Diwan-i-Khas

Save

This Hall of Private Audiences in the Red Fort was used for bowing and scraping to the emperor. Above the corner arches to the north and south is inscribed in Urdu, 'If there is paradise on the earth – it is this, it is this, it is this'. Nadir Shah looted the legendary jewel-studded Peacock Throne from here in 1739. Bahadur Shah Zafar became the last Mughal emperor here in May 1857, but was exiled by the British seven months later.

At the time of research, visitors could no longer enter the Diwan-i-Khas, but could still peer in through the open frontage.

Transportation

metro: Chandni Chowk

Suggest an edit to this attraction

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Mehrauli Archaeological Park
9.8 MILES
There are extraordinary riches scattered around Mehrauli, with more than 440 monuments – from the 10th century to the British era – dotting a forest and…
Red Fort
0.16 MILES
Founded by Emperor Shah Jahan and surrounded by a magnificent 18m-high wall, this fort took 10 years to construct (1638–48) and is rumoured to have had…
Humayun’s Tomb
4.36 MILES
Humayun’s tomb is sublimely well proportioned, seeming to float above its symmetrical gardens. It's thought to have inspired the Taj Mahal, which it…
Jama Masjid
0.74 MILES
A beautiful pocket of calm at the heart of Old Delhi's mayhem, the capital's largest mosque is built on a 10m elevation. It can hold a mind-blowing 25,000…
Hazrat Nizam-ud-din Dargah
4.43 MILES
Visiting the marble shrine of Muslim Sufi saint Nizam-ud-din Auliya is Delhi's most mystical, magical experience. The dargah is hidden away in a tangle of…
Akshardham Temple
3.52 MILES
Delhi's largest temple, the Gujarati Hindu Swaminarayan Group’s Akshardham Temple was built in 2005, and is breathtakingly lavish. Artisans used ancient…
Qutb Minar Complex
9.67 MILES
If you only have time to visit one of Delhi's ancient ruins, make it this. The first monuments here were erected by the sultans of Mehrauli, and…
Lodi Garden
4.69 MILES
Delhi's loveliest escape was originally named after the wife of the British Resident, Lady Willingdon, who had two villages cleared in 1936 in order to…

View more attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Khas Mahal

0.02 MILES

South of the public area of the Diwan-i-Khas in the Red Fort is the Khas Mahal, where the emperor lived and slept, shielded from prying eyes by lace-like…

2. Royal Baths

0.03 MILES

Closed to the public, the royal hammam in the Red Fort once contained a sauna and hot baths for the royal family.

3. Rang Mahal

0.04 MILES

So-named because its exterior was once a riot of colour, Rang Mahal in the Red Fort was the home of the emperor's chief wife. Like the other Red Fort…

4. Moti Masjid

0.04 MILES

This small white mosque in the Red Fort was built by Aurangzeb as his private place of worship. The outer walls align with the fort walls, while the inner…

5. Diwan-i-Am

0.08 MILES

In the Red Fort, this arcade of sandstone columns was the hall of public audience, where the emperor greeted guests and dignitaries from a throne on the…

6. Museum of Archaeology

0.1 MILES

Before the renovations, this museum set inside the Mumtaz Mahal in the Red Fort, displayed a fascinating collection of royal vestments, miniature…

7. Mumtaz Mahal

0.1 MILES

South of the Rang Mahal in the Red Fort is this pavilion, thought to have been built for Arjumand Banu Begum (also known as Mumtaz Mahal) – the Taj Mahal…

8. Shahi Burj

0.16 MILES

The Shahi Burj, in the Red Fort, is a three-storey octagonal tower that was Shah Jahan's favoured workplace. From here he planned the running of his…

View more attractions

placement: superzone
path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],

targeting:

{
  "url": "india/delhi/old-delhi-shahjahanabad/attractions/diwan-i-khas/a/poi-sig/1337796/1342596",
  "position": "superzone"
}