One of the several thrones used by the Moguls on occasions of ceremony was a stool eighteen inches high and four feet in diameter chiseled out of a solid block of natural crystal.  M. Tavernier asserts that it was the largest piece of crystal ever discovered, and that it was without a flaw.  It was shattered by the barbarians during the invasion of the Marathas in 1789.  But the peacock throne, which stood in the room I have just described, was even more wonderful, and stands as the most extraordinary example of extravagance on record.

[Illustration:  Hall of marble and mosaics in the palace of the moguls at Dehli]

A description written at the time says:  “It was so called from its having the figures of two peacocks standing behind it, their tails being expanded, and the whole so inlaid with diamonds, sapphires, rubies, emeralds, pearls and other precious stones of appropriate colors as to represent life.  The throne itself was six feet long by five feet broad.  It stood upon six massive feet, which, like the body, were of solid gold, inlaid with rubies, emeralds and diamonds.  It was surrounded by a canopy of gold, supported by twelve pillars, all richly emblazoned with costly gems, and a fringe of pearls ornamented the borders of the canopy.  Between the two peacocks stood a figure of a parrot of the ordinary size carved out of a single emerald.  On either side of the throne stood an umbrella, one of the emblems of royalty.  They were formed of crimson velvet, richly embroidered and fringed with pearls.  The handles were eight feet high, of solid gold thickly studded with diamonds.”

This throne, according to a medical gentleman named Bernier, the writer whose description I have quoted, was planned and executed under the direction of Austin de Bordeaux.  It was carried away by Nadir Shah to Teheran in 1739, and what is left of it is still used by the Shah of Persia on ceremonial occasions.  The canopy, the umbrellas, the emerald parrot and the peacocks have long ago disappeared.

The same splendor, in more or less degree, was maintained throughout the entire palace during the reign of the Moguls.  The apartments of the emperor and those of his wives, the harem, the baths, the public offices, the quarters for his ministers, secretaries and attendants were all built of similar materials and decorated in the same style of magnificence.  Some of the buildings are allowed to remain empty for the pleasures of tourists; others are occupied for military purposes, and the Rung Mahal, one of the most beautiful, formerly the residence of the Mogul’s favorite wife, is now used for a messroom by the officers of the garrison.  A writer of the seventh century who visited the place says:  “It was more beautiful than anything in the East that we know of.”

At one end of the group of the buildings is the Moti Majid, or Pearl Mosque, which answered to the private chapel of the Moguls, and has been declared to be “the daintiest building in all India.”  In grace, simplicity and perfect proportions it cannot be surpassed.  It is built of the purest marble, richly traced with carving.