Ballabhgarh, Faridabad, Haryana
Department of Archaeology and Museums, Haryana
The Rani Ki Chattri complex consists of a pavilion and a stepped tank, built by the widow of Anrudh Singh, Raja of Ballabhgarh until 1818, in memory of her late husband. The pavilion is a pillared hall Baradari structure with a square plan and an elevated plinth, reflecting a harmonious blend of Indo-Islamic architectural style.
Its architectural features include multi-cusped and pointed Islamic arches, Rajput-style jharokhas crowned with Bangaldar roofs, and a central chattri at the terrace level topped with an onion dome. The structure is built of brick and lime, clad in buff-coloured sandstone. The interior walls are finished with white Araish plaster, and the ceiling is painted.
Each corner of the building is accentuated by octagonal turrets decorated with blind arcades and niches at the ground level, and crowned with ribbed domed chattris at the roof level. A sandstone chajja, supported on decorative brackets, runs around the building just below the parapet.
The accompanying stepped tank is constructed with lakhauri brick walls featuring octagonal turrets and arched niches, a style characteristic of the traditional water-architecture of Haryana and Rajasthan.