CURRENT CONTEXT : The Sheesh Mahal, Mughal-era palace in Shalimar Bagh (North Delhi), reopened to the public after ~370 years following restoration by ASI and DDA; inaugurated by Union Culture Minister and Delhi officials.

 ABOUT SHEESH MAHAL:

• Built: 1653 by Izz-un-Nisha Begum, wife of Shah Jahan, as a summer retreat replicating Kashmir’s Shalimar Bagh.
• Architecture: Baradari with central hall and water channel; red sandstone, brick, mirror-work chambers; Kangra & Rajasthani murals depicting poets Keshav, Surdas, Bihari; adjacent hammam (bathhouse).
• Historical significance: Site of Aurangzeb’s first coronation in 1658; declared ASI-protected monument in 1983.