All about the exquisite bathroom of Shah Jahan’s queen Mumtaz Mahal

It was Shah Jahan’s love and fascination for his beloved queen Mumtaz Mahal which led to the construction of the Taj Mahal. However, Emperor Shah Jahan was so much besotted with his favourite queen Mumtaz that he also got a special bathroom built for her at her personal palace in Agra Fort.The bathroom of Mumtaz at the Agra Fort has been made so that if one stands at any corner of the room and lights up a candle, the reflection of the candle will be visible in the several small mirrors fixed into beautiful patterns on the bathroom ceiling.

During her bath hour, the regal Mumtaz would lie in the bathtub and her handmaids would light up candles at every corner of the bathroom to create a spectacle with sparkling lights.As per the custom, musicians, who are only eunuchs, would play music outside the ghusal khana or the Mughal bathroom, while the queen enjoyed her long bath. So much so, the walls of the queen’s bathroom were made to produce different musical notes when tapped by the hand.

The walls of the bathroom were decorated with several paintings and carvings of coffee plant embellished with bright red coffee cherries. Even today, this painting looks bright due to the powdered ruby gemstone used by artists to paint the walls. Since Mumtaz and Shah Jahan loved wine, the artists also painted grave wine and grapes on the palace walls.

Coming back to the description of Mumtaz’s splendorous bathroom, it was crafted from marble having a fountain jet at the centre. So, basically the concept of Jacuzzi is not modern –even Shah Jahan’s queen enjoyed her bath in one! In order to operate these fountains, the construction workers had used a technique which ensured that the water would fall from the overhead tank with high pressure and then forcefully enter the fountain.

The tiny mirrors used in the bathroom were imported from Syria. All this was done because Shahjahan wanted to have enough of his beloved wife and enjoy her beauty by beholding several images of her.
This part of the fort is called Sheesh Mahal, or the Palace of Mirrors.
Venue: Sheesh Mahal at Agra Fort, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India