very year after the monsoons, this ravaged monument whose name means “ship palace” hosts music, dance and acting. It becomes the focal point of cultural activities marking Phoolwalon ki Sair, a festival in which floral tributes are paid to two premier Hindu and Muslim shrines in Mehrauli, a south Delhi region filled with monuments of almost every signifiant historical timeline.

Some historians say Jahaz Mahal, built during the Lodhi period (1452-1526), was a mosque. Some think it was the residence of a holy man. Others believe it to be a serai (inn) that took in visiting pilgrims.

Adjacent to Hauz-e-Shamsi, a water tank built by Sultan Iltumish, it could also have been a pleasure palace, a harem, or a summer refuge for the Delhi royalty.

In any case, Jahaz Mahal got its name because its reflection in the rippling waters of the tank looked like a moving ship.

Over the…