~ India's 15 Majestic Palaces ~

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Worldwide  India is famous for its rich cultural history and heritage. Kings and their majestic palaces are distinctive symbols of India. Lavish lifestyle of royal families, royal finery and comforts are quite interesting stories. These palaces with all the privileges are a unique mix of architecture and decoration.
 
That is why many of the country's royal palaces have been converted into luxury hotels and museums for millions of tourists to see and enjoy. 
 
These evergreen famous royal palaces and architecture makes one obsessed with their elegance and beauty.

1 Rambagh Palace, Jaipur 

The Rambagh Palace in Jaipur, Rajasthan is the former residence of the Maharaja of Jaipur and now a luxury Taj Palace Hotel, located 5 miles (8.0 km) outside of the walls of the city of Jaipur on Bhawani Singh Road. Preferred by celebrities and sport stars across the globe, Rambagh Palace, is widely considered to be one of the best hotels around the world.

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2 Jai Vilas Palace, Gwalior

The Jai Vilas Mahal or The Jai Vilas Palace is a nineteenth-century palace in India. It was established in 1874 by Jayajirao Scindia, the Maharaja of Gwalior and is still the residence of his descendants the former royal Maratha Scindia dynasty. The European architecture of the palace was designed and built by Sir Michael Filose (known as Mukhel Sahib) under the guidance of Jayajirao to welcome Edward VII.

The palace has 400 rooms from which exclusively 40 rooms are transformed into Jiwaji Rao Scindia Museum. Two Belgian chandeliers at Durbar Hall weighing 7 tonnes each are believed to be most gigantic in the world. Every corner of this wonderful palace is known for Italian Corinthian and Tuscan architecture.

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3 Laxmi Vilas Palace, Bharatpur

Laxmi Vilas Palace is a colossal mansion that was built in 1887 for Raja Raghunath Singh. Earlier the Palace was known as Raghunath Niwas though locals preferred to call it Kakaji Ki Kothi. In 1994, the Palace was transformed into a heritage hotel. Today, this hotel boasts of an impressive structure with a lively fusion of Rajput and Mughal architecture.

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4 Chowmahalla Palace, Hyderabad

Chowmahalla Palace or Chowmahallat (4 Palaces), is a palace of the Nizams of Hyderabad state. It was the seat of the Asaf Jahi dynasty and was the official residence of the Nizams of Hyderabad while they ruled their state. The palace remains the property of Barkat Ali Khan Mukarram Jah, heir of the Nizams.

In Persian, Chahar means four and in Arabic Mahalat (plural of Mahal) means palaces, hence the name Chowmahallat/four palaces, or four

All ceremonial functions including the accession of the Nizams and receptions for the Governor-General were held at this palace.

The prestigious UNESCO Asia Pacific Merit award for cultural heritage conservation was presented to Chowmahalla Palace on March 15, 2010. UNESCO representative Takahiko Makino formally handed over the plaque and certificate to Princess Esra, former wife and GPA holder of Prince Mukarram Jah Bahadur.

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5 Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jodhpur

Umaid Bhawan Palace, located at Jodhpur in Rajasthan, India, is one of the world's largest private residences. A part of the palace is managed by Taj Hotels. Named after Maharaja Umaid Singh, grandfather of the present owners of the palace, this monument has 347 rooms and serves as the principal residence of the erstwhile Jodhpur royal family.

Umaid Bhawan Palace was called Chittar Palace during its construction due to use of stones commonly known as Chittar in the building. Ground for the foundations of the building was broken on 18 November 1929 by erstwhile Maharaja Umaid Singh and the construction work was completed in 1943. The Palace was built to provide employment to thousands of people during the time of famine.

The present owner of the Palace is Maharaja of Jodhpur Gaj Singh. The Palace is divided into three functional parts - a luxury Taj Palace Hotel (in existence since 1972), the residence of the erstwhile royal family, and a Museum focusing on the 20th century history of the Jodhpur Royal Family. There is also a gallery showcasing the most exotic automobiles owned by the royals.

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6 Mysore Palace, Karnataka

The Palace of Mysore (also known as the Amba Vilas Palace) is a historical palace in the city of Mysore in Karnataka, southern India. It is the official residence and seat of the Wodeyars — the Maharajas of Mysore, the former royal family of Mysore, who ruled the princely state of Mysore from 1399 to 1950. The palace houses two durbar halls (ceremonial meeting halls of the royal court) and incorporates a mesmerizing and gigantic array of courtyards, gardens, and buildings. The palace is in the central region of inner Mysore, facing the Chamundi Hills eastward.

Mysore is commonly described as the City of Palaces. There are about seven palaces inclusive of this; however, Mysore Palace refers specifically to the one within the Old Fort. Mysore Palace is now one of the most famous tourist attractions in India, after the Taj Mahal, and has more than 3 million visitors annually.

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7 Lake Palace, Udaipur, Rajasthan

Lake Palace (formerly known as Jag Niwas) is a luxury hotel, which has 83 rooms and suites featuring white marble walls. The Lake Palace is located on the island of Jag Niwas in Lake Pichola, Udaipur, India, and its natural foundation spans 4 acres (16,000 m2). The hotel operates a speed boat which transports guests to the hotel from a jetty at the City Palace. It has been voted as the most romantic hotel in India and in the world.

 was built between 1743- 1746 under the direction of the Maharana Jagat Singh II (62nd successor to the royal dynasty of Mewar) of Udaipur, Rajasthan as a royal summer palace and was initially called Jagniwas or Jan Niwas after its founder.

The palace was constructed facing east, allowing its inhabitants to pray to the Surya, the Hindu sun god, at the crack of dawn. The successive rulers used this cool haven as their summer resort, holding their regal durbars in its courtyards lined with columns, pillared terraces, fountains and gardens.

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8 Bangalore Palace, Bangalore

Bangalore Palace, a palace located in Bangalore, India, was built by Rev. Garrett, who was the first Principal of the Central High School in Bangalore, now known as Central College.

The construction of the palace was started in 1862 and completed in 1944. In 1884, it was bought by the then Maharaja of Mysore HH Chamarajendra Wadiyar X. Now owned by the Mysore royal family,the palace has recently undergone a renovation.

It is mistakenly believed to be a replica of the Windsor Castle in England. The audio tour at the Bangalore palace clearly says that there was no reference to the Windsor Castle.

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9 Marble Palace, Kolkata

Marble Palace is a palatial nineteenth-century mansion in North Kolkata. It is one of the best-preserved and most elegant houses of nineteenth-century Calcutta. The mansion is famous for its marble walls and floors, from which its name derives.

The house was built in 1835 by Raja Rajendra Mullick, a wealthy Bengali merchant with a passion for collecting works of art. The house continues to be a residence for his descendants, and