Lalgarh Palace

Last updated

Lalgarh Palace
Lalgarh
Lalgarh Palace Bikaner.jpg
India Rajasthan location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location in Rajasthan; inset shows Rajasthan in India
General information
TypePalace, hotel
Architectural styleUsta art and Rajput architecture
Addressnear roadway bus stand, Bikaner
Town or city Bikaner
CountryIndia
Coordinates 28°02′28″N73°19′54″E / 28.0410°N 73.3316°E / 28.0410; 73.3316
Design and construction
Architect(s) Samuel Swinton Jacob

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.

Contents

History

The palace was built between 1902 and 1926 in the Indo-Saracenic style. The building was commissioned by the British-controlled regency [1] for Maharaja Ganga Singh (1881–1942) while he was still in his minority as they considered the existing Junagarh Fort unsuitable for a modern monarch. Ganga Singh decided that the palace should be named in memory of his father Maharaja Lal Singh. [2]

Ganga Singh was legendary for his shikars (hunts), his hunts are preserved at Gajner Palace, in particular, his Imperial Sand Grouse hunts at Christmas. [3] As a result, the palace hosted many guests including Georges Clemenceau in 1920, Queen Mary, King George V, Lord Harding, and Lord Irwin. Lord Curzon was the palace's first notable guest.

Stanley Reed, the official reporter of the 1905-06 India tour of the Prince and Princess of Wales (later King George V and Queen Mary of Great Britain) noted that "The Laxmi Niwas Palace is the most perfect modern building in the Indo-Saracenic style in India - an entirely graceful pile of carved red sandstone, nobly proportioned and harmonising entirely with its environment. Their Royal Highnesses have not been more splendidly housed since they landed in Bombay".

In 1972, Karni Singh, M.P., the Maharaja of Bikaner, established the Ganga Singhji Charitable Trust. The Maharaja endowed a part of Lallgarh Palace to be used in service of the trust. Two wings were converted into independent hotels with the income from The Lallgarh Palace Hotel, a heritage hotel used to support the trust. Currently, Lallgarh Palace is owned, and the hotel is run, by his daughter Princess Rajyashree Kumari.

Architecture

The palace at night Lalgarh palace bikaner.jpg
The palace at night

The complex was designed by the British architect Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob. After a ritual blessing ceremony construction commenced in 1896 on empty land 5 miles [2] from the existing Junagarh Fort on what is now Dr. Karni Singhji Road. The palace was arranged around two courtyards with the first wing, Laxmi Niwas completed in 1902. [2] The remaining three wings were completed in stages with final completion of the complex accomplished in 1926. [4]

The palace was originally designed to cost 100,000 rupees [5] due to the planned use of cheaper materials including the suggestion of using stucco instead of carved stone in the construction. Soon however all cost-cutting was abandoned and by time of the completion of the first wing the cost had increased to 1 million rupees [5] due to the use of the finest materials including the widespread employment of finely carved stonework.

The three-storey complex is coated in red sandstone quarried from the Thar Desert. The complex contains the features considered essential for a late 19th-century palace: drawing rooms, smoking rooms, guest suites, several grand halls, lounges, cupolas, pavilions, including a dining room which could seat 400 diners. The complex features magnificent pillars, elaborate fireplaces, Italian colonnades and intricate latticework and filigree work. The Karni Niwas [4] wing houses the darbar hall and an art deco indoor swimming pool.

Overview

Indoor Pool at the Lallgarh Palace, Bikaner. Indoor Pool at the Lalgarh Palace, Bikaner.jpg
Indoor Pool at the Lallgarh Palace, Bikaner.

At present the palace houses the following:

Related Research Articles

The year 1902 in architecture involved some significant events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bikaner</span> City in Rajasthan, India

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. Bikaner city is the administrative headquarters of Bikaner District and Bikaner division.

