South of the Diwan-i-Khas is the dainty Khas Mahal, containing the emperor’s private apartments, shielded from prying eyes by lace-like carved marble screens. An artificial stream, the nahr-i-bihisht (river of paradise), once flowed through the apartments to the adjacent Rang Mahal, home to the emperor’s chief wife. The exterior of the palace was once lavishly painted; inside is an elegant lotus-shaped fountain.
