City Palace

In India a city Palace forms one of the most famous tourist attractions and a major landmark. The beautiful palace was built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh during his reign. Among the various forts and palaces of Jaipur, City Palace stands apart, with its outstanding art and architecture. City Palace complex covers a huge area, which is divided into a series of gardens, courtyards and buildings. Initially, Raja Jai Singh built the outer wall occupying a huge area. The additional grand buildings were constructed later by the succeeding rulers. A part of the exquisite Palace still makes home for the former Maharaja/ King. The premises consists several buildings like Chandra Mahal, Mubarak Mahal, Mukut Mahal, Maharani's Palace, Shri Govind Dev Temple and the City Palace Museum. One would come across the Mubarak Mahal, as one enters the first square. Mubarak Mahal was built by Sawai Madho Singh in the 19th century to entertain his guests. Today, it has converted into a costume gallery, which displays royal attires of the Kings. After crossing the first square, a beautiful gateway welcomes to Diwan-I-Khas, a hall meant for private audience. It has two sterling silver vessels on display and they are acclaimed to be the world's largest silver vessel. These vessels were made for Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II to carry water from River Ganga to drink on his trip to England. Diwan-I-Aam, which was meant for public audience, forms the other attraction of this courtyard. At present, it makes an art gallery showcasing enthralling painted ceilings and rare ancient handwritten original manuscripts of Hindu scriptures. In the series, Maharani's Palace, which was meant for royal queens, has been converted into a museum, showcasing weapons dated back to 15th century. Chandra Mahal is essentially regarded as the best part, out of the whole tour to City Palace. It has seven stories and each story is known by a different name. The topmost story is known as Mukut Mahal. The wonderful architecture of this Palace with delicate paintings, mirror work on walls and floral decorations, makes it a "must-see" for every visitor. In the present day, this palace serves as the residence of ex-ruler. Badal Mahal stands opposite to Chandra Mahal and while crossing the path, one would find Govind Dev Ji Temple between them. Above all these, the Palace also offers delicacies in its multi cuisine restaurant. To sum up, the City Palace is a structure of historical importance and a souvenir of the regal past. The palace, with its royal grace stands as a symbol of magnificence. All these features of City Palace leave the tourists with no other option, but to visit it.

Indian Palaces

Palaces

Over the hundred countries India has been known for its rich culture some other major buildings as a world heritage monuments, architectural splendor, tremendous wealth, grandeur and majesty. And nowhere is it more evident than in the many royal forts, palaces homes and retreats that dot the country's landscape. It in these royal homes that one gets to see the ultimate in craftsmanship of Indian artists be it in stone, clay, leather, wood or ivory. In fact prior to Independence 40% of the subcontinent was ruled by royalty. In all there were 562 princely states ruled by maharajas and raos, walis and nizams who were known for their outrageous wealth and whimsical fancies. The aristocrats lost their kingdoms with Partition, and their perks when the government abolished their privy purses prompting them to find ways to maintain their lifestyles. Today, three decades later, much of India's royalty is determined to restore their lost glory and lifestyle and they are doing so by opening up their homes and palaces much to the delight of the new age traveler. Many royal palaces, forts, hunting lodges, retreats and havelis (mansions) are now being turned into heritage hotels and offer travellers an experience of royal living and the grandeur that comes with it. While Rajasthan has some of the most splendid palaces others across the country are no less grand. Since most are heritage hotels, one can actually stay in many of them and enjoy the regal experience. Some of the best known palace hotels in Rajasthan include Jaipur's Rambagh, Laxminiwas and Samode palaces. Jodhpur has the spectacular Umaid Bhavan - a fantastic monument that incorporates the art deco architecture that was in vogue when the palace was built in the last century. A relatively new palace it was built as a part of a famine relief project. Udaipur has several beautiful palaces built by generations of royalty and the jewel among them is the Lake Palace built as a royal summer residence on an island. Even smaller, relatively unknown places in Rajasthan boast of pretty royal homes and you can be sure to find one where ever you go. An excellent example of a royal home and township is Fatehpur Sikri built by the Mughal emperor Akbar. Though it lies abandoned today, it is a fascinating piece of architecture and town planning complete with royal homes. In the western state of Gujarat , one of the most beautiful palaces is in Wankaner. Now a heritage hotel one can enjoy staying in the royal suites while checking out the Maharaja's fantastic collection of vintage cars, many of them made to order. In central India , Madhya Pradesh's many towns and cities have many beautiful places, hunting lodges, and jungle retreats such as Mandu, Orcha, and Shivpuri. The many forts across the country also doubled up as royal homes. In fact many had several palaces like the medieval fortress of Narwar in Madhya Pradesh. Many of its palaces are decorated with gold lacquer and glass beads. In the South, Mysore and Bangalore in Karnataka both have palaces that are a must visit on any itinerary. Tamil Nadu's temple towns also house lovely royal homes with their own unique architecture that was largely let untouched by Mughal influences. Madurai 's highly ornamented Nayak palace built in 1636 by King Thirumalai Nayak is a remarkable synthesis of varied decorative elements. Kerala's Padmanabhapuram Palace showcases some of the finest craftsmanship in the country The palace was once the capital of the Travancore and it also has beautiful murals of the 17th & 18th century.

