Diwan-e-Am is a luxurious chamber housed in the
Red Fort,Old Delhi It was hall for public audience; where the emperor used to hear the complaints or disputes of his people and meet dignitaries and foreign emissaries.
Built of sandstone covered with shell plaster polished to look like ivory, the 80 x 40 ft hall is sub-divided by columns. The striking feature of the Diwan-e-Am is the alcove in the back wall where the emperor sat in state on a richly carved and inlaid marble platform. In the recess behind the platform are fine examples of Italian pietra-dura work.
Diwan-e-Am was decorated with precious stones, which were looted during the mutiny of 1857. Later this hall was restored by the Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon.
