About Machchhi Bhawan:
Machchi Bhawan or the Fish Chamber is so called for its believed that it was used to rear gold fishes for the emperor. Situated in front of the Diwan-i-Khas, it is believed to have marble fountains and tanks once, for the purpose. However, Badshahnama terms this building as the treasury for imperial ornaments and jewels. The quadrangle has a spacious courtyard with entrance to its north and double-storeyed arched galleries on the other three sides. On the upper storey of the southern side, a small marble pavilion with a sun medallion on its ceiling projects outward. It is believed to be the place where the Golden Throne of the emperor was placed to allow him to have the entire view of the court below. The rooms of the lower floor served as the treasury. There was a raised white marble platform on the eastern side and a luxurious, multi-chambered royal bath in the north. The southern pavilion served as a small reception room known as Diwan-i-Khas and has an open terrace with a white and a black marble throne. The black throne has a skillfully carved inscription dating back to 1602, in the reign of Salim. The stucco relief work is one of the masterpieces and the intermediary space between the stone brackets of the upper storey chajja is adorned with fine white lime into delightfully molded designs. Stuccowork in fine white plaster adorns the bay attached to the throne pavilion and adorning the vaults and ceilings is done so marvelously that they seem to be made of chiseled marble.
General Information about Machchhi Bhawan:
Location: Agra
State: Uttar Pradesh
Capital: Lucknow
Language: Hindi, English
Temperature: Max 42˚C, Min 27˚C (summer), Max 26˚C, Min 14˚C (winter)
Best Season: October to February
How to Reach Machchhi Bhawan:
By Air:
Agra airport is 7 km from the city centre and 3 km from Idgah bus stand and is connected by domestic flights from major Indian cities. There are daily round trip flights from Delhi to Agra, Khajuraho, and Varanasi, with a return to Delhi. It takes only about 40 minutes from Delhi to Agra.
By Road:
Agra is about 204 km from Delhi, the capital of India. There is an excellent national highway connecting Delhi and Agra and it is only a 4 hours drive from Delhi. There are many luxury taxis and buses that drive to Agra everyday. Idgah and Agra Fort are the main bus stands of Agra from where anybody can catch buses to and from or Delhi, Jaipur, Mathura and Fatehpur-Sikri.
By Rail:
Agra is well connected by rail to Delhi, Varanasi and cities of Rajasthan. The main railway station is the Agra Cantonment station. There are many trains connecting Delhi and Agra like Shatabdi, Rajdhani, Taj Express and luxury trains like the Palace on Wheels.