SA Travel Diaries: The City Palace at Jaipur by Nikita Singh

Nikita Singh is a Former Photographer and Citizen Archaeology
Member of Speaking Archaeologically

City Palace, Jaipur : Located northeast of the city center, you’ll find a beautiful complex built between 1729 and 1732, by Sawai Jai Singh II, which is the City. Being enthusiastic about architecture himself, Sawai Jai Singh II also had aid from the two architects Vidyadhar Bhattacharya (who was the chief architect in the royal court) and Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob during the designing of the premises.

Over the years, due to the wear and tear of time, there have been gradual restorations of the palace building within the walls, as well as the additional buildings, such as the Mubarak Mahal, which was built in 1890 along with the Chandra Mahal that is still used by the royal family of Jaipur today. However, the outer wall still remaining is from the original design.

The first floor of Chandra Mahal is the only open area available to be toured by visitors, as it is still used today by the royal family, and here you’ll be able to gain entrance to the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum. Once inside, there will be galleries showcasing photographs of the royal family, along with paintings, and various pieces of clothing, costumes, and tapestries. There is even a section of the museum where you can view small cars, and carts, that were used during the glory days of the King’s rule.

 As visitors, we enter the palace through Jaleb Chowk. This area houses various small boutiques and stores housing handicrafts, artifacts, traditional handlooms, rugs etc. Be sure to haggle and bargain. The prices are over-rated! 

I entered into the courtyard that has the Mubarak Mahal, a lovely little building, sitting snugly on a raised platform in the centre. Maharaja Madho Singh II built this palace in the late 19th century and it is supposed to be an amalgamation of architectural styles – Rajput,  Islamic and even British. There is now a textile museum inside that displays some very interesting pieces.
Passing through the Mubarak Mahal we go on to Sarvatto Bhadra. This is a beautiful structure. Truly Splendid and Royal! Sarbato Bhadra is an impressive raised structure and in earlier days was used for accession ceremonies. It was the Diwan-i-khas and even today houses props and arms of the bygone era. A truly magnificent venue to host a Royal Wedding! Sarvatto Bhadra houses the largest silver vessels in the world, figured in the Guinness Book of World records. 

The Pritam Niwas Chowk simply blew me away. It has four gorgeous gates, one for each season. Each gate seemed to be more beautiful than the previous one and I just couldn’t pick my favourite. It’s amazing how much care was taken to create something as mundane as a doorway inside the palace.

                      

And then there are two HUGE silver pots that were used to carry water from the Ganges on a trip abroad. 

The Chandra Mahal, the main residence of the royal family, stands tall and imposing. It has seven storeys and the topmost is the Mukut Mandir, which has a crown-like structure right at the top. I could only see the ground floor as I opted for the basic tour. There is another tour called Royal Grandeur that takes you through various rooms of the Chandra Mahal, though it is quite expensive!
The Palace also houses a eating outlet – The Palace Café! I have had the most mind blowing spaghetti bolognaise at the café at one point of time! All in all- The city palace Jaipur is a great place to see Indian heritage and legacy of an era bygone!