Shivappa Nayaka Palace, Shimoga

In Shimoga (State: Karnataka) the fort originally had occupied around 200 acres of land. Of which now only 10 acres of land is occupied by fort area. Even though I could not see any fort walls, I did see a 16th century palace built by ruler Shivappa Nayak of Keladi Dynasty. This beautiful palace is situated on the banks of river Tunga in the old city. (Click on the images for bigger view)

This was much larger structure, of which currently only the Durbar Hall survives the ravages of the war against Bahmani Kings. The Durbar Hall is built with wooden pillars giving an elevation of almost twenty feet from the ground level.

The carved pillars and artificial roofs is made of teak and rosewood. The roof of the palace is covered with Mangalore tiles. The wooden staircase leads up to the first floor. And there is a projected wooden balcony in the central part.

There are beautiful floral carvings on the pillars and arches between the pillars.

The architecture of the palace is Indo-Saracenic where one can see elements of Rajput, Islamic styles. Today, this palace also serves as a museum for Archeological Survey of India (ASI). The palace is maintained by ASI and as of today no charge or ticket for visiting this elegant palace.

Meharangarh Fort, Jodhpur

The Fort of Jodhpur (State: Rajasthan) looms on the top of a rocky hill, and it rises 125 mts, above the plains. Built in the 15th century by the Rathore Rajputs, the architecture is such that, one can not separate the fort from bluff-colored sandstone hill on which it is constructed. (Click on the images for bigger view)

The fort is built on the hill in such a way that it is very difficult to identify where the hill ends and the fort walls begin. The fort at several places has 17 feet thick and 68 feet high walls.

It is approached by a series of 7 gateways set at an angle so that armies could not charge them with any success. Past the gates, the fort-palace takes one's breath away.

Across from huge courtyards are the palatial apartments that have been built over five centuries of bristling history. The beauty and the grandeur of numerous palaces in the fort narrates a saga of hard sandstones yielding to the chisels of skilled craftsmanship. Only some of the spectacular palaces of the fort are open to the visitors.

These consists of Moti Mahal with its pierced screen windows overlooking the coronation seat where the Rathore ruler have been ritually anointed to rule; Jhanki Mahal, the apartment from where the zenana women would watch ceremonial events; Chandan Mahal, where affairs of state were discussed; the royal Darbar Takhat or throne room with its octagonal throne.

Lalgarh Palace, Bikaner

Lalgarh Palace is located outside the Bikaner city limits. It is at a distance of 3 kms from the city. This palace was built between 1902 and 1926 by Maharaja Ganaga Singh in the memory of his father, Maharaja Lal Singh. (Click on the image for bigger view)

The architecture of the palace is Indo-Saracenic where one can see elements of Rajput, Muslim and European styles.

Now, this palace has been converted into a heritage hotel. But, the first floor of the palace is converted into a museum, the Shri Sadul museum. The museum has on display are artifacts and personal possessions of the Bikaner Maharajas.

Badal Mahal, Kumbalgarh

In the 15th century King Rana Kumbh built a massive fort whose walls stretched for 36 kms in the Aravali ranges in a place by name Kumbalgarh (State: Rajasthan). The Kumbalgarh Fort is surrounded by 13 mountain peaks, and guarded by seven great gates, strengthened by rounded bastions and immense watchtowers. (Click on the images for bigger view)

There are many palaces, temples and gardens inside this huge fort complex. At the top most point in the fort is the palace known as Badal Mahal or the Palace of Cloud.

The palace was rebuilt by Rana Fateh Singh in the late 19th century. The legendary ruler Maharana Pratap was born here. The palace has colorful rooms. Unfortunately we could not see them as it was closed when we were there. This palace is very different, when compared to rest of the raw and grim fortress.

The entrance of the palace has beautiful carvings. Even the wooden door of the palace is also carved beautifully.

Dinman Hardaul's Palace, Orchha

In Orchha (State: Madhya Pradesh) the 17th century Dinman Hardaul's Palace is a symbol of the respect and love between brothers. The splendid edifice of Palace represents the rich artistic skills and creative imagination of the local craftsmen of the ancient times. (Click on the images for bigger picture)

According to a historical legend, Dinman Hardaul's Palace was constructed in honor of the prince Hardaul who sacrificed his life for his elder brother Jhujhar. The elder brother had suspected that his younger brother was romantically involved with his long time companion and friend. Due to this prince Hardaul decided end his life to show his virtuous nature to Jhujhar.

