Farah Bagh ( Faria Bagh): A16th-century Naturally air-conditioned palace of Ahmednagar, MH^

Navrang India September 14, 2025

 Farah Bagh (or Faria Bagh), a significant 16th-century palace located in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, stands as a testament to the architectural ingenuity of the Nizam Shahi rulers. Completed in 1583, it served as the opulent centerpiece of a sprawling palatial complex, often frequented by Murtaza Nizam Shah for leisure activities, including chess with his favorite Delhi singer, Fateh Shah, for whom a separate "Lakad Mahal" was also built within the gardens.

Farah Bagh  Ahmednagar, India dreamstime.com

The palace's architecture is a remarkable octagonal structure, though now largely in ruins. It originally boasted a central hall with a thirty-foot-high dome and a flat-roofed upper story, providing panoramic views of the surroundings. The primary building materials were rough stone and lime masonry, meticulously made stuccoes both inside and out. Historically, the palace was encircled by a grand pond, approximately 17 feet deep and 150 feet wide, fed by the Bhingar aqueduct. A vast 500-yard garden, still home to various trees, enhanced its serene ambiance.

Farah Bagh  Ahmednagar, India commons.wikimedia.org

Above image:  Farah Bagh, also known as Faria Bagh, an attractive palace  with a fine ambiance was popular among the Shahi Sultans of Maharashtra. Built in 1583, sultan Murtaza Nizam Shah of the Ahmednagar sultanate liked it so much, he often visited this place to play chess with a Delhi singer and friend whom he called Fateh Shah, He  built  a separate mahal  for him  called Lakad Mahal in the garden............
Farah Bagh  Ahmednagar, India
One of Farah Bagh's most fascinating features was its sophisticated natural cooling system, a marvel of 16th-century engineering, particularly crucial for the scorching Deccan summers. Researchers from the National Museum Institute and the Archaeological Survey of India have studied this unique "lime technology." They discovered that the 13-cm-thick lime plaster on the walls was embedded with porous materials like stone, fired pottery, and brick pieces. Combined with aggregates like sand, jute fiber, and dry paddy stem, this mix increased the plaster's porosity and ability to absorb moisture from the surrounding pond and fountains. In the heat, this absorbed moisture would slowly evaporate through the plaster, creating a cooling effect inside the palace. This ingenious technique reportedly kept the interiors 8-12 degrees Celsius cooler than the external temperatures, which could reach 46-48 degrees Celsius.

Farah Bagh  Ahmednagar, India dreamstime.com

Above image:  The study by the ASI and others revealed that  to stay indoors cool and comfortable the architect and masons  used  a unique lime mortar technique that would cut down the radiation and heat from outside  to keep indoors cool........

Farah Bagh  Ahmednagar, India miscellaneousbharat.com

Above image:  The natural cooling technique kept  day temperatures low inside the building  from 8-12 degrees Celsius far much lower  than the outdoor  heat from 46 to 48 degrees Celsius normally common between March and June in this Deccan region, most of which is made of volcanic Basaltic rocks....... 

Despite its historical significance and architectural brilliance, Farah Bagh today is largely in a dilapidated state, "crying for restoration." While academic studies have highlighted its unique construction, and discussions about "adaptive reuse" as a museum or cultural center have been proposed, large-scale, comprehensive restoration efforts by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) or the state government appear to be limited or fragmented. The monument's structural weakness due to wild growth and lack of consistent maintenance continues to be a concern, prompting calls for urgent conservation measures to preserve this invaluable piece of Nizam Shahi heritage.

https://www.navrangindia.in/2023/11/farah-bagh-once-serene-pleasure-palace.htm

https://www.indianetzone.com/76/farah_bagh.htm

https://www.navrangindia.in/2023/11/farah-bagh-once-serene-pleasure-palace.html

The study ‘Architectural features and characterisation of 16th century Indian Monument Farah Bagh, Ahmed Nagar, India’, was published in the International Journal of Architectural Heritage on May 8.