Top 11 Spectacular Grand Palaces of India

 

  1.Amba Vilasa Palace-Mysore

  Mysore Palace is the central piece of Mysore's attractions. The sprawling Mysore Palace is located in the heart of Mysore city. Rather the roads out of Mysore city appears radiating from the palace.

The interior of Mysore Palace is richly carved, intricate, colorful and architecturally thrilling.
It is from this palace the erstwhile rulers , the Wodeyars, ruled the Mysore Kingdom (see Maharajas of Mysore ).
Though Mysore is often referred to as the "City of Palaces", the term Mysore Palace refers to the largest and the most opulent of all its surviving palaces located in the city center, called the Amba Vilas Palace.

Mysore Palace  history spans for  more than 500 years.  But what you see now in Mysore is the modern palace built in 1912. As mentioned earlier the first palace was built during 14th century by the then Wodeyar kings.
After the fall of Vijayanagar , and the subsequent power shifts in the region, Raja Wodeyar moved the capital to Srirangapatna from Mysore in 1610. The palace in Mysore however continued to serve as a royal residence.

2.Lukshmi Vilas Palace

Lukshmi Vilas Palace, the magnificent residence of the royal family of Baroda was built by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III in 1890 with Major Charles Mant as the chief architect.Until the 1860s the family still occupied the old Nazarbaug palace, a tall building with an encrustation of pavilions and kiosks on the roof which the French traveller, Rousselet, found very disquieting: 'The mass of buildings, planted on the summit of an edifice almost entirely of wood, whose foundations were soaking in a damp soil, betokened great audacity on the part of the architects, and still more confidence on that of the king'.

 

The inside was dark and cavernous, and Sayajirao felt it was better suited to act as a storehouse for the family jewels rather than as a residence.Lukshmi Vilas Palace was completed in 1890. It had taken twelve years to build and had cost around £180,000. It was designed by Major Mant, who also designed palaces at Kolhapur and Darbhanga, but completed by Robert Fellowes Chisholm. As Chisholm told the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1896:'It must be kept in view that the native Rajas and chiefs of India are passing through a transitional period; that an old palace like that at Ambur would be about as useless to the present Gaekwar of Baroda as to an ordinary English gentleman.'

3.Ujjayanta Palace-Tripura

  The sight of a white, grandeur building in Agartala looked misplaced at first. Standing in front of it, I could have landed in London. The architecture and design of the building was from another era but kept in a good condition. The Ujjayanta Palace served as a home to many past rulers of Tripura since it was built in 1901. The palace was built in the Indo-Saracenic style with a Mughal inspired spacious garden and lake spread out in front. The two-storied high building has three domes, each measuring 86 feet high. The interior of the house have beautiful tiles floor, carved wooden ceilings and doors. The palace and its surroundings covered an area of 1 sq. km. and housed many temples.
The name Ujjayanta Palace was given by Rabindranath Tagore, a regular visitor to Tripura. The State has a long history of being an independent princely state. The palace include significant halls like the public halls, Throne room, Durbar Hall, Library, the Chinese Room and the Reception Hall.

 

Ujjayanta Palace was built right in the heart of Agartala city. Construction work began in 1899 and was completed in 1901. The project cost at that time was Rs. 1 million and was overseen by the Martin & Burn Company during the reign of Maharaja Radha Kishore Manikya. It was then a separate kingdom. 

 

But after it merged with the Indian Government in 1949, royal properties were nationalised. In 1972-73 the main building was bought by the Tripura government from the royal family for a sum of Rs. 2.5 million. Up to 2011, it housed the State legislative assembly. Today the Royal Palace houses the State Museum. The royal family still inhabit a small portion the palace on the right wing.

4. Jai Vilas Palace -Madhya Pradesh

Jai Vilas Palace has turned out to be a great landmark for Gwalior City. This magnificent palace currently serves as a residence to the Scindia Family. The Palace from both inside and outside gives us a peek into the luxurious lifestyle of royal people in India. The structure of Jai Vilas Palace is Italianate to which, Tuscan and Corinthian architectural style add extra grandeur. The Durbar hall inside the palace is the main attraction. There are two mammoth chandeliers on the ceiling of this spacious room that weigh a couple of tonnes. Before they were on the ceiling, 10 elephants were used to examine the strength of the roof.

Other attraction of the palace are a silver train with cut glass wagons which served guests as it moved around on miniature rails on the table. 

 

The Scindia Museum also showcases swords worn by Aurangazeb and Shah Jehan, jeweled slippers of Chinkoo rani and many personal momentoes of Scindia Family. This 35-room museum is open on all days except on Mondays from 10 AM to 5 PM

5.Taj Falaknuma Palace

An English architect designed this palace. The foundation stone for the construction was laid by Sir Vicar on 3 March 1884. He was the maternal grandson of H.H. Sikandar Jah Bahadur, Nizam lll of Hyderabad. It took nine years to complete the construction and furnish the palace. Sir Vicar moved into the Gol Bangla and Zanana Mahel of the Falaknuma Palace in December 1890 and closely monitored the finishing work at the Mardana portion. It is made completely with Italian marble and covers an area of 93,971 square meters.