Mysore Palace Inside, the palace has exquisitely carved doors and stunningly luxurious rooms. The Durbar Hall is richly decorated with ornate ceilings, intricately carved doors, gleaming floors, and frescoes depicting scenes from the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. The palace even has its own marriage pavilion - the Kalyana Mantapa. A fabulous art gallery has paintings depicting scenes of the city's famous Dassera processions led by the erstwhile Maharaja. Today the palace continues to be the residence of the scion of the Mysore royal family, Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wodeyar, who is a Member of Parliament. The rear of the palace houses a private museum. The palace building also houses the office of the State Archeological Department and some temples, some of which are good examples of Dravidian architecture.The palace is illuminated at 7 p.m. every Sunday and on public holidays, and it makes for a magnificent sight.

Nalagrah

At the foothills of the Shivalik Ranges, in Himachal Pradesh, amidst a 20 acre-forest estate, is the quaint Nalagrah Palace. History states that Raja Ajai Chand, in 1100 AD, founded the kingdom of Hindur, and its capital Nalagarh. Today, Nalagrah is a retreat that is open to all and offers a royal holiday complete with grandeur, tranquility and modern facilities. Maintained by the Welcome Heritage chain of hotels, the palace has been renovated but continues to exude old world charm. Here one can watch the dawn rise over the fort walls, take a nature walk or enjoy a picnic in the royal orchards. The rooms are quaint and have well preserved antique furniture. One can also unwind with a Sansha Ayurvedic Massage. Near by is the Ramgarh fort that is worth a visit for its spectacular views of the Himalayas. The fastest way to get to Nalagarh is from Chandigarh - being just 60 kms away. One can fly from Delhi to Chandigarh, and take a taxi or bus to the resort. Alternately one can take a train to Kalka and then drive to Nalagarh. The best time to visit is between September and March.

Samode

40 kms north-west of Jaipur, the old palace of Samode is now a luxurious hotel surrounded by hills. It has a most exotic hall embellished with paintings and mirror work.

Sawai Madhopur Lodge This romantic, mini palace with regal interiors was built as a hunting lodge by the Maharaja of Jaipur. A beautiful lounge with a fireplace and bar adds to the ambience of the lodge. It is an ideal stop en route a visit to the Ranthambore National Park, 400 sq. km. of dry deciduous forest and one of the finest homes of the tiger.

