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Khasi Mahal

Khasi Mahal, also called Khush Mahal, is a large hall near the western gateway of the Swayambhu temple site in Warangal Fort. Hirananda Sastri identified it in 1932 as the durbar hall of Shitab Khan.

Period
Post-Kakatiya, about 1500 CE, attributed to Shitab Khan
Materials
Massive masonry, thick walls
Location
17.9564° N, 79.6131° EWarning: approximate

Source of the position: Geotags on Wikimedia Commons photographs of the building

Condition
Standing.
The end wall of Khush Mahal at Warangal: a massive grey stone facade with strongly sloping sides, a tall pointed-arched entrance and arched niches, crowned by a row of small merlons

The photograph shows Khush Mahal, which is taken here to be the Khasi Mahal of the 1900 list. The thick walls slope inward as they rise, and a tall pointed arch frames the entrance.

Photo: Pinakpani, via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0

The long side of Khush Mahal, a large rectangular stone hall with a row of tall arched recesses, seen across open ground with parked cars

The long side of the hall, articulated by a row of tall arched recesses. The building consists of a single great hall.

Photo: Pinakpani, via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0

Detail

  • The 1900 survey describes a very large and lofty building that faces north and has a single great hall.ASI 1900
  • The interior has clerestory lights. The roof was apparently never finished above the transverse arches.ASI 1900
  • The walls are very thick, and their outer faces slope inward as they rise. The floor is paved.ASI 1900
  • The hall measures 86 by 24 feet. Its arches rise 28 feet, and its walls are 36 feet 10 inches high and 20 feet thick at the base.Nizam’s Archaeological Reports 1920–31
  • Hirananda Sastri identified the building as the durbar hall of Shitab Khan and described it as built in the Pathan style.Hirananda Sastri 1932
  • India's 2019 reply to UNESCO states that Khush Mahal was built partly with stones taken from the ruined Swayambhu temple.UNESCO additional information 2019

Historical photographs

These photographs were published a century or more ago. They show the monument as it stood before later repair and restoration.

The tall, flat-topped stone front of the Khush Mahal with a deep pointed arch at its centre. A sloping mass of rough masonry leans against its right side.

Photographed before 1928

The report for 1925-26 calls this building Shitab Khan's Hall in Warangal Fort. A sloping mass of rough masonry stands against its right side. The report was published in 1928.

Photo: Hyderabad Archaeological Department, Annual Report of the Archaeological Department of H.E.H. the Nizam's Dominions for 1925-26, 1928 · Public domain

The long stone hall of the Khush Mahal seen from the north-west. Tall pointed arches line its side wall. A block of rough rubble masonry is built against one end.

Photographed before 1928

The report for 1925-26 shows Shitab Khan's Hall from the north-west. Rough rubble masonry is built against one end of the hall. The report was published in 1928.

Photo: Hyderabad Archaeological Department, Annual Report of the Archaeological Department of H.E.H. the Nizam's Dominions for 1925-26, 1928 · Public domain

The interior of a long stone hall spanned by a row of pointed stone arches. A sunken channel runs along the middle of the floor. A doorway at the far end lets in light.

Photographed before 1932

This view inside Shitab Khan's Hall was published in 1932. A row of pointed stone arches spans the hall. A sunken channel runs along the middle of the floor.

Photo: Hyderabad Archaeological Department, Shitab Khan of Warangal (Hyderabad Archaeological Series 9), 1932 · Public domain

Also recorded as

  • Khasi Mahal
  • Khas Mahal
  • Khasi Palace
  • Khush Mahal
  • Kush Mahal
  • Kushimahal
  • Shitab Khan’s Hall

Sources