Phool Bagh and Wind Towers, Orchha

In Orchha (State: Madhya Pradesh) the Phool Bagh is a beautiful garden of the royal rulers of the Bundelkhand dynasty. Surrounded by colorful and attractive flower beds in those days, Phool Bagh was the summer palace of the rulers of Orchha.

The shot below was taken from the Charurbhuj Temple. On the left is Ram Raja Temple and in the extreme right the two towers are Wind Towers. In the center is Phool Bagh Palace. (Click on the images for bigger picture)

Next to Phool Bagh palace, are the cooling towers which caught the prevailing wind. The huge towers would capture the hot winds and produce a cooling effect over the entire area.

Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jodhpur

During our visit to Jodhpur (State: Rajasthan) we planned to visit Umaid Bhavan Palace, after the tour of the Jodhpur fort. We reached this place at 6 p.m and the gates were closed for us. If one wishes to visit this place be here before 5 p.m. After 5 p.m the gates are closed for visitors and they are allowed nowhere near the gates.

Constructed of marble and pink sandstone this immense palace is also known as the Chhittar Palace because it uses local Chittar sandstone. Begun in 1929, it was designed by president of the British Royal Institute of Architects for Maharaja Umaid Singh and took 15 years to complete.

This palace is outside the fort and now converted into a luxury hotel. The above snaps was taken from the fort.

Raj Mahal, Orchaa

Orchha (State: Madhya Pradesh) has an imposing fort, dating back to the 16th century. The Fort Complex contains magnificent palaces of the Bundela kings presenting a matchless spectacle of those times. (Click on the images for bigger picture)

One of such palace is 17th century palace, the Raj Mahal. Work on the Raja Mahal was started by Raja Rudra Pratap, and is completed by his predecessor Madhukar Shah one of the most prominent rulers of Orchha.

The outer courtyard has some beautiful arches arranged in floral patterns and carved out in lime mortar.

It is a fine example of Mughal architecture with typical stone lattice work. The palace is in the shape of a perfect square that is further divided into two courtyards. The main courtyard is flanked by the palace which has a four-story building at one end of it. The other three sides have five-story apartments.

It has raised balconies and interlocking walkways rise in symmetrical tiers on all four sides, crowned by domed pavilions and turrets.

Jehanghir Palace, Orchha

Orchha (State: Madhya Pradesh) has an imposing fort, dating back to the 16th century. The Fort Complex contains magnificent palaces of the Bundela kings presenting a matchless spectacle of those times. (Click on the images for bigger picture)

One of such palace is 17th century palace, the Jehanghir Mahal. It is a three storied most impressive palace, which is a fine example of of Indo-Islamic architecture. The harmony in the construction of palace can be seen in hanging balconies, topped domes and lovely onion shaped domes around the central courtyard.

This palace is more airy and lighted since it has countless windows and pierced stone screens looking out over the skyline to the west. In the other direction one can see a sea of treetops and ruined temples.

Jehanghir Mahal, Orchha

Orchha (State: Madhya Pradesh) has an imposing fort, dating back to the 16th century. The Fort Complex contains magnificent palaces of the Bundela kings presenting a matchless spectacle of those times. (Click on the images for bigger picture)

One of such palace is 17th century palace, the Jehanghir Mahal. It is a magnificent structure and grandest of all palaces in Orchha. This was built by then King Bir Singh Deo between 1605 and 1627 to commemorate the visit of Emperor Jahanghir to Orchha. It is a three storied building, which is a fine example of of Indo-Islamic architecture.

The main entrance of the palace is east-facing facade, which is covered with turquoise tiles. The arrival of Raja was announced by the ringing of bells of the beautiful stone elephants that guards the stairway.

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Rai Praveen Mahal, Orchha

Orchha (State: Madhya Pradesh) has an imposing fort, dating back to the 16th century. The Fort Complex contains magnificent palaces of the Bundela kings presenting a matchless spectacle of those times. (Click on the images for bigger picture)

One of such palace is Rai Praveen Mahal. This palace was built in honor of the ‘Nightingale of Orchha’, Rai Praveen. As per the legend when she had been to Emperor Akbar's court, she was lured by him to stay back in his court by denouncing her King of Orchha. But she returned back to Orchha without accepting the Emperor's offer.

Built in 1618 using circa by then Maharaja Indrajit Singh is a three-storeyed palace. The second floor is decorated with the poses and postures of Indian dance. A octagonal shaped lush garden, with shrubs and flowerbeds developed in many artistic shapes, surrounds the palace.

In the landscape beyond the palace various small temples and Betwa river can be seen.

