The Umaid Bhawan Palace is one of the most beautifully built palaces of that era. The architect behind the splendid structure was the renowned Edwardian architect, Henry Vaughan Lanchester. The particular palace with three hundred and forty seven spacious rooms is an architectural marvel. Currently serving as a hotel, guests of this hotel will be spectacular and grand structure that incorporates as many as three hundred and forty seven spacious rooms. There are various features of the palace that acts a visual treat to the visitors. The dome that rises to a height of five hundred feet reflects a somewhat western character. However, there is also a Throne room with murals depicting events from Hindu epic Ramayana. There is also a wood paneled library in the palace. These features provide an enriching experience to the tourists.
History of building the Umaid Bhawan Palace is linked to a curse by a saint who had said that a period of drought will follow the good rule of the Rathore Dynasty. Thus, after the end of about 50-year reign of Pratap Singh, Jodhpur faced a severe drought and famine conditions in the 1920s for a period of three consecutive years. The farmers of the area faced with famine conditions sought the help of the then king Umaid Singh, who was the 37th Rathore ruler of Marwar at Jodhpur, to provide them with some employment so that they could survive the famine conditions. The king, in order to help the farmers, decided to build a lavish palace. He commissioned Henry Vaughan Lanchester as the architect to prepare the plans for the palace; Lanchester was a contemporary of Sir Edwin Lutyens who planned the buildings of the New Delhi government complex. Lanchester patterned the Umaid Palace on the lines of the New Delhi building complex by adopting the theme of domes and columns. The palace was designed as a blend of western technology and Indian architectural features.
