Jal Mahal

Location : Narnaul, Haryana Built By : Shah Quli Khan Built During : 1590-1591 AD. Built by Shah Quli Khan, a commander of 'Four Thousand' under Akbar in 1589 AD, Jal Mahal, a pleasure tank is a building surrounded on all sides by water. It represents a synthesis of Persian and Indian architecture and stands at the centre of a large water tank. Jal Mahal, a pleasure palace situated in the middle of a tank known by the name of Khan Sarovar, was built, according to a Persian inscription over the main entrance. The entrance to the palace is from the north through a gatehouse with rooms for guards, constructed over a bridge resting on sixteen arched spans. The palace consists of a square central chamber with four small chambers on the sides placed at its four corners. The corner chambers are double storeyed within the same height. Four staircases, two each in the north and south faces, give access to the upper storeys. The roof of the central chamber is crowned by an octagonal cupola surrounded by a hemispherical dome balanced by four smaller cupolas placed over the corner chambers. The Jal Mahal was constructed during the reign of Akbar in AD 1590 - 91. The tank was completed in AD 1592-93.