Jahaz Mahal
Encyclopedia
Jahaz Mahal is located next to Hauz-i-Shamsi
in Mehrauli
, Delhi
on its northeastern corner. 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 period (1452–1526) as a pleasure resort
or a sarai
or an inn
.
One reason for building the Jahaz Mahal retreat was to provide transit accommodation as a serai
or (inn
) to the large number of pilgrims from Afghanistan
, Arabia, Iran
, Iraq
, Morocco
and Turkey
who came to Delhi to visit the many Muslim
shrine
s. Another version is that it was built as a retreat for the emperors, (Akbar Shah II
and Bahadur Shah II
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
's invasion and the beginning of Mughal
rule in Delhi.
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 (six of them with different numbers of pillars – six, eight and twelve) or towers in the corners and the centre, ornamented with beautiful squinches in different chambers and walls (pictures in the gallery). The domed pavilion over the central gate is decorated with blue tiles. A small mosque
is also located within the palace, as discerned from a mihrab
in a niche on the west wall.
_over_the_idol_of_yogmaya_in_the_sanctum.jpg)
Jahaz Mahal is the venue of the annual colorful festival of the Phool Walon Ki Sair
(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 Mehrauli
at the overflow outlet of the Hauz-i-Shamsi tank, called "Jharna", stops at the Yogmaya Temple
for the first offering of the flower fan as mark of reverence, moves to the Jahaz Mahal and finally ends at the famous dargah of Hazrat Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki
for the presentation of the fans and chaddar at Kaki
's dargha. It marks the syncretic Hindu-Muslim composite culture. The festival was started by Emperor
Akbar Shah II
in 1820. It was popularised by Emperor
Bahadur Shah II
. It was discontinued from 1942 for a time during the British
period but was restarted in 1961 at the initiative of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru
, the first Prime Minister of India
. The three day festival is held at the Jahaj Mahal where elaborate cultural programmes are organised. Cultural troupes from several States of India perform dances, drama programmes and hold musical soirees (particularly Qawwali
s), in their colourful regional costumes and aspire for honours recognising their talent. Fire dancers lead the procession with pankahs.
, Delhi's urban village which is one of 111 such villages identified all over Delhi.
. The metro station is at Qutab Minar on the Yellow Line. The nearest international airport is the Indira Gandhi International Airport
. It is easily approachable from any part of the Delhi city by road transport.
Hauz-i-Shamsi
Hauz-i-Shamsi is a water storage reservoir or tank built by Iltumish of the Slave Dynasty in 1230 AD, at a location revealed to him in a dream by the Islamic prophet Muhammad...
in Mehrauli
Mehrauli
Mehrauli is a neighbourhood in the South West district of Delhi in India. It represents a constituency in the legislative assembly of Delhi. The area is located close to Gurgaon.-History:...
, Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
on its northeastern corner. 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 period (1452–1526) as a pleasure resort
Resort
A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company....
or a sarai
Sarai
-Places:*Saraj , an historic estate in Resen built by Ahmed Niyazi Bey*Bal-Sarai, a village in Amritsar District of Punjab, India*Sarai , the capital city of the Golden Horde*Saraj municipality, a municipality in Greater Skopje, Republic of Macedonia...
or an inn
INN
InterNetNews is a Usenet news server package, originally released by Rich Salz in 1991, and presented at the Summer 1992 USENIX conference in San Antonio, Texas...
.
History
Serai
Serai can be:*Another spelling for "sarai", a word of Turkish origin meaning "fort" or "harem" or inn. It occurs in some place names.* Sarai was a caravan station for traders and travellers and their horses, camels, etc. to rest....
or (inn
INN
InterNetNews is a Usenet news server package, originally released by Rich Salz in 1991, and presented at the Summer 1992 USENIX conference in San Antonio, Texas...
) to the large number of pilgrims from Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Arabia, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
who came to Delhi to visit the many Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
shrine
Shrine
A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....
s. Another version is that it was built as a retreat for the emperors, (Akbar Shah II
Akbar Shah II
Akbar Shah II , also known as Mirza Akbar, was the second-to-last of the Mughal emperors of India. He held the title from 1806 to 1837. He was the second son of Shah Alam II and the father of Bahadur Shah Zafar II....
and Bahadur Shah II
Bahadur Shah II
His Royal Highness Abu Zafar Sirajuddin Muhammad Bahadur Shah Zafar , also known as Bahadur Shah or Bahadur Shah II was the last of the Mughal emperors in India, as well as the last ruler of the Timurid Dynasty.He was the son of Akbar Shah II and Lalbai, who was a Hindu Rajput...
