| Gajner Palace | |
|---|---|
  Gajner Palace Location in Rajasthan, India | |
| General information | |
| Status | Adapted to a heritage hotel |
| Location | Bikaner, India |
| Coordinates | 27°56′43″N73°03′10″E / 27.9453°N 73.0527°E |
| Client | Ganga Singh |
| Management | HRH Group of Hotels |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Samuel Swinton Jacob |
Gajner Palace in Bikaner, Rajasthan, India, served as a hunting lodge for the maharajas of Bikaner. It now operates as a heritage hotel.
When Gaj Singh, the Maharaja of Bikaner, was returning from Jaisalmer after his marriage with its princess, he and his entourage encamped at Chandasar. [1] His wife, who was missing her paternal home, told him that she saw Jaisalmer in Chandasar and requested him to create a pleasure garden there for her. [1] In the group she brought from her hometown, there was a gardener skilled in desert farming. [1] Gaj commissioned him to landscape a low tract called Magra. [1] He also built an artificial lake called Gaj Sagar to supply water to his wife’s garden. [1] He also built a Jal Mahal for her and established a village named Gajsinghpura after himself there. [1] Over the years, Gajsinghpura became Gajner. [1] In 1808, the troops of Jodhpur, during a siege against Bikaner, destroyed the palace. [2] The later-day palaces and canal system at Gajner were the work of Sardar Singh, Dungar Singh, and Ganga Singh. [2] When the famine of 1899 left the Gaj Sagar empty, Ganga Singh deepened the lake and widened it so that two years of water supply could be held in it. [1] Its capacity was 50 mcft (1,415,842,329.6 liters), and its catchment area was approximately 50 sq. miles (129.5 sq. km). [3]
Besides the Vallabh gardens, it was one of the two private game preserves of the maharajas of Bikaner. [3] It was compared to being on par with British hunting estates such as Balmoral and Sandringham. [4] When important guests would visit Ganga Singh, they were taken here to shoot the great Indian bustard or the sandgrouse. [5] A record stands from the bygone days that 11,000 birds were shot in a day using as many as 40 guns. [5]
Ganga Singh commissioned Samuel Swinton Jacob, who had designed Lalgarh, to design a new palace for him. [1] [6] This palace, made of pink sandstone, was built around 1910-13. [1] It was fully equipped with comforts and included a separate wing for visitors. [6] It became known as Gajner Palace. [1] Mumbai (then Bombay)-based John Roberts and Co. was commissioned to furnish it. [1] Ganga Singh's grandson, Karni Singh, who rarely shot anything but clay pigeons and was a strict vegetarian due to the influence of his mother, who was also a vegetarian and did not herself shoot, was generally opposed to the taking of life. [1] [7] He opened a portion of the palace for his private guests and disapproved of hunting on Gajner grounds. [1] Now it is converted into a heritage hotel. [1] It is managed by HRH Group of Hotels. [8]
Its compound stretches over 6000 acres. [9] It is situated in a thick forest. [10] It is divided into four wings: Dungar Niwas, Mandir Chowk, Gulab Niwas, and Champa Niwas. [9] Migratory birds flock in great numbers and can be viewed here. [10]
Bikaner is a city in the northwest of the state of Rajasthan, India. It is located 330 kilometres (205 mi) northwest of the state capital, Jaipur. It is the administrative headquarters of Bikaner District and Bikaner division.
Karni Mata, known by various names such as Bhagwati, Mehaai, Jagdamba, and Kiniyani is a Hindu Goddess of power and victory described as a warrior sage, who lived between 14th and 16th centuries in Western Rajasthan. Karni Mata is the tutelary deity of the Rajputs and Charans of northwestern India. As a Sagati, she is also worshipped as an incarnation of Hinglaj or Durga. She is the official deity of the royal families of Bikaner and Jodhpur. Karniji played an important role in shaping the history of the region. She is intimately associated with the establishment of the Rajput hegemony in the region. With her blessings, Rao Jodha and Rao Bika founded the kingdoms of Jodhpur and Bikaner. At the request of the Maharajas of Bikaner and Jodhpur, she laid the foundations of Bikaner Fort and Mehrangarh Fort, the two most important forts in the region. She lived an ascetic life and was widely revered during her lifetime. Indian Army troops from the Marwar region also regard Karni Mata as their patron deity.
General Maharaja Sir Ganga Singh was the ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Bikaner from 1888 to 1943. As a member of the Imperial War Cabinet, he was present in the Palace of Versailles during signing of the Treaty of Versailles, formally ending the First World War.
Junagarh Fort is a fort in the city of Bikaner, Rajasthan, India. The fort was originally called Chintamani and was renamed Junagarh or "Old Fort" in the early 20th century when the ruling family moved to Lalgarh Palace outside the fort limits. It is one of the few major forts in Rajasthan which is not built on a hilltop. The modern city of Bikaner has developed around the fort.
