The Rang Mahal is a part of the zenana, or the women's quarters in the palace in the Red Fort Complex. The zenana consisted of five pavilions lined up along the banks of the Jamuna river. Rang Mahal is the large and fine building bordered by the Mumtaz Mahal at the southern end of the zenana. It was the main resort for royal women.
In plan, the pavilion is three bays deep and seven bays wide. The bays are formed by broad, cross-shaped piers supporting a series of cusped arches and a flat roof. The bays at either end of the pavilion are enclosed into rooms.
The entrance is through five broad archways with cusped arches and faces a garden forecourt to the west. At the center of the hall is a lotus shaped fountain that empties out to marble channels on either side that are known as the Nahr-i Bahisht (or River of Paradise) and connect several pavilions.
The original ceiling was gilded and decorated with elaborate mirror work. The walls have marble relief carvings.
Sources:
Mukherji, Anisha Shekhar. 2003. The red fort of Shahjahanabad. Delhi ; Oxford: Oxford University Press, 137-139.
Tillotson, G.H.R. 1990. Mughal India. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 59-60.
Williams, John A. and Caroline. 1980. Architecture of Muslim India. Set 8: Shahjahan (1627-1658), The Imperial Citadels. Santa Barbara, California: Visual Education, Inc.