Rao Bika Rathore, was the founder of the Kingdom of Bikaner in present-day Rajasthan. He was a scion of the Rathore clan of Rajputs. He was a son of Rao Jodha, founder of the kingdom of Marwar. Rao Bika got Godara Jats to accept their subordination in Bikaner region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mehrangarh</span> Medieval fort in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

Mehrangarh Fort covers an area of 1,200 acres in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India. The complex is located on a hilltop around 122 metres above the surrounding plain, and was constructed c. 1459 by Rajput ruler Rao Jodha, though most of the existing structure is from the 17th century. Inside its boundaries there are several palaces known for their intricate carvings and expansive courtyards, as well as a museum housing various relics. A winding road leads to and from the city below. The imprints of the impact of cannonballs fired by attacking armies of Jaipur can still be seen on the second gate. At the north-east of the fort is the chhatri of Kirat Singh Soda, a soldier who fell on the spot defending Mehrangarh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sri Ganganagar</span> City in Rajasthan, India

Sri Ganganagar is the northernmost city of the Indian state of Rajasthan, near the international border of India and Pakistan. It is the administrative headquarters of Sri Ganganagar district. It is named after Maharaja Shri Ganga Singh Bahadur, Maharaja of Bikaner. The city is also known as the "Food Basket of Rajasthan".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sri Ganganagar district</span> District of Rajasthan in India

Sri Ganganagar district is the northernmost district of Rajasthan state in western India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ganga Singh</span> Maharaja of Bikaner (1880–1943)

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 The Signing of Peace in the Hall of Mirrors.

Rajyashree Kumari is a former competition shooter from India. The Arjuna Award in shooting was conferred on her in 1968, when she was 16 years old.She is the daughter of Dr. Karni Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner, daughter of Maharaja Maharani Sushila,

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Junagarh Fort</span> Fort in Bikaner, Rajasthan, India

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Bikaner</span>

The region of Bikaner, stretching across northern Rajasthan State 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of Rajasthan</span> Architecture in the Indian state of Rajasthan

The architecture of the Indian state of Rajasthan has usually been a regional variant of the style of Indian architecture prevailing in north India at the time. Rajasthan is especially notable for the forts and palaces of the many Rajput rulers, which are popular tourist attractions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rambagh Palace, Jaipur</span> Building in Jaipur, India

The Rambagh Palace in Jaipur, Rajasthan is the former residence of the Maharaja of Jaipur located 5 miles (8.0 km) outside the walls of the city of Jaipur on Bhawani Singh road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Palace</span> Building in Udaipur, India

Lake Palace is a former summer palace of the royal dynasty of Mewar, it is now turned into a hotel. The Lake Palace is located on the island of Jag Niwas in Lake Pichola, Udaipur, India, and its natural foundation spans 4 acres (16,000 m2). Popularly described as the Venice of the East, Udaipur hosts the pristine Lake Palace, curated out of white marble.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shiv Niwas Palace</span> Royal palace in Udaipur, Rajasthan, India

Shiv Niwas Palace is a former residence of the Maharana of Udaipur, Rajasthan, located on the banks of Lake Pichola.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samuel Swinton Jacob</span> British officer and colonial architect (1841–1917)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tourism in Rajasthan</span>

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 " Jaipur, is also known as Pink City, is a very popular tourist destination, being the capital of Rajasthan and a part of the Golden Triangle. The Walled City of Jaipur is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is only the second Indian city to be recognized, after Ahmedabad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bikaner State</span> Princely state of India

Bikaner State was a princely state in the Rajputana from 1465 to 1947. The founder of the state, Rao Bika, was the eldest son of Rao Jodha, ruler of Jodhpur. Rao Bika chose to build his own kingdom instead of inheriting his father's. Bika defeated the Jat clans of Jangladesh along with his uncle Rao Kandhal and his adviser Vikramji Rajpurohit and founded his own kingdom. Its capital was the city of Bikaner in the northern area of present-day Rajasthan State in India. Karni Mata has been designated as the kuldevi of the Royal family of Bikaner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rajput architecture</span> Overview of the architecture by the Rajput rulers of Rajasthan

Rajput architecture is an architectural style notable for the forts and palaces of the many Rajput rulers, which are popular tourist attractions, many of the Rajput forts are UNESCO World Heritage Site.

References

  1. ↑ Patnaik, pages 27 and 58.
  2. 1 2 3 Crites, page 94.
  3. ↑ Patnaik, pages 67.
  4. 1 2 3 Crites, page 98.
  5. 1 2 "Home Page". Archived from the original on 11 February 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.. Retrieved 12 April 2008
  6. ↑ Trip Advisor Review

Literature

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.