Lalgarh Palace is a palace and heritage hotel in Bikaner, in the Indian state of Rajasthan, built for Sir Ganga Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner, between 1902 and 1926. Laxmi Niwas Palace is a part of Lalgarh Palace but it has been given on lease and recently is being used as a heritage hotel and marriage garden.
The region of Bikaner, stretching across north-western state of Rajasthan in India, was earlier known as Jangladesh. It included the present-day districts of Bikaner, Churu, Ganganagar, and Hanumangarh. It is bounded on the south by Marwar and Jaisalmer regions, on the east by Ajmer-Merwara region.
Jaisalmer state is a region of Western Rajasthan state in western India. It lies in the southern part of Thar Desert.
Kingdom of Marwar, also known as Jodhpur State during the modern era, was a kingdom in the Marwar region from 1243 to 1818 and a princely state under British rule from 1818 to 1947. It was established in Pali by Rao Siha, possibly a migrant Gahadavala noble, in 1243. His successors continued to struggle against regional powers for domination and 9 out of 15 rulers till 1438 died in combat. In 1395, its capital was changed to Mandore by Rao Chunda of Mandore and to Jodhpur in 1459 by Rao Jodha.
Lieutenant-General Sir Sadul Singh GCSI, GCIE, KStJ, CVO was the last reigning Maharaja of Bikaner from 2 February 1943 to 30 March 1949, continuing as Head of the House of Bikaner and holding the title of Maharaja of Bikaner until his death.
HH Sri Raj-Rajeshwar Maharajadhiraj Narendra Shiromani Maharaja Sir Dungar Singh was the Rathore Rajput ruler of the Princely State of Bikaner from the year 1872 to 1887 succeeding his childless predecessor Maharaja Sardar Singh after his death in 1872.
Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob,, known as Sir Swinton Jacob, was a British Army officer and colonial engineer, architect and writer, best known for the numerous Indian public buildings he designed in the Indo-Saracenic style.
Rajasthan, the largest state in India, is known for its rich cultural heritage, vibrant traditions, and historical significance. The Culture of Rajasthan which developed over the past millennia, is a blend of various elements, including music, dance, cuisine, festivals, art, and architecture.
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Rajasthan is one of the most popular tourist destinations in India, for both domestic and international tourists. Rajasthan attracts tourists for its historical forts, palaces, art and culture with its slogan "Padharo Mhare Desh ". The capital city, Jaipur, also known as Pink City, is a very popular tourist destination place and it is a part of the Golden Triangle. The Walled City of Jaipur is only the second Indian city to be recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, after Ahmedabad.
The City Palace, Jaipur is a royal residence and former administrative headquarters of the rulers of the Jaipur State in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Construction started soon after the establishment of the city of Jaipur under the reign of Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, who moved his court to Jaipur from Amber, in 1727. Jaipur remained the capital of the kingdom until 1949—when it became the capital of the present-day Indian state of Rajasthan—with the City Palace functioning as the ceremonial and administrative seat of the Maharaja of Jaipur. The construction of the Palace was completed in 1732 and it was also the location of religious and cultural events, as well as a patron of arts, commerce, and industry. It was constructed according to the rules of vastushastra, combining elements of Mughal and Rajput architectural styles. It now houses the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum, and continues to be the home of the Jaipur royal family. The royal family has around 500 personal servants. The palace complex has several buildings, various courtyards, galleries, restaurants, and offices of the Museum Trust.The MSMS II Museum Trust is headed by chairperson Rajamata Padmini Devi of Jaipur. Princess Diya Kumari runs the Museum Trust, as its secretary and trustee. She also manages The Palace School and Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh School in Jaipur. She founded and runs the Princess Diya Kumari Foundation to empower underprivileged and underemployed women of Rajasthan. She is also an entrepreneur. In 2013, she was elected as Member of the Legislative Assembly of Rajasthan from the constituency of Sawai Madhopur.
Bikaner State was the Princely State in the north-western most part of the Rajputana province of imperial British India from 1465 to 1947. The founder of the state Rao Bika was a younger son of Rao Jodha ruler of and founder of the city of Jodhpur in Marwar. Rao Bika chose to establish his own kingdom instead of inheriting his father's. Bika defeated the Jat clans of Jangladesh which today refers to the north and north-western Rajasthan along with his uncle Rao Kandhal and his adviser Vikramji Rajpurohit and founded his own kingdom. Its capital was the city of Bikaner.
HRH Group of Hotels, or Historic Resort Hotels Pvt. Ltd., is a chain of heritage hotels with its head office in Udaipur, Rajasthan, India.
Sardar Singh was the Maharaja of Bikaner from 1851 until his death in 1872.