 

The palace was built in the shape of a scorpion with two stings spread out as wings in the north. The middle part is occupied by the main building and the kitchen, Gol Bangla, Zenana Mehal, and harem quarters stretch to the south. The Nawab was an avid traveler, and his influences show in the architecture.

 

The Falaknuma palace is a rare blend of Italian and Tudor architecture. Its stained glass windows throw a spectrum of colour into the rooms.

6.Marble Palace -West Bengal

 Marble Palace is a palatial mansion, built in 1835 by a French architect for Raja Rajendra Mullick, an affluent Bengali merchant and art connoisseur. He built this grand palace with a passion of preserving the exquisite works of art. The mansion is famous for its sparkling white marble walls and floors, from which it has derived its present name. The palace also has an exquisite collection of Western sculpture and Victorian furniture. There is a private zoo, which was the first zoo in India, unveiled by Raja Rajendra Mullick. The mansion has a grand portico with stucco work and six Tuscan columns and the ground floor and first floor each have 14 Corinthian columns.

 

 Marble Palace is one of the most beautifully conserved and elegant houses in Kolkata. This nineteenth century magnificent mansion was built under the benefaction of Raja Rajendra Mullick – a rich Bengali merchant with a strong urge for collecting exquisite works of art. The mansion is a masterpiece, with 90 varieties of patterned marble on the floors of the mansion. 

 

The structure of the mansion is originally Neoclasical in style and it merges with traditional Bengali style of architecture with open courtyards. Close by the courtyard, there is the place of worship for the family members, which is also called Thakur-Dalan.

7.Umaid Bhawan Palace -Rajasthan

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 owner Gaj Singh of the palace, this edifice has 347 rooms and serves as the principal residence of the erstwhile Jodhpur royal family. A part of the palace also houses a museum.

 

Umaid Bhawan Palace was called Chittar Palace during its construction due to use of stones drawn from the Chittar hill where it is located. 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. 

The Palace was built to provide employment to thousands of people during the time of famine.

8.Rambagh Palace

 The first building on the site was a garden house built in 1835 for the wet nurse of prince Ram Singh II. In 1887, during the reign of Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh, it was converted into a modest royal hunting lodge, as the house was located in the midst of a thick forest at that time. 

 

In the early 20th century, it was expanded into a palace to the designs of Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob. Maharajah Sawai Man Singh II made Rambagh his principal residence and added a number of royal suites in 1931. 

 

 After India became independent and the princely states united, the Palace became the Government House. By the 1950s, the royal family felt that the upkeep of the palace and its 47 acres (190,000 m²) of gardens was becoming very costly. Therefore, in 1957 they decided to convert it into a luxury hotel.

  9.The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur

Set amidst gardens and overlooking Lake Pichola, this luxury hotel is 2.4 km from both Jagdish Temple and the City Palace Museum.

Bright, elegant rooms and suites feature flat-screen TVs, DVD players and sitting areas, plus minibars and iPod docks. Suites add dining rooms, living rooms and coffeemakers, as well as private pools and furnished courtyards with lake views. A 24-hour butler service is available.

Amenities include 2 upscale restaurants, a bar and a relaxed lounge with lake views. 

 

There's also a gym, a spa and an outdoor pool, plus a business centre, meeting rooms and event space. On-site parking is free.

 10.Wildflower Hall, Shimla 

At Wildflower Hall, guests can refresh with nature walks, rafting, cycling or yoga, or relax and rejuvenate with an exclusive spa therapy.

The Restaurant includes a smart, brightly lit indoor dining space, a charming glass conservatory with intimate seating arrangements and an outdoor terrace, with magnificent views of the Himalayas. The menu features pan-Indian (including local Himachal), Asian and Continental cuisine.

 

Wildflower Hall offers exclusive massage, yoga and Ayurvedic treatments at bespoke locations around the hotel and grounds.

 

 Our open air whirlpool affords magnificent views across the Greater Himalayas, while our indoor pool lit and adorned by overhead crystal chandeliers - is temperature controlled throughout the year. 

10.Taj Lake Palace

 Set in an 18th-century palace encompassing a Lake Pichola island, this luxury marble hotel once featured in a James Bond movie is a short boat ride from City Palace.

Featuring butler service, the opulent rooms offer lake and palace views, Wi-Fi and flat-screen TVs, as well as minibars, period furniture and turndown service. Suites add panoramic views and ceiling frescoes, and some have balconies or terraces. Rooms service is available 24/7.

The hotel features original art, ornate marble and glasswork throughout. Amenities include high-end restaurants and a full-service spa, fitness center & heated pool. Sunset cruises and yoga are offered

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