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India : The Royal Palaces in India |
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The
Hawa Mahal - Jaipur
Surrounded by palaces, many of which are also hotels,
the pink city of Jaipur, is a must city of Rajasthan
on every tourist's itinerary. A well-known shopping
and handicrafts paradise, Jaipur has become well known
for its breezy Hawa Mahal, popularly known as "The
Palace of Winds".
Known
as Jaipur's signature building, the Hawa Mahal, is
a multi-layered palace, built by Sawai Pratap Singh,
who was grand son of Sawai Jai Singh and son of Sawai
Madhoo Singh in 1799 AD and Mr. Lal Chand Usta was
the architect.
The
Impressive Architecture - Hawa Mahal
In Jaipur, the facades seem to have become as ornate
as the interiors and sometimes, as in the case of
the Hawa Mahal, Even more so. The Hawa Mahal, part
of the Jaipur city palace complex is a familiar landmark,
and is ties of pierced windows overlooking the street
below.
In
fact, the façade pretty much characterises
what for, on the inside the building is no more than
a series of corridors with windows overlooking the
street. Its purpose was simply to allow the royal
women a view of ceremonial processions while seated
behind the small windows. Allowing them to look out
without themselves being seen.
Famous
for it's beehive like structure, the Hava Mahal is
interplay of red and pink sand stone, carefully and
painstakingly outlined with white borders and motifs.
The palaces and forts of yesteryears, which were witness
to the royal processions and splendours are now living
monuments, accepted quite naturally into the lifestyle
of the people of Jaipur.
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City
Palace - Jaipur
The
City Palace is an imposing blend of traditional Rajasthani
and Mughal art and architecture. The City Palace complex
houses several palatial structures. In the heart of
the old Jaipur city, the City Palace occupies a large
area divided into a series of courtyards, gardens
and buildings. Jai Singh built the outer wall but
other additions were made much later, some right up
to the start of this century. The former Maharaja
still lives in part of the palace. The City Palace
sprawls over one-seventh of the area of the walled
city. It houses the Chandra Mahal, Shri Govind Dev
Temple and the City Palace Museum.
The
first building in it, is Mubarak Mahal, built by Maharaja
Madho Singh. It has a beautifully carved marble gate
with heavy brass doors on either side of this gate.
Beyond this gate, lies the 'Diwan-E-Khas' or the 'Hall
Of Private Audience' with a marble paved gallery. Across
a paved square lies the 'Diwan-E-Am' or the 'Hall Of
Public Audience', with its intricate decorations and
manuscripts in Persian and Sanskrit. There is also a
clock tower and the newer Mubarak Mahal.
To
the north-west is the stately and graceful seven-storeyed
Chandra Mahal, the residence of ex-ruler. The seven-story
Chandra Mahal is the centrepiece and commands fine views
of the gardens and the Jaipur city. The complex contains
an excellent museum, an armoury and several fine halls.
The apartments are maintained in luxurious order and
the museum of Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II has an extensive
collection of art, carpets, enamelware and old weapons.
The
paintings include miniatures in Rajasthani, Mughal and
Persian schools. The armoury dating back to the 15th
century and many of the ingenious and tricky weapons,
which the warrior Rajputs were famous for. A section
of museum also contains dresses and costumes of the
former Maharajas and Maharanis of Jaipur. Each storey
has a distinctive name and is a place of sheer beauty
and luxury. Paintings, floral decorations, mirror walls
and ceilings in the traditional style adorn the palace.
The uppermost storey is called the Mukut Mahal.
Opposite
the Chandra Mahal lies the Badal Mahal. The Govind Devji
Temple stands in the middle of the Chandra Mahal and
the Badal Mahal. A delightful system of mountains is
placed in the middle of the paved path between the Chandra
Mahal and the Badal Mahal. The palace has extensive
and sprawling gardens.
Outside
the buildings, you may see a large silver vessel which
a former Maharaja used to take drinking water with him
to England. Being a devout Hindu, he could not drink
the English water! |
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Naulakha Palace
The
oldest extant palace in Gondal, the 17th Century Naulakha
palace is a festival of stone carvings with exquisite
Jarokha balconies, a fabulous pillared stud courtyard,
delicately carved arches and a unique spiral staircase.
The private palace museum has an impressive display
of silver caskets which carried messages and gifts for
Maharajah Bhagwat Sinhji on hills silver jubilee as
ruler of Gondal, one of the many golden caskets received
by him on his 50th anniversary, the weighing scales
on which he was measured against silver and gold on
the respective anniversaries, and princely relics.
