About Mayura Mandapa:
Jehangiri Mahal has several other apartments accompanying it in its superstructure such as two rectangular pavilions or chaukhandis and the Mayura Mandapa or the Peacock Hall. This red sandstone building has an open central courtyard. It was named so after the graceful peacock shaped brackets supporting its chajjas; each peacock having a serpent in its beak. The stuccowork is profusely used here and geometrical designs inlaid with white marble on a red sandstone background look quite impressive. In fact, white marble is sometimes mistaken for ivory. Like other monuments here, perforated screens, brackets, struts and chhajjas are used to enhance the overall visual appeal of the building and appease the aesthetic sense of the people. The remnants of the painting on the southern and eastern walls of the palace can still be seen. The gypsum mortal is used in the incised work of the ceilings of the southern chambers and hence, it is known as gesso work. It is said that these chambers were originally gilded with a thick layer of pure gold that were later scraped off by the plunderers.
General Information about Mayura Mandapa:
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 Mayura Mandapa:
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.