Orchha Fort Complex

Orchha (State: Madhya Pradesh) has an imposing fort, dating back to the 16th century. The fort complex contains magnificent palaces of the Bundela kings presenting a matchless spectacle of those times. (Click on the images for bigger picture)


The complex has 3 palaces:

Raj Mahal - Bundela kings residential palace. a massive square building of which the exterior is almost absolutely plain.

Jehangir Mahal - a square building, but far more ornate, a singularly beautiful specimen of Hindu domestic architecture.

Rai Praveen Mahal - built in memory of the famous poetess and musician, Rai Parveen, the beautiful courtesan of Raja Indramani.

Datia Palace

This 16th century palace is popularly known as Govind Palace or Jehangir Palace. The palace is built using the Bundela style of architecture, which is a blend of the Mughal and Rajput architecture. The arched openings, brackets and dome is characteristic of the Mughal architecture, while the lotus petals and use of animal sculpture and avian painting are symbols of the Rajput architecture. (Click on the images for bigger picture)

In the central courtyard there is a five-story structure with apartments for the royal family. It is connected by bridge corridors to the middle of each side. The facades are decorated with bracketed balconies, arcades and wide eaves which create a glorious play of light and shade.

It is the representative of one of the finest architectures of the Bundela period. The place is decorated the Bundela mural paintings. It is impressive architecturally and has nice mural painted on the walls.

Ceilings are intricately decorated. These murals have withstood the test of time.

From Datia we proceeded to Jhansi

Distance: Datia ---> Jhansi 34kms

Govind Palace, Datia

We left from Shivpuri early morning. After visiting Survayi Ki Grahi, we proceeded to Datia which is at a distance of 106 kms. (Click on the images for bigger picture)

Govind Palace is the seven-story palace built by Raja Bir Singh Deo in 1614. Out of this only five levels are visible and other two levels are underground hidden from view. The main entrance is on the eastern side, while the south opens out to a lake, the Karna Sagar. A central dome rising to 35m caps the palace.

It has more than 440 rooms and several courtyards. What makes this palace special is that it is made entirely of stones and bricks with no use of wood and iron. This palace is one of finest example of a style of architecture that arose in the late 16th and early 17th centuries in the Bundelkhand area under the reign of the Bundela Rajputs. It is a fusion of Mughal and Rajput architecture.

George Castle, Shivpuri

Deep inside the Madhav National Park near Shivpuri, at the highest point is the turreted George Castle built by the King Jiyaji Rao Scindia. Here imported English tiles for the floors and stained glass for the windows has been used. This was built at the time when British Ruled India. This was built for Emperor George V in the anticipation of his visit to India. It is a different story that he did no turn up. The castle supposed to provide best view of the lake below at the time of Sunset. (Click on all the images for bigger picture)

As we did not enter the park, we did not get a closer view of the castle. But, I still managed to get a glimpse of the castle while boating in the lake. I had clicked several snaps of this castle from the moving boat.

Gujari Mahal, Gwalior

Gujari Mahal is a palace inside the Gwalior Fort. This palace is at a lower region near the base of the fort. It was built by Tomar ruler Man Singh in 1486-1516 for his queen Mrignayani. Rectangular in shape, it measures 71m x 60m. There is a courtyard surrounded by 28 rectangular rooms. On all four corners there are cenotaphs. Entire palace is decorated with color tiles. (Click on the image for bigger picture)

In 1920, the palace is converted int0 a museum. The galleries of the museum display the archeological heritage of the period from B.C. to 17th A.D. The exhibits include stone idols, bronze idols, inscriptions, miniature paintings, terracotta figures, coins and arms and armories.

Timing of this museum is from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm daily except Monday.

Man Mandir Palace, Gwalior

This magnificent palace inside the Gwalior Fort was built by Raja Man Singh of the Tomar dynasty between 1486 and 1516. The palace can be reached by north eastern fort entrance. Because of the richly tiled and painted decorations with elephants and peacocks, and the exceptional fresco with the ducks paddling in turquoise waters, it is also known as Chit Mandir or Painted Palace. (Click on all the images for bigger picture)

This palace has four levels, two of them are underground. Six rounded towers crowned with cupolas relieve this 80 feet high structure. The beauty is further enhanced by blue ceramic mosaic and petite trellis work.

It consists of two open courts surrounded by apartments with carved stones, pillars. There are various rooms serving different purpose such as affairs of state, relaxation, decorated ornately with beautiful paintings, different figures of human beings, carved animals and flowers. The walls of these halls were decorated with triangular friezes.

