Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur is a historical site, first constructed in 1928 and placed above the desert capital of Jodhpur. It was originally a palace and the last of the great palaces of India. Besides twenty-six acres of lush foliage and gardens, the palace hotel features art-deco style luxury, combining both sensibilities of the east and west, along with 347 rooms and special theme rooms.
The renaissance-influenced cupola is over 100 feet high, and the Rajput-style towers are amazing to behold. Inside, the fixtures and furnishings are designer-quality while the murals feature original art by the likes of world-renowned Polish artist Stefan Norblin. Also on site is a private museum, squash courts, billiards, and dining from the grill with traditional Indian music. Perhaps the greatest feature for history lovers is that the hotel escorts you around with a royal butler in a vintage-style car.
Choose from theme rooms like historical suites, royal suites, grand royal suites, and maharajah suites. Each of the theme rooms has its own unique style, with amenities like crystal fountains, large murals of wildlife, mirrored bars, and exotic artifacts mixed in with the décor. This is a great location for sampling Royal Indian life, the way the greatest of kings once had it.
Architecture of Umaid Bhavan Palace
The palace was built in Beaux Arts style and has two wings. Golden yellow sandstone, Makrana marble and Burmese Teak wood were used for the intricate woodwork on the inside of the palace. The palace had 347 rooms, several courtyards, and a banquet hall with a capacity of 300 people. The palace consists of a throne chamber, an exclusive private meeting hall, a Durbar Hall to meet the public, a vaulted banquet hall, swimming pool and spa, private dining halls, two unique marble squash courts, a ball room, a library, an indoor, a billiards room, four tennis courts, and long passages.
Gaj Singh II who succeeded his father decided in 1971 to convert a part of the palace into a hotel. The hotel has 70 guest rooms and it also includes the Maharaja and Maharani Suites. The Maharaja Suite has a black marble flooring and a curved mirror dome, while the Maharani suite has a parquet flooring and offers a great view of the garden. The banquet hall in the past is now the large restaurant in the hotel premises.
Umaid Bhavan Palace History
The main motive behind the construction of the palace was the welfare of the people. Following the prosperous rule of the Rathore rule, a saint's curse condemned Jodhpur to a drought for three consecutive years. The farmers faced extreme conditions of famine and pleaded the then ruler Umaid Singh for help. In order to help his subjects and give them employment, Umaid Singh commissioned the construction of the Umaid Palace. Architect Henry Vaughan Lanchester was assigned with the job of conceptualising the design and he designed the palace along the lines of New Delhi's government complex. The palace was designed such that it incorporated western technology as well as classical Indian architectural features.
Since the main motive behind building the palace was to provide employment to suffering farmers, the palace was built at a very slow pace. The actual construction began in the year 1929 but was completed only in the year 1943. It provided consistent employment to around 3000 people and was built at a cost of 11 million rupees at that time.
Palaces in Rajasthan Known for their beautiful structures, detailed edifices and age-old architecture, the Forts And Palaces in Rajasthan are the very evidence of this land’s rich culture and heritage. Scattered all around the state, these forts and palaces are unique in their history, with every single one more grand than the other. Some of these palaces, like the Umaid Bhawan Palace, amongst others, have also been converted into luxury and heritage resorts and hotels in present times. The famous forts of rajasthan still retain their old glory and exquisite architecture, and transport you back to the bygone eras. One such example is Jaipur’s Amber Fort, which exudes the remnants of the times of the Rajasthani Maharajas. There is also the Chittorgarh Fort, the largest in the country, beautiful and grand, and famous for its glorious past. The palaces in rajasthan, such as Udaipur’s City Palace, which dates back to the 1500s, tell the stories of the kings of the past. Or the Neemrana Palace, which is so grand and royal that it has now been converted into a heritage resort. A visit to these spectacular structures of Rajasthan will definitely be a remarkable experience of a lifetime!