Shiv Niwas Palace

Shaped like the crescent moon, resembling a magnificent tiara, this magnificent palace gazes down into the blue calm of Lake Pichola. 'Shiv Niwas', used to be the imperial guesthouse of the Mewar rulers. Built in the reign of Maharana Fateh Singh (1884-1930), Shiv Niwas has been host to visiting royalty and important people from all over the world, including King George V, in 1905. This elegant palace is now a luxury hotel and you can stay in any of its' imperial, royal, historic, deluxe or regular suites, or rooms, all centrally air-conditioned and heated. The Ram Bagh Palace

The beautiful Ram Bagh Palace is in Rajasthan's capital Jaipur. The state capital is known as the "Pink City" because of the colour of the stone used exclusively in the walled city. Built by Maharaja Jai Singh, the notable astronomer, this city is 260 years old. Ram Bagh Palace is now a luxury hotel and named after Maharaja Swai Ram Singh II (1835 -80) who organized it into a hunting lodge and gave it its name Ram Bagh or the Garden of Ram. More rooms were added during 1887 to accommodate the Royal Guests of Maharaja Madho Singh and it was transformed into a luxurious 26 rooms mansion. In 1931 Maharaja Mannish enlarged and modernized the palace. 1n 1940 when Maharaja Mansingh married the ravishing Princess Gayatri Devi, he revamped the Royal Suites. The 106 elegantly decorated rooms have been done up in traditional Rajasthani style with 4 special princely suites, of course with all modern amenities. You can go utterly decadent in the Maharaja Suite with a large canopied bed, Maharani Suite with mirrored bathroom and Princess Suite with fountains and private terrace garden. What's even more beautiful is the sound of peacocks as you awaken every morning.

The Umaid Bhawan Palace Maharaja Umaid Singh of Jodhpur traveled to England in 1925, in search of an architect. He commissioned the London firm Lanchester and Lodge, and 15 years later, some 3000 people had built the Maharaja this spectacular sandstone palace, the Umaid Bhawan Palace . Jodhpur 's royal residence, this splendid palace is considered the largest private residence in the world. Designed by Henry Vaughan Lanchester, it took 14 years to build and was completed in 1943, the last of India 's great palaces. The withdrawal of titles, privileges and privy purses from the former rulers of the states, in 1971, by the Government of India, made it difficult for the princely families to maintain the palaces that were their homes. That's when the young Maharaja Gaj Singh started exploring the possibilities of turning a part of the palace into a hotel. Subsequently, the Umaid Bhawan was opened as the finest luxury hotel in India . It has 95 rooms and suites and is reputed to be amongst the finest palace hotels in the world. The sumptuous art deco interiors have been carefully restored. The hotel has its own post office, museum, library, auditorium, underground swimming pool, tennis courts, marble-floored squash courts, a billiards room and gardens which can accommodate 6000 people. Residents can amble through the Throne Room and garages stabling vintage cars. The Hotel's kitchens are known for their Marwari and Rajasthani food.

Fatehpur Sikri- Tha Symbol Of Mughal Architect

Fatehpur Sikri This is true that India has so many secretes in its depth. Therefore it has an incredible Culture and some peoples helped to make this culture differ to any other. A concern person as a Akbar who helped the India to made a same above by construct the forts, the tombs, and some beautiful miniatures. Fatehpur Sikri is an one if them. Before one month I was in India for a tour of great Golden triangle Delhi-Agra-Jaipur. I left the Taj city Agra and drive down for Jaipur via Fatehpur Sikri. I didn’t heard this Before but when I visited that monument then I found, Fatehpur Sikri Greatest of all the Mughal Emperors who ruled India, Akbar ascended to the throne in 1556 at the tender age of 14 years. Apparent reason of ascending throne was the sudden demise of his father, Humayun. Akbar turned his attention towards building a magnificent Imperial capital at Agra as soon as he consolidated his power. Instant result of his interest was impressive Agra Fort, which was a great asset militarily as well as it served as the royal residence. In due course of time Akbar decided to shift his capital to nearby. There is a difference of opinion among historians about this decision of Akbar. According to the legends Akbar used to visit the hamlet of Sikri to take the blessings of the great Sufi saint Salim Chisti in order to have an heir to his throne. Akbar's visitations were fruitful, for he was blessed with three sons. He built the new city according to the instructions of Salim Chisti whose mausoleum is a part of Fatehpur Sikri. Another set of historians say that he built the new city at Fatehpur Sikri as it was falling on the highway towards South India from North India. From this place he was able to control all parts of the country and move in any direction without much trouble. The new city was set on a hilltop that made it reasonably safe from future attacks. The new city, built on a ridge, grew into a magnificent township larger than contemporary London. Akbar did not stayed in this magnificent city for long and reasons for deserting Fatehpur Sikri are as much mysterious as was its construction. Fatehpur Sikri - The Architectural Style At Sikri, the various royal palaces have been built in Gujarati and Rajasthani architectural styles, using ornate columns, fanciful jali work (intricately perforated decorative stone screens), sumptuous carving, and surface ornamentation. Most of the buildings located inside Fatehpur Sikri are a unique blend of architectural traditions flourishing at that time in India. These small palaces are largely a sequence of connected rectangular courtyards; these are aligned with the polar axes and so have to be grouped in a staggered formation across, the top of the narrow diagonal ridge. The overwhelmingly Hindu architectural vocabulary, however, cannot conceal the Islamic norms followed in the large-scale planning that is supposed to have derived from Arab and Central Asia tent compartments! Fatehpur Sikri - Monuments within

