Laxmi Niwas Palace Bikaner

When you build a palace like none other, not just anyone is invited to stay.

Since 1904, only a few have been deemed worthy of a higher order of hospitality – princelings, Europe’s pre-eminent bluebloods, King George V and Queen Mary, a handful of statesmen; a few of the notable architects of history.

The world at large had been shut out of the Laxmi Niwas Palace.

You may now actually go a step further.

Gaze at hand-painted friezes and gold-laden walls. Examine up close the inspiration behind Lutyens’ and Baker’s architectural style. And perhaps reflect on the fact that exclusion does sometimes make a place what it is.