Jahaz Mahal means "Ship" and 'Mahal' means "Palace", the "Ship Palace"), is next to Hauz-i-Shamsi in Mehrauli, Delhi on its northeastern corner. Its reflection (illusion) in the surrounding reservoir looked like a ship floating on a lake. Lodi dynasty built it in the period (1452–1526) as a pleasure resort, Sarai, or an inn. One reason for building the Jahaj Mahal retreat was to provide transit accommodation as a Sarai or (inn) to many pilgrims from Afghanistan, Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Morocco and Turkey who came to Delhi to visit the many Muslim shrines. Another version is that it was built as a retreat for the emperors, Akbar Shah II and Bahadur Shah II and their families, away from Delhi's heat and dust during the summer months. Jahaj Mahal is the venue of the Phool Walon Ki Sair (means a procession of the florists) or 'Sair-i-Gulfaroshan' held in October. A procession of flower-bedecked pankhas (fans) starts from Mehrauli at the outlet of the Hauz-i-Shamsi tank, called "Jharna." It stops at the Yogmaya Temple for the first offering of the flower fan as a mark of reverence, moves to the Jahaj Mahal and finally ends at the famous dargah of Hazrat Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki for the presentation of the fans and chaddar at Kaki's dargha. It marks the syncretic Hindu-Muslim composite culture. The festival was started by Emperor Akbar Shah II in 1820. It was popularised by Emperor Bahadur Shah II. It was discontinued from 1942 for a time during the British period but was restarted in 1961 at the initiative of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India.