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
Babur
Babur was a Muslim conqueror from Central Asia who, following a series of setbacks, finally succeeded in laying the basis for the Mughal dynasty of South Asia. He was a direct descendant of Timur through his father, and a descendant also of Genghis Khan through his mother...
's invasion and the beginning of Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
rule in Delhi.
Structure
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
is also located within the palace, as discerned from a mihrab
Mihrab
A mihrab is semicircular niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the qibla; that is, the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca and hence the direction that Muslims should face when praying...
in a niche on the west wall.
Cultural event
Phool Walon Ki Sair
Phool Walon Ki Sair meaning "procession of the florists" is an annual celebration by the flowers 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, Delhi...
(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 Mehrauli
Mehrauli
Mehrauli is a neighbourhood in the South West district of Delhi in India. It represents a constituency in the legislative assembly of Delhi. The area is located close to Gurgaon.-History:...
at the overflow outlet of the Hauz-i-Shamsi tank, called "Jharna", stops at the Yogmaya Temple
Yogmaya Temple
Yogmaya Temple also known as Jogmaya temple, is an ancient Hindu temple dedicated to Goddess Yogmaya, the sister of Krishna, and situated in Mehrauli, New Delhi, close to the Qutb complex. It is widely believed to be one of the five surviving temples from the Mahabharata period in Delhi.Yogmaya or...
for the first offering of the flower fan as mark of reverence, moves to the Jahaz Mahal and finally ends at the famous dargah of Hazrat Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki
Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki
Qutub ul Aqtab Hazrat Khwaja Syed Muhammad Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki was a renowned Muslim Sufi mystic, saint and scholar of the Chishti Order from Delhi, India. He was the disciple and the spiritual successor of Moinuddin Chishti as head of the Chishti order. Before him the Chishti order in India...
for the presentation of the fans and chaddar at Kaki
Kaki
Kaki may refer to:* Diospyros kaki, better known as Japanese Persimmon, a fruit tree* the Japanese word for oyster* the Māori name for the Black Stilt* Kaki, Iran, a city in Bushehr Province...
's dargha. It marks the syncretic Hindu-Muslim composite culture. The festival was started by Emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
Akbar Shah II
Akbar Shah II
Akbar Shah II , also known as Mirza Akbar, was the second-to-last of the Mughal emperors of India. He held the title from 1806 to 1837. He was the second son of Shah Alam II and the father of Bahadur Shah Zafar II....
in 1820. It was popularised by Emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
Bahadur Shah II
Bahadur Shah II
His Royal Highness Abu Zafar Sirajuddin Muhammad Bahadur Shah Zafar , also known as Bahadur Shah or Bahadur Shah II was the last of the Mughal emperors in India, as well as the last ruler of the Timurid Dynasty.He was the son of Akbar Shah II and Lalbai, who was a Hindu Rajput...
. It was discontinued from 1942 for a time during the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
period but was restarted in 1961 at the initiative of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
, the first Prime Minister of India
Prime Minister of India
The Prime Minister of India , as addressed to in the Constitution of India — Prime Minister for the Union, is the chief of government, head of the Council of Ministers and the leader of the majority party in parliament...
. The three day festival is held at the Jahaj Mahal where elaborate cultural programmes are organised. Cultural troupes from several States of India perform dances, drama programmes and hold musical soirees (particularly Qawwali
Qawwali
Qawwali is a form of Sufi devotional music popular in South Asia, particularly in the Punjab and Sindh regions of Pakistan, Hyderabad, Delhi, and other parts of northern India...
s), in their colourful regional costumes and aspire for honours recognising their talent. Fire dancers lead the procession with pankahs.
Conservation measures
The Conservation Society, Delhi,(CSD), established in 1984 as a voluntary organization 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 pramote awareness and pursue conservation activities. Jahaz Mahal is one of the monuments identified by CSD to pursue concerted conservation activities with the agencies responsible for such works, in MehrauliMehrauli
Mehrauli is a neighbourhood in the South West district of Delhi in India. It represents a constituency in the legislative assembly of Delhi. The area is located close to Gurgaon.-History:...
, 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 StationNizamuddin Railway Station
Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station is one of the three main railway stations of Delhi, India. Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station connects all the major cities and is being developed to ease congestion on New Delhi Railway Station. Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station is served by Northern Railway....
. The metro station is at Qutab Minar on the Yellow Line. The nearest international airport is the Indira Gandhi International Airport
Indira Gandhi International Airport
Indira Gandhi International Airport is the primary international airport of the National Capital Region of Delhi, India, situated in West Delhi, 16 km southwest of New Delhi city centre. Named after Indira Gandhi, the former Prime Minister of India, it is the busiest airport in India in...
. It is easily approachable from any part of the Delhi city by road transport.