removed his
turban and offered prayers, first kneeling in the Christian manner,
then prostrating himself according to the Muhammadan custom, and,
finally, after the ritual of the Hindus. One of the Christian
congregation having died about this time, he granted permission for
the funeral procession to pass through the streets of Fatehpur with
all the ceremonies of the Catholic faith. Many of the inhabitants,
both Hindus and Muhammadans, attended the funeral. Akbar was never
persuaded to become a convert to Christianity, nor does there appear
to be any ground for the belief that one of his wives was a Christian.

THE DIWAN-I-AM.--The west side of the Diwan-i-am (Hall of Public
Audience) and its cloisters coincide for the whole length with the
east of the palace quadrangle. The description already given of the
Diwan-i-am at Agra will explain the functions for which this building
was intended. The throne, or judgment seat, of Akbar was placed
between two pierced stone screens in the verandah in front of the hall.

THE PANCH MAHAL.--This curious five-storied pavilion is nearly
opposite to the Diwan-i-am. It is approached by a staircase from the
Mahal-i-khas. Each story was originally enclosed by pierced stone
screens; this, and the fact that the whole building overlooked the
palace zanana, make it tolerably certain that it could only have
been used as a promenade by Akbar and the ladies of the court. The
ground-floor, which was divided into cubicles by screens between the
columns, may; as Keene suggests, have been intended for the royal
children and their attendants. The building is chiefly remarkable for
the invention and taste shown in the varied designs of the columns,
in which the three principal styles of Northern India, the Hindu,
Jain, and Saracenic, are indiscriminately combined.

MIRIAM'S KOTHI.--Another doorway in the west side of the palace
quadrangle leads to Miriam's House, a very elegant two-storied building
showing marked Hindu feeling in the design. The Rama incarnation
of Vishnu appears on one of the carved brackets of the verandah. It
seems to have derived its name from Akbar's Hindu wife, Mariam Zamani,
the mother of Jahangir. Her name literally means "Mary of the age,"
a common designation used by Muhammadan women in honour of the Mother
of Jesus. This has led to the fable that the house was occupied by a
Christian wife of Akbar. The whole building was originally covered with
fresco paintings and gild