diwan-i-khas, agra

The Diwan-I-Am (the hall of public audience) (1628 35 A.D.)

This palace was bull-by the Mughal king Shah Jehan who later commissioned similar halls in the forts of Lahore and Delhi. Originally here was no si one-and. mortar Diwan-i-am building in this fort and the assembly was held in a cloth tent and then in a wooden hall,. S recorded by the historian lahars. It is placed in the middle of the eastern side of a large chowk, with arcaded dalans on all sides, which is the basic design of Shahjehanian diwan-i-am. It is a pillared hall which measures into feet and has 9 broad, semicircular,. Cusped engrailed arches on the facade and 3 arches on each side, supported on grand double columns it is 3.aisles deep and is composed of symbolic 40 pillar sites (ch'hil.sutun), making 27 auspicious astronomical bays. Though built of red sandstone. The whole of it has been white shell plastered, looking like marble. The imperial jhardiha ithrdne) . Chamber in the middle of the eastern wall is of white marble with inlay ornamentation. Lahauri noted that there was a silver balustrade and the nobles stood here in perfect order, humility and submission, in attendance to their king who transacted day-to-day state business here.

It's noteworthy that unlike the Fatehpur Slkr diwan-i-am of afar which faces east; it faces west, the direction of the holy ka'sah. It was converted into an arsenal by the British east India co (1803) and was restored by the archaeological survey of India.