About Shish Mahal:
Shish Mahal or the Glass Palace is situated on the western side of the Muthamman Burj below the Diwan-i-Khas hall. Shah Jehan built it between 1631-40, perhaps to be used as imperial baths. Thus, it had extra thick walls to ensure cool interiors. It was so named because of the extensive use of mirrors in its walls and ceilings set in the plaster. It lent a beautiful dramatic effect when illuminated and thus, it was purposefully made dark to necessitate the use of artificial light. According to Abdul Hamid Lahauri, the historian of Shah Jehan, these splendid mirrors belonged to Haleb (Aleppo, Syria) that was the main centre for manufacturing such glasses at the time. The palace consists of two large chambers connected through a broad arched opening in the center and two narrow passages on the sides. Only light that crept in here, reached here through the two doors and a ventilator in the southern wall. Both these chambers had a marble tank with fountains and arrangements for hot and cold water. The marble doors were provided so that the chamber could easily be used as the steam bath too. Besides the beautiful niches fitted with two inlets for water in the interior hall, there were two series of candle niches too, where the candles were kept to cast their reflection on the falling water casting a lovely effect. The dado panels in the outer hall have inlaid borders with plants painted in the center. Black and red colors have been used abundantly. The stucco relief work in the panels above them depict ‘guldasta’ or bunch of flowers in combination with glass mosaic work and may have contained mirrors or beautiful portraits at some time. There is no inlay work on the dados in the inner hall but they have been dutifully painted to lend them the desired beauty. There are semi-soffits and the ceilings are ornamented with stalactite pattern. The chiseled stuccowork in conventional Persian motifs and designs adorn the ceiling of the entrance portal.
General Information about Shish Mahal:
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 Shish Mahal:
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.