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Padam
Palace
Resting
in a nest-shaped valley on the left bank of the Satluj
River is Rampur's Padam Palace, 125-km from Shimla.
The township came up because of its strategic location
on the old Hindustan-Tibet trade route, which was accessible
and not snowbound. From the humble origins of being
a trading point to becoming the winter capital of the
powerful erstwhile Bushair state is the background under
which the palace was built.
Raja
Padam Singh, a builder of stature in his own principality,
assigned the task of building the palace to his chief
engineer, Bir Chand Shukla. It took six years (1919-1925)
for the building to take shape. Named after the Raja,
the building witnessed the merger of Bushair State with
the Indian union.
Reflecting
the glorious past of the princely state, the palace
is an outstanding example of the taste, style and architecture
of the erstwhile hill states, and a tribute to local
craftsmen who toiled to carve out its beauty.
The
two-storey building is done in wood and stone, with
a slanting tin roof with spiral projections. There is
a big lawn, which was used for festivities and public
functions. At one end of the lawn is Macchkandi, a masterpiece
in woodwork, which was used for seating the royal family
during the festivities. The Macchkandi was designed
by Gurjit Singh Fishta and the woodwork done by the
father-and-son team of Gurmail Singh and Gurdev Singh.
Stones
for the building were quarried at Khaneri and the wood
was brought down from the jungles of Munish and Dhamreda.
Black gram paste was used for cementing the stone blocks.
The stone arches of the lower floor and woodwork of
the upper storey mark a striking contrast. The tipper
storey wooden screen has floral and figurine designs
so as to partially admit light without exposing those
inside.
The
building houses halls where royal functions were held.
Apartments of the royal family members were located
in the building as well as in the palace complex. Portraits
of the royal lineage adorn the walls of the hall and
the ceiling has some exquisite woodcarvings, which are
tastefully painted and polished.
The
building is a silent spectator of bygone days, has been
well maintained and continues to be a private property.
The heritage of Himachal Pradesh is stamped on it.
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Neer
Mahal
Neer
Mahal, the Water Palace, is situated 53 kms from Agartala
and 22 kms from Sepahijala Forest Sanctuary. It was
built in 1930 by Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya
with the British Architecture company (Martin and Burn),
as a summer resort. The architecture is a fusion of
Hindu and Muslim styles. It is on an island in Rudrasagar
Lake covering an area of 5.3 kms. The Water Palace of
Neer Mahal is the top attraction of Tripura. It is a
beautiful and peaceful place and is a center for migrating
birds in winter. Well laid gardens and flood lights
add to its beauty. The 400 m long palace has 24 rooms.
Boat Race festival on the lake is organized each year
in the month of September. |
| Ranjit
Vilas Palace
Amarsinhji
built the Ranjit Vilas Palace on a hill, overlooking
Wankaner town. It took seven years to complete and was
designed by Amarsinhji himself. It was inaugurated by
and named after his dear friend Jam Ranjitsinjhi of
Jamnagar.
The ground of the palace extends to two hundred and
twenty five acres. The state guesthouse, Chandra Bhavan
is also located in the same campus in the vicinity of
the Ranjit Vilas Palace.
Architecture
Ranjit Vilas Palace is a very eclectic building, a bold
attempt to synthesize various architectural styles.
The front and back facades are appropriately designed
in response to its location. The receding volumes, on
the front, creating a series of terraces culminating
in two beautifully designed pavilions with gothic arches.
The
back façade, on the town side, really establishes
the palace as an impressive landmark. The seven storeyed
central clock tower capped by a Mughal dome and two
five storeyed high bastions, at both the corners, culminate
in hexagonal 'chhatris'.
The
façade has arcades of arched Victorian windows,
Italianate pillars, gothic arches and classical parapets.
A massive Dutch roof spans the central wing of the palace.
A double staircase is the unique feature of the interior
of this palace, where the royal ladies could ascend
and descend without being seen by men. A similar double
staircase at Chateau de Chambord, Loire, France, dating
to the Renaissance period, inspired this staircase.
Exotic
Decoratives
This palace has a memorable collection of swords, shields
and daggers, 95 species of stuffed animals, duelling
pistols, pig sticking spears, silver, linen chests,
silver-plated howdahs, thrones, paintings and portraits.
The palace has magnificent spiraling marble staircase,
stained glass galleries, chandeliers and period furniture.
Vintage
Car Collection
The garage, on the grounds of the palace complex, has
vintage cars like the 1921 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost,
some imposing American cars and horse-drawn carriages.
The
palace also has a stable of Kathiawadi horses. There
are large grounds with beautiful Italianate fountains.
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