This rectangular pavilion, a small summerhouse attributed to Shah Jahan, stands besides the Shish Mahal, or Hall of Mirrors, in the northern section of Lahore Fort. It is built entirely of marble, and is remarkable for its deeply curving roof in the Bengali tradition. Its form also derives from the baldachin coverings seen in European illustrations, associated during Shah Jahan's reign with religious and royal images. The original roof was probably gilded. Mosaics of glazed tile decorate the spandrels of the arched openings with images of angels, jinn, and solomonic symbols. The pietra dura ornamentation in the pavilion is considered among the finest in the world.
Sources:
Koch, Ebba. 1991. Mughal Architecture. Munich: Prestel. pp. 115, 136.
Chaudhry, Nazir Ahmad. 1998. Lahore: Glimpses of a Glorious Heritage. Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications.
p. 138.
"Bangla Pavilion". World Monuments Fund Panographies. http://www.world-heritage-tour.org/asia/pk/lahore/shahiQila/khawabgarh-i-Jehangir.html. [Accessed February 2, 2006]
