Sikri, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Also known as "Badgir", which means windcatcher/tower. Panch Mahal stands close to the Zeenana quarters or Harem and that supports the fact that it acted as a pleasure palace. This is an extraordinary structure, entirely columnar, consisting of four storeys of decreasing size disposed asymmetrically upon a ground floor, which contains 84 columns. The pillars that originally had Jaalis between them support the whole structure.Once these screens provided purdah (cover) to queens and princess on the top terraces enjoying the cool breezes and watching splendid views of Sikri fortifications and the town nestling at the foot of the ridge.

The pavilion gives a majestic view of the fort that lays on its left. It is built by Akbar and only took 10 years to build the whole city.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panch_Mahal_Fatehpur_Sikri

No comments: