SA Travel Diaries:Padam Palace, Rampur Bushahr, Himachal by Deepika Sharma

By -
Deepika Sharma,
 Citizen Archaeology Member
The one thing I have learnt about life is you never know what is planned for you the next moment. Call me a fatalist,  but I have had so many instances cementing my belief in fatalism that this particular episode isn't even the first of the many but I am going totalk about it anyway.
Not so long ago, I was on a vacation after finishing Grade 12, the final year of school, spending time in Shimla. It was a peaceful and rather languid phase; that sweet interstice  between finishing school and joining a college. Nothing was planned and I liked it that way, especially after all the exams and the stress. And then one day,  like a lightening bolt that hits you without warning, a phone call set things in motion for me again. It was my Aunt, and she needed me to pack everything I could possibly want. Why? Because we were headed for a trip! Just like that! (The bolt from the blue analogy wasn't entirely useless, you see? )
What came as an earth shattering surprise and a dilemma of sorts for me at first, soon evolved into one of the best experiences of my life! Our journey, which commenced from Shimla,  wove through Rampur, Kinnaur, Rohru, and covered most of the Upper Himachal areas. I had to admit that my personal,  languid heaven could not have been half as mesmerising as this.

Brilliant!  Good for you! Where is the historical place in the whole narrative that Speaking Archaeologically promises its readers?


Padam Palace,  Rampur, Bushahr

That's what the trip started with: the Padam Palace in Rampur Bushahr, about a 125 kms from Shimla. It is one of the private residences of Raja Virbhadra Singh, the incumbent Cheif Minister of Himachal Pradesh, who incidentally also hails from the Royal Family of Bushahr.The Palace is not open for commoners without prior permission so, imagine my luck, that we could visit it, because we did have permission!
What took me at the very outset  was the unique blend of Indian impact and European style in the architecture of Padam Palace, which is named after Raja Padam Singh, the ruler who began its construction in 1919. It took 6 years to build this double storied building made of wood and (interestingly) black gram. (Yes, I know it's a strange thing but instead of cement black gram was used asmortar in most palatial buildings once upon a time in India.) The building thus, remains true to its Indo-Saracenic style in both architecture and construction, combining conical roofs and Belgian glasswork with the native architectural styles.

Inside the Palace, there is a rich library whose walls are adorned with portraits of the Royals. There are, also, however heads of dead bears and boars on the walls,  which can appall you, or completely take you by surprise!
I felt like a time traveller that day; like someone who had gone through a time warp into the era of the Royals and words cannot describe the enchantment that the place held over me, so, I will stop now and let the pictures do the talking. 




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Vav Factor: Sevasi Vav, Vadodra by Ramyani Sengupta

By -
Image
                    The Sevasi Vav, Vadodara           Click here for our Sevasi Vav Video In all of western India, you will be able to find stepwells, from the coasts of Karnataka, to the arid lands of Gujarat and Rajasthan. And then,  are  some in Delhi and Madhya Pradesh, too. They provided travellers with a place to rest, and prevailed as a place to socialize, as well as acted as a medium for storing drinking water (there is no reason to boast about the advent of social networking for you in the 21st century–the wise Yodas from the past did this). More than 200 stepwells are expected to be located in Gujarat alone today–making it very easy to picture their figures in the past. Their water storage effectiveness has helped local residents survive for hundreds of years, in the semi-arid  climate  and  seasonal fluctu...
Read more

Pandavleni Caves and the Quest for Inscriptions by Ira Bhatnagar and Simran Kaur Saini

By -
Image
"We are not leaving this site until and unless we spot all the inscriptions that are there. We cover each cave that there is, okay? Even if our stomachs growl with hunger, and our feet hurt like anything." - Five Research Wing Members on a mission You are in the midst of a weeklong Prehistoric Archaeology workshop, toiling away in the blazing heat, mapping river routes and knapping stone tools. The echoes of prehistory follow you everywhere, yes, even during your tea breaks (The struggle is real *makes sad puppy eyes*). Each day starts with a burning fire within you to decode the enigma called Prehistory (after accomplishing the herculean task of waking up, of course), and by the end of it, leaves you with a fuzzier mind and an aching body that treats chai as ambrosia. Trust us, chai is the elixir for survival when on field. Seriously. Nevertheless, moving on. Finally, that one holiday arrives! A chance to let those poor muscles have some rest, to sleep like...
Read more

Understanding Coinage of the Past: Indo Greek Coins by Dr. Osmund Bopearachchi: A Lecture Review by Kajal Bawa

By -
Image
  Make mistakes but make mistakes intelligently. Already in awe of Prof. Bopearachchi from when he spoke to Speaking Archaeologically about the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, we were more than elated when he graciously agreed to give us two more lectures on the coinage of the past. Exploring Indo-Greek Coins in the first lecture , he showed that the reconstruction of the history of the Greeks in Bactria and India as well as their nomadic successors is entirely dependent upon coins and inscriptions. Only a few texts explore their history and these are scattered across Greek, Latin, Indian and Chinese texts.  What was most fascinating about the lecture was the approach Prof. Bopearachchi took towards studying coinage. I always assumed that studying coins would be limited to the coin itself- its shape, material, contents as that is how we had always studied it. This is important but my understanding was taken to the next level as Prof. Bopearachchi provided a context to this study. ...
Read more