Even the ceilings in each room had different designs carved out as below:

This is one of the few architecture marvel in the fort that has withstood the test of time.

Scindia Museum, Gwalior

In Gwalior we first visited Jai Vilas Palace also known as Scindia Museum. Built in 1809, as many as 35 rooms of this palace is converted into museum. (Click on all the images for bigger picture)

In the museum on display are several belongings of the Royal family. The palace has various rooms each one decorated in its own way with different colors and exquisite furniture.


There is a weapon room displaying some of the weapons used by the Kings and his army. In this room the weapons ranging from swords to guns are on display.



There are two dining rooms in the palace. One is in a traditional style where people sit on the floor and have the food. Other is the western style where food is served on the table. Here there is a silver train with cut glass wagons which served the guests drinks as it chugged long the table on miniature rails.

Dining room

Most fascinating place in the palace is the Durbar Hall. Here ceilings have glittering paintings, heavy draperies and tapestries, fine Persian carpets. In this room there are antique furnitures from France and Italy. There are two central chandeliers, weighing a couple of tonnes. They were hung only after ten elephants had tested the strength of the roof.

Durbar Hall

That covers the tour of the palace/museum.

Next we shall discover the places nearby Gwalior to start with Padavali.

Jai Vilas Palace, Gwalior

From Bhopal after touring Bhojpur and Bhimbetka we reached Gwalior overnight. In Gwalior we first visited nearby destinations like Padavali and Mitavali. Some time in the afternoon we visited this magnificent palace before visiting the fort. This palace is located in the city outside the premises of the fort. (Click on all the images for bigger picture)

Jai Vilas Palace, is an Italianate structure combining the Tuscan and Corinthian architectural modes. This palace was designed by Lt. Col. Sir Michael Filose and was built in 1809. The part of the palace is occupied by the Royal Scindia family.

About 35 of the rooms have been converted into the Scindia Museum. A splendor of a different kind exists in this palace. These rooms, are so expressive the royal lifestyle, the past comes alive. The museum provides a glimpse of the rich culture and lifestyle of the royal India.

The palace has various rooms each one decorated in its own way with different colors and exquisite furniture. One such room is shown below. The furniture in this are made of crystal.

Room with crystal furniture

In the museum on display are several belongings of the Royal family. Some of the antiques are glass cradle from Italy used for the baby Krishna on each Janmashtami celebrations, and swords that were once worn by Emperors Aurangzeb and Shah Jahan.

golden footwear

These are, besides, personal mementos of past members of the Scindia family: the jeweled slippers that belonged to Chinkoo Rani, four-poster beds, gifts from practically every country in the world, hunting trophies and portraits.

In the next section we will discover other rooms of this beautiful palace.

Amber Fort, Jaipur

Along with palaces, and other attractions we set our eyes on exploring the most important tourist attractions of the city i.e., the forts. The third fort in Jaipur we followed after the Nahargarh Fort and Jaigarh Fort is Amber Fort.

Built in 1592 on barren ridge by Raja Man Singh, it is one of the finest examples of Rajput architecture. It provides impressive views over a deep narrow valley and the wider plains beyond. It is located on the hills that surround Jaipur. The fort that sprawls along the Maotha Lake, is composed of a massive complex gateways, courts, stairways and pillared pavilions, and palaces.

From the bottom of the hill one can reach the fort over the hill either by using stairways or elephant ride. For a nominal fee they carry two to three people on elephant to the top where front courtyard of the complex exists.

The entire fort complex, is constructed of white and red sandstone. The imposing rugged outlook of the fort is of the stark contrast to to the inside, a lavish ornate interior which is combination of both Hindu and Mughal styles of architecture. Some of the interior walls of the fort are covered with murals, frescoes, and paintings depicting various scenes from daily life. Other walls are covered with intricate carvings, mosaic, and minute mirror work. The front yard is adorned with the marvelous, pillared hall of the Diwan-i-Am, and the two - tiered painted gateway Ganesh Pol. Once you enter through the Ganesh Pol, the structure of special interests inside are Sheesh Mahal, Jas Mandir.

Ganesh Pol in the front yard

Sheesh Mahal is the palace of mirrors. The walls of this palace as the name suggests are inlaid with exquisite mirrors.

Sheesh Mahal

The Jas Mandir, located on the upper floor, is a superb combination of Mughal and Rajput style of architecture, as can be seen from the exquisitely carved Jali screens, and fine mirror and stucco work.

P.S: December is the month when lot of tourists land in Rajasthan. So if you really want all the arrangements to be done properly this has to be done before October end.