Khetri Mahal | |
---|---|
![]() | |
General information | |
Architectural style | Shekhawati |
Town or city | Neem Ka Thana |
Country | India |
Coordinates | 28°07′27″N75°23′54″E / 28.1242°N 75.3983°E |
Completed | 1770 |
Client | Maharaja Bhopal Singh |
Height | 73 m (240 ft) |
Khetri Mahal (Hindi : खेतड़ी महल), also known as the Wind Palace, whose ruins are an example of palace architecture in the Indian state of Rajasthan.
Khetri Mahal was constructed by Bhopal Singh around 1770. Bhopal Singh was the grandson of Sardul Singh. Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh of Jaipur built his Hawa Mahal, also known as the Wind Palace, on the model of the Khetri Mahal, in 1799. Khetri in itself was considered to be the second wealthiest ‘Thikana’ under Jaipur. [1] Bhopal Singh was killed in the Second battle of Loharu, in which he tried to capture the Loharu Fort—one of 33 thikanas of Shekhawati rulers, at the place where he was cremated in Loharu, roughly 1 km (0.62 mi) from Loharu Fort, a commemorative chhatri was built which still survives.
Between 1870 and 1901, Ajit Singh of Khetri reigned as a ruler of the Shekhawat dynasty of the Indian state of Khetri.
Khetri Mahal is located behind a series of lanes. It is a paragon of Shekhawati art and architecture. It is primarily known for its fine paintings and murals mainly supporting the Raghunath temple and Bhopalgarh fort. The palace is remarkable among buildings of its region because of the flow of wind through its open portals rather than stopped windows or doors.
Wherever structurally possible, the walls have been pierced with arched openings. The levels of the Palace are combined through a series of ramps, installed to facilitate the movement of horseback guests toward the terrace, which gives commanding views.
Two small alcoves contain fragments of older paintings in the private chamber of Thakurs. Most of these paintings were executed in natural earth pigments. The interior rooms are open and colonnaded, the columns often surmounted with openwork and curved arches.
Most of the rooms are connected through arched portals rather than with doors, and much of the masonry is covered with a pinkish plaster.
One enters the palace via a student hostel at the base of the structure.
Sikar is a city and municipal council in the Sikar district of the state of Rajasthan in India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Sikar district. It is largest city of the Shekhawati region, which consists of Sikar, Churu and Jhunjhunu. After Kota, Sikar is one of the major coaching hubs in the country for competitive examination preparations and has a number of engineering and medical coaching institutes.
Jhunjhunu is a city in the state of Rajasthan in northern India and the administrative headquarters of Jhunjhunu District. Rajasthani and Hindi are widely spoken in Jhunjhunu. Jhunjhunu has given the highest number of soldiers to the Indian army and the paramilitary.
Shekhawati is a semi-arid historical region located in the northeast part of Rajasthan, India. The region was ruled by Shekhawat Rajputs. Shekhawati is located in North Rajasthan, comprising the districts of Neem Ka Thana, Jhunjhunu, Sikar that lies to the west of the Aravalis and Churu. It is bounded on the northwest by the Bagar region, on the northeast by Haryana, on the east by Mewat, on the southeast by Dhundhar, on the south by Ajmer, and on the southwest by the Marwar region. Its area is 13,784 square kilometers.
Nawalgarh is a heritage city in Jhunjhunu district of Indian state of Rajasthan. It is part of the Shekhawati region and is midway between Jhunjhunu and Sikar. It is 31.5 km from Sikar and 39.2 km from Jhunjhunu. Nawalgarh is famous for its fresco and havelis and considered as Golden City of Rajasthan. It is also the motherland of some great business families of India.
Chhatri are semi-open, elevated, dome-shaped pavilions used as an element in Indo-Islamic architecture and Indian architecture. They are most commonly square, octagonal, and round. Originating as a canopy above tombs, they largely serve as decorative elements as opposed to functional elements. The earliest examples of chhatri being used in the Indian Subcontinent were found in the Shrine of Ibrahim in Bhadreswar, constructed between 1159 and 1175 AD.