Diwan-I-Aam

As one enters Sikri from the Agra Gate, one of the nine gateways on the way to the palace complex, Diwan-I-Aam, or the hall of public audience appears first. It is a huge rectangular walled-in courtyard where petitions were heard, proclamations made, embassies received and entertainment programs held. The royal balcony, set within a frame of jail screens, appears on the western front. In front of the royal seat, a stone hook is still found embedded in the ground. As per tradition, Akbar's pet elephant Hiran was tied to this hook to crush to death under its feet the head of the guilty. If it refused to obey thrice, the victim was freed. Diwan-I-KhasThe royal enclosure lies behind the Diwan-I-Aam. At the northern corner stands a small but grand single-storey structure of Diwan-I-Khas with the most magnificently sculptured and most photographed stone column at the center of the hall. It bursts forth into a set of 36 closely set vaulted and pendulous brackets supporting a circular platform from which radiate four passages. Is it really the famous Ibadat-Khana where Akbar initiated religious discourses amongst diverse religious groups-Hindu, Muslim, Jain, and Jesuit etc? Panch Mahal Panch Mahal, a five storeyed pavilion, stands on the western line of the courtyard. This is the badgir, the Persian wind tower for ladies of the harem. The jail screens between the 176 differently carved pillars have disappeared. Once these screens provided purdah (cover) to queens and princess on the top terraces enjoying the cool breezes and watching splendid views of Sikri fortifications and the town nestling at the foot of the ridge. In the courtyard Akbar played pachisi (checker board) with dancing girls as live pieces. Jami Masjid The mosque at Sikri was the first structure to be built in 1571. The exterior is modest but the interior carries the most gorgeous ornamentation in the floral arabesques and ingenious geometrical patterns in brown, red, turquoise, black and white. The spacious courtyard adds a stately charm to the place. It could accommodate ten thousand men at prayer. Akbar was so enthusiastic about this mosque that he occasionally swept the floor and gave azan (call for prayer). On June 26, 1579, Akbar even read the khutba himself, a great innovation, earlier attempted only the Timur and Mirza Ulugh Beg. Tomb of Sheikh Salim Chisti In 1580-81 eighty years after the saint died in 1572, Akbar built the tomb in red sandstone. In 1606, Qutubuddin Khan Koka, on orders from Jehangir, covered the edifice in white marble. Much later in 1866, a district magistrate of Agra replaced the plaster dome with white marble. The magnificence of the splendid jail screens carved out of huge marble slabs shows a rare perfection of craftsmanship. The dramatic serpentine brackets supporting the wide chajja on all four sides of the edifice have an amazing grace. The real grave lies in an undisturbed repose in the crypt, closed to visitors. Women devotees longing for a child come here and tie a colored thread to the jails. In a gesture of thankfulness they come back when their wish is granted. Buland Darwaza Buland Darwaza, the colossal triumphal arch, was built in 1575 on the southern wall of the courtyard. It celebrates Akbar's conquest of Gujarat. The towering portal has the height of 176 feet from ground level and 134 feet over the top step. The grand recessed central arch is the most magnificent of its kind in the entire range of Mughal architecture in India. Modest ornamentation with calligraphy contains a famous line: The world is but a bridge: Pass over but build no houses on it. The Buland Darwaza commands the landscape for miles. Palaces in the Harem Abdul Fazl, Akbar's historian, mentions that the royal harem had nearly 5000 wives. The queens always brought with them a great entourage of maids and dancers. The queen mother and princess had innumerable slave girls as their attendants. The member of concubines, families of courtiers away on royal duty, and dancing girls was always on the rise. The harem included not only the chief wives but all women inmates. Haresara (female quarters) occupies the largest central area in the royal enclosure at Sikri. Jodha Bai's palace belonged to Harkha, the Amber princess and mother of Jehangir, and the other Rajput wives from Bikaner, Marwar, Jaisalmer, Merta and Durgapur and their companions. No wife of Akbar was called Jodha Bai. One of Jehangir's wives was so called. This is a high-walled edifice, guarded by a grand gateway leading to a spectacular courtyard. With double storeyed pavilions at the center of colonnades on all four sides, this place has some striking Hindu architectural features like ornamental columns, bells and chain motifs, heavy brackets and niches on the wall for the deities worshipped by Rajput ladies.The other smaller but beautiful palace belonged to Akbar's mother, Hamida Banu Begun, widow of Humayun. She was the most respected lady of the harem with the title Mariam-Makani. This palace is also called Sunehra Makan (golden house) because of the golden paint on the faded murals. The third palace in the harem quarters belonged to Akbar's two senior wives: Ruqayya Sultan Begum (who brought up Jahangir's son Khurram later called Shahjahan), and Salima Sultan Begum-widow of Bairam Khan. Maybe here lived Birbal's daughter who was married to Akbar hence its present name, Birbal Mahal. Surely no male could have been allowed to stay within the corner of the Sikri ridge.

