Where is the Umaid Bhawan Palace?
The Umaid Bhawan Palace is located at Jodhpur in the state of Rajasthan in
northwestern India. It was one of the last royal constructions, built to
provide work for the poor villagers of the region.
How will you gain access?
Jodhpur (597 km from Delhi) is connected by air to Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai,
Jaipur and Udaipur. The airport lies at a distance of 5 km from the city
centre. The city lies on the Broad Gauge and therefore connected to all the
major metropolises of the country. There are daily trains from Jaipur,
Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. The Rajasthan Roadways runs deluxe and
air-conditioned buses from Delhi (Bikaner House, near India Gate). from
Delhi, it takes 8-9 hours to reach Jodhpur by road.
Is the palace a Heritage hotel now?
To day, the palace has three functional parts. One of the parts is a
fantastic five-star hotel. The residence of the royal family and the museum
are the other two parts of the palace.
What are the timings and the entry charges?
The Umaid Bhawan Palace Museum is open from 10-00 hours to 16-00 hours. It
is closed on Sundays. Entry fee for Indians is Rs 15, while for foreign
national it is Rs 50.
What does the past say?
Among the local public, the Umaid Bhawan Palace is popular by the name of
Chittar Palace. It was Maharaja Umaid Singh who laid the foundation of this
magnificent piece of architecture on 18th November, 1929. The palace rests
on the Chittar Hills in the southeastern part of the city. The palace took
16 years to complete and an amount of one crore and twenty one lakh rupees
was involved.
What goes behind the architecture?
Built
with a view to providing work for the poor villagers, the Umaid Bhawan
Palace is among the last royal constructions. Set amidst 26 acres of lush
gardens, the palace is also one of the largest residences in the world. The
palace was designed by the renowned Edwardian architect Henry Lanchester. It
symbolises a wonderful blend of the eastern and western architectural
influences. The splendid 105-foot high cupola is influenced by the
Renaissance, while the towers represent the Rajput tradition. The interiors
are lavishly decorated with gilt furniture and elegant artwork following the
Art Deco style and complemented by the commendable and exotic wall paintings
by the Polish artist Stefan Norblin.
What are the nearby attractions?
» Mehrangarh Fort
The foundation of the Mehrangarh Fort was laid by Rathore Rajputs in the
15th century. It was built when the Rathore Rajputs moved their capital from
nearby Mandore to Jodhpur.
» Jaswant Thada
The Jaswant Thada is the traditional burial ground of the Jodhpur rulers.
It is located halfway up the road that climbs onwards to the fort. Royal
portraits and other possessions can be seen inside the main hall. The
white-marble memorial to Jaswant Singh II was built in 1899. It is the most
spectacular of all.
» Mandore
Mandore lies at a distance of 9 km north of Jodhpur. It was the erstwhile
capital of Marwar before the foundation of Jodhpur. Founded in the 6th
century, today it has the extensive Mandore Gardens with the cenotaphs of
the Rathod rulers as the chief attraction.
