THE RANG MAHAL 219 



steps turned in the darkness of the building, my 

 attention was attracted by a cupboard door, 

 curiously carved. As I touched it the hinge 

 gave way, and the little door, falling back, 

 revealed three old kettledrums. Above them in 

 a tiny niche stood a blackened earthenware 

 lamp and fresh offerings of flowers, marigolds and 

 the bright purple of bougainvillaea petals. What 

 were they doing here, and who had placed them 

 in this apparently deserted spot ? Had they 

 been offered to some presiding deity of the 

 garden, or to the war drums — relics of a splendid 

 past ? Or was it only the ancient Nag-worship, 

 the^ Water-snake of the Spring, defying all the 

 centuries ? Like the soldiers, I too went away 

 puzzled. 



When Fadai Khan built his towering Rang 

 Mahal (the Painted Palace) he must at least, 

 so one would judge from its size, have meant to 

 spend some time there, possibly all the summer 

 months. This building is the largest in the 

 garden, and is beautifully placed on the wall 

 dividing the upper garden, with its two enclosures, 

 from the larger garden below. 



Like most Indian palaces, the actual closed-in 

 space is small, for the wide, terraced roof-top 



