Page:The Seven Cities of Delhi.djvu/200

The Seven Cities of Delhi left hand of a person entering the Lai Pardah Gate, and In the corner of the court, was the Pearl Mosque with its three gilded domes; this was separated from the baths by a narrow alley, which led through a gate into the Hyat Baksh Garden.

. — All the palace buildings on the river-terrace were of the same general plan as that of this hall; a description of it will therefore apply to the others, except that they were not so elaborately decorated. In plan the hall is oblong, with a central room, surrounded by a colonnade or verandah. The roof of the central room is supported by twelve pillars, forming three openings on each of the four sides; the room is therefore "barahdari," or twelve-doored. The roof of the outer verandah Is at the same level as that of the central room, and is supported by twenty pillars, so that there are thirty-two pillars in all. These are not all of the same shape; those at the corners and along the longer sides are more massive than the others. The intervals between the pillars are spanned by scolloped arches, a feature of Moghal architecture in Delhi. The spans of the roofs are reduced by marble slabs curved inwards, and the roofs themselves are of wooden planks, carved and painted; 150