Gwalior Fort

GWALIOR FORT The Mughal emperor Babar referred to the Gwalior Fort as “the pearl amongst fortresses in India” and although you may beg to differ, you will probably agree that this, the dominating feature of Gwalior’s skyline, is definitely a citadel worth seeing. With a turbulent and pretty eventful past, the Gwalior Fort spreads out over an area of 3 square km, bounded by solid walls of sandstone, which enclose three temples, six palaces and a number of water tanks. Regarded as North and Central India’s most impregnable fortress, the Gwalior Fort was built by Raja Man Singh Tomar in the 15th century. In the five hundred years since then, the fort has changed hands many times- it has been held by the Tomars, Mughals, Marathas and British, who finally handed it over to the Scindias. Today it’s a must-see sight on any Gwalior itinerary, and just the ride up to the fort gives you a taste of what’s coming: the southern path is bounded by rock faces with intricate carvings of the Jain tirthankars. As you enter the fort, you’ll see lots more to impress and interest you: palaces and temples, impressive gates and historic water tanks. Of the temples in the Gwalior Fort, the most famous are the Teli-ka-Mandir- a 9th century Dravidian-style shrine which is notable for its profusely sculpted exterior; the Saas-Bahu Temples- two pillared temples which stand next to each other, one larger than the other; and the Chaturbhuj Mandir, a Vaishnavite shrine dating back to the 9th century. Among the fort’s most prominent palaces is the amazingly ornate Man Singh Palace, built by Man Singh in the 15th century. Embellished with a vivid pattern in tile and paint, the palace spreads over four levels, and despite its picture-pretty appearance, has a somewhat gory history: Mughal emperor Aurangzeb imprisoned and later murdered his brother Murad here. Equally grisly is the Jauhar Kund, which marks the spot where the women of the harem burnt themselves to death after the defeat of the king of Gwalior in 1232. Other palaces within the Gwalior Fort which are worth seeing include the Karan Palace, the Jahangir Mahal, the Shahjahan Mahal and the Gujri Mahal (the latter built by Man Singh for his favourite queen, Mrignayani).