Hawa-Mahal
Hawa Mahal , is a palace in Jaipur, India. It was built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh,
and designed by Lal Chand Usta in the form of the crown of Krishna, the Hindu god. Its unique
five-story exterior is also akin to the honeycomb of the beehive with its 953 small windows
called jharokhas that are decorated with intricate lattice work. The original intention of the lattice
was to allow royal ladies to observe everyday life in the street below without being seen, since
they had to observe strict "purdah" (face cover).
Overnight in Jaipur.
Umaid Bhawan Palace
Umaid Bhawan Palace, located at Jodhpur in Rajasthan, India, is one of the world's largest
private residences. A part of the palace is managed by Taj Hotels. Named after Maharaja Umaid
Singh, grandfather of the present owners of the palace, this monument has 347 rooms and serves
as the principal residence of the erstwhile Jodhpur royal family.
Umaid Bhawan Palace was called Chittar Palace during its construction due to its location on
Chittar Hill, the highest point in Jodhpur. Ground for the foundations of the building was broken
on 18 November 1929 by Maharaja Umaid Singh and the construction work was completed in
1943
Designed by renowned Edwardian architect Henry Lanchester, the palace is a blend of eastern
and western architectural influences. The building's prominent central dome, a majestic 105-foot
(32 m) high cupola, is influenced by the Renaissance, while the towers draw inspiration from
Rajput tradition. The project was to cost the Maharaja Rs 94,51,565. The resident engineer for
this project was Hiranand U. Bhatia. The interiors for the palace were designed by Maples of
London, however, in 1942 the ship transporting them was sunk by the Germans. As a result, the
Maharaja employed the services of a Polish interior designer Stefan Norblin. The lavish interiors
with gilt furniture and elegant artwork follow the Art Deco style, complemented by the exotic
murals of the self-exiled Polish artist Stefan Norblin. The new Chittar Palace was a fitting tribute
to its ancestor, the imposing and majestic Meherangarh Fort, which was built by Rao Jodha and
has never been conquered by force of arms.
City Palace - Udaipur
City Palace, Udaipur, is a palace complex in Udaipur, in the Indian state Rajasthan. It was built
by the Maharana Udai Singh as the capital of the Sisodia Rajput clan in 1559, after he moved
from Chittor. It is located on the east bank of the Lake Pichola and has several palaces built
within its complex. Udaipur was the historic capital of the former kingdom of Mewar in the
Rajputana Agency and its last capital.
The City Palace in Udaipur was built in a flamboyant style and is considered the largest of
its type in Rajasthan, a fusion of the Rajasthani and Mughal architectural styles, and was built
on a hill top that gives a panoramic view of the city and its surrounding, including several
historic monuments such as the Lake Palace in Lake Pichola, the Jag Mandir on another
island in the lake, the Jagdish Temple close to the palace, the Monsoon Palace on top of an
overlooking hillock nearby and the Neemach Mata temple. These structures are linked to the
filming of the James Bond movie Octopussy, which features the Lake Palace and the Monsoon
Palace. The subsequent publicity has resulted in the epithet of Udaipur as "Venice of the East".
Awards by Travel + Leisure.
Shiv Niwas Palace
Shiv Niwas Palace is a former residence of the Maharana of Udaipur, Rajasthan, located on the
banks of Lake Pichola. Located to the south side of and part of the City Palace complex, work on
this building was begun by Maharana Sajjan Shambhu Singh (1874 to 1884) and finished by his
successor Maharana Fateh Singh at the beginning of the 20th century as a royal guesthouse.
During its time as a guesthouse it hosted a number of royal gatherings and VIP visits from all
over the world, including George V of the United Kingdom, in 1905 and Edward the Prince of
Wales.
By the time that Bhagwat Singh succeeded to the throne of Mewar in 1955 it was becoming
increasing difficult for the royal family to afford the cost of maintaining the large numbers of
royal residences that they owned, and in particular the city palace. Following his success in
converting the Lake Palace into an income generating hotel he decided to also convert the Shiv
Niwas and the smaller Fateh Prakash Palace into luxury heritage hotels. After a 4 year long
period of conversion the Shiv Niwas opened as a hotel in 1982
Lake Palace
Lake Palace is a luxury hotel, of 83 rooms and suites featuring white marble walls, located on a
natural foundation of 4 acres (16,000 m2) rock on the Jag Niwas island in Lake Pichola, Udaipur,
India. The hotel operates a boat which transports guests to the hotel from a jetty at the City
Palace.
It was built in 1743 - 1746 under the direction of the Maharana Jagat Singh II (62nd successor
to the royal dynasty of Mewar) of Udaipur, Rajasthan as a royal summer palace and was initially
called Jagniwas or Jan Niwas after its founder. The Maharana, ruler of Jaipur built from 1628 to
1654. The palace was constructed facing east, allowing its inhabitants to pray to the Sun god at
the crack of dawn, which is the prominent element of Hindu Vasthu Shasthra.. The successive
rulers used this cool haven as their summer resort, holding their regal durbars in its courtyards
lined with columns, pillared terraces, fountains and gardens
Lallgarh Palace
Lalgarh Palace was built between 1902 and 1926 according to Rajput, Mughal and European
architectural styles. The building was commissioned by Maharaja Ganga Singh (1889 - 1925) in
memory of his father Maharaja Lall Singh and was designed by the British architect, Sir Swinton
Jacob. It is coated in red sandstone and has several grand halls, lounges, cupolas and pavilions.
The building features magnificent pillars, elaborate fireplaces, Italian colonnades and intricate
latticework and filigree work. The palace houses the Shri Sadul Museum as well as the fourth
largest library in the world. Though the Bikaner Royal Family still live in the palace, part of the
building has been converted into a Heritage hotel operated by the Royal faimly of Bikaner.
