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.
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.
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.
Samode Palace, Samode Haveli and Samode Bagh
Samode Palace, Samode Haveli and Samode Bagh (Garden) are heritage monuments and
structures built by the noble feudatory with the hereditary title of 'Maha Rawal' or 'Maha
Saheb’ of the Amber and Jaipur principality in Rajasthan, India. All three have rich history
of several hundred years and display a fusion of Mughal and Rajasthani art and architecture.
They are now part of the Heritage group of hotels under the flagship name of “Samode”
that are run by the hereditary owners of these structures. The Samode Palace is located
40 kilometres (25 mi) north of Jaipur city, the Samode Haveli is close to Jaipur (centrally located
within city limits, 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) away from the city railway station) and the Samode
Bagh or Garden, 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) from the palace which is also run as a luxury hotel.
Many Hindi feature films have been pictured with the settings of the palace. The 1984 American
HBO TV serial adaption of the Raj-romance novel, The Far Pavilions, was also filmed in
the palace precincts and starred Ben Cross, Amy Irving, Omar Sharif and Christopher Lee.
Deeg Palace
Deeg Palace is a palace situated near Bharatpur in Rajasthan state in India. Built in 1772 it lies
32 km from Bharatpur. The strong citadel with towering walls and bastions was erected slightly
later in 1730 AD by Surajmal, the worthy son of Badan Singh. About the same period according
to certain writers the large charming tank called Rup Sagar was built by Rup Singh, the brother
of Badan Singh. The beautiful garden retreat adorning this city is the most outstanding of
the artistic accomplishments of Surajmal and serves to this day a glorious memorial to the
celebrated hero of the Jat tribe. After the death of Surajmal, his son Jawahar Singh (1764–68
AD) completed certain palaces including the Suraj Bhawan and gave finishing touch to the
gardens and fountains.
The architecture of Deeg is mainly represented by the mansions called the Bhawans popularly
known as Gopal Bhawan, Suraj Bhawan, Kishan Bhawan, Nand Bhawan, Keshav Bhawan,
Hardev Bhawan. The striking features of these palaces are balanced outlines, fine proportions,
commodious halls, attractive and logically disposed arcades, alluring greenery, charming tanks
and canals with fountains. The layout of Deeg gardens is based on formality of the Mughal Char
bagh or fourfold garden patterns and flanked by two reservoirs called namely Rup Sagar and
Gopal Sagar.
Jag Mandir
Jag Mandir is a palace built on an island in the Lake Pichola. It is also called the "Lake Garden
Palace". The palace is located in Udaipur city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. Its construction
is credited to three Maharanas of the Sisodia Rajputs of Mewar kingdom. The construction
of the palace was started in 1551 by Maharana Amar Singh, continued by Maharana Karan
Singh (1620–1628) and finally completed by Maharana Jagat Singh I (1628–1652). It is named
as "Jagat Mandir" in honour of the last named Maharana Jagat Singh. The royal family used
the palace as a summer resort and pleasure palace for holding parties. The palace served as a
refuge to asylum seekers on two separate occasions