The Hawa Mahal is a palace in the city of Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. Built from red and pink sandstone, it is on the edge of the City Palace, Jaipur, and extends to the Zenana, or women's chambers.
Khetri Nagar is a town in the Neem Ka Thana district of Rajasthan in India. It is a part of the Shekhawati region. Khetri consists of two towns, "Khetri Town," founded by Raja Raja Bhopal Singh Ji, and "Khetri Nagar," which is about 10 km away from Khetri. Khetri Nagar, well known for its Copper Project, was built by and is under the control of Hindustan Copper Limited, a public sector undertaking under the Government of India. Khetri Nagar is also known as "Copper." There are many attached villages near Khetri Nagar, such as Manota Khurd; the people of this village were employed in mines.
Amer Fort or Amber Fort is a fort located in Amer, Rajasthan, India. Amer is a town with an area of 4 square kilometres (1.5 sq mi) located 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) from Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. Located high on a hill, it is the principal tourist attraction in Jaipur. Amer Fort is known for its artistic style elements. With its large ramparts and series of gates and cobbled paths, the fort overlooks Maota Lake, which is the main source of water for the Amer Palace.
Loharu is a city, municipal committee and assembly constituency, near Bhiwani City in the Bhiwani district of the Indian state of Haryana. It is the administrative headquarters of one of the four administrative sub-divisions of the district and covers 119 villages. It is also a railway junction station.
Mandawa is a town, just 29 km from Jhunjhunu city in Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan, India. It is part of Shekhawati region. Mandawa is located at 28.05°N 75.15°E. It has an average elevation of 316 metres (1036 ft). The nearest railway station is Jhunjhunu railway station.
Jhunjhunu district is a district of the Indian state of Rajasthan in northern India. The city of Jhunjhunu is the district headquarters. Jhunjhunu is an old and historical town having its own district headquarters. It is said that it was ruled over by Chouhan dynasty in the Vikram era 1045. The district is famous for the frescos on its grand Havelis. It is also famous for providing considerable representation to Indian defense forces. Jhunjhunu district was named in the memory of a Jat named “Jhunjha” or “Jujhar Singh Nehra”. The district has a population of 2,139,658, an area of 5926 km², and a population density of 361 persons per km. The district falls within Shekhawati region, and is bounded on the North-East and East by Haryana state, on the South-East, South & South-West by Sikar District & on the North-West and North by Churu District.
Junagarh Fort is a fort in the city of Bikaner, Rajasthan, India. Raja Dhaj, Ror Kumar, ruled over the principality of Junagarh in the fifth century BC. 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.
Jal Mahal is a palace in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake in Jaipur city, the capital of the state of Rajasthan, India. The palace was originally constructed around 1699; the building and the lake around it were later renovated and enlarged in the early 18th century by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Amber.
Maharao Shardul Singh ji Shekhawat (1681-1742) was the Shekhawat ruler of Jhunjhunu. During his reign, the Shekhawats are considered to have reached the height of their powers. After his death the estate was divided equally among his surviving five sons, whose descendants continued to rule over it until India achieved independence.
Tain is a village in the Jhunjhunu district, India. It is part of the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan.
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.
Mandela is a town in the Shekhawati region and Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan state in India.
Panchpana were the combined territories and thikanas ruled by the successors of Maharao Shardul Singh of Jhunjhunu, who belonged to the Bhojraj Ji Ka clan of Shekhawats. The Bhojraj Ji Ka Shekhawats ruled over two territories; Pentalisa and Panchpana. The Bhojraj Ji Ka clan of Shekhawats were the most prominent among the Shekhawat Rajputs. They built many magnificent forts in their thikanas. Panchpana thakurs ruled over highest number of thikanas in Shekhawati. Many thikanas had their own flags and emblems.
The region of Shekhawati in Rajasthan is remarkable for its wealth of mural paintings which adorn the walls of many buildings, including havelis.
Loharu Fort, built in 16th century, is a state protected archaeological monument in Loharu town in Haryana state of India. Fort is part of interstate Shekhawati region which lies on the either side of Haryana-Rajasthan border in the sandy bagar tract.