Page:History of Indian and Eastern Architecture Vol 2.djvu/345

 CHAP. X. MUGHAL ARCHITECTURE. 293 feature around this court is indeed of pure Hindu architecture. No arches appear anywhere, but the horizontal style of con- struction everywhere. The ornamentation, too, which is carved on all the flat surfaces, is of a class used by Akbar, but not found in the buildings of others. Indeed, throughout this palace arches are used so sparingly, and Hindu forms and Hindu construction prevail to such an extent, that it would hardly be out of place at Chitor or Gwaliar, though it still bears that impress of vigour and originality that he and he only knew how to impress on all his works. 1 It is, however, at Fathpur-Sikri, 22 miles south-west from Agra, that Akbar must be judged of as a builder. During the whole of his reign it was his favourite residence. He apparently was the first to occupy the spot, and apparently the last, at least, to build there, no single building being identified as having been erected by any of his successors. Akbar seems to have had no settled plan when he com- menced building there. The original part of the building seems to be the Mahall-i-Khass, a block of building measuring about 270 ft. by 390 ft. and therefore of larger dimensions than the Red Palace in the fort of Agra. It has two large courtyards, however, and the buildings that surround it are very inferior in richness of design and ornamentation. This, however, is far more than compensated for by the courts and pavilions that he added from time to time. There is the Diwan-i-Khass, or private audience-room, a square building with a throne con- sisting of an enormous flower-like bracket, supported on a richly-carved pillar ; 2 a peristylar building, called his office (Daftar-Khana), very similar to one he erected at Allahabad, to be mentioned hereafter ; a five-storeyed open pavilion, all the pillars of which are most richly carved; and long colonnades and walls connecting these with one another. The richest, the most beautiful, as well as the most characteristic of all his buildings here are three small pavilions, said to have been erected to please and accommodate his three favourite sultanas : hence called Birbal's daughter's Mahall ; 3 Maryam-zamani's House, appropriated to the daughter of Raja Bihari Mall and mother of Jahangir, which was known as Sonahla Makan or " Golden House " as having been entirely gilt ; and the palace of the Rumi or Turkish Sultana Akbar's first wife Sultana Ruqayyah Begam, a daughter of Mirza Hindal, the emperor's uncle : it is 1 There is a plan of this palace, in General Cunningham's ' Reports,' vol. iv., plate 13. 2 A cast of this throne is in the South Kensington Museum, 3 Birbal was a favourite wit and court bard, but no mention is found of his having a daughter, and the house is usually spoken of simply as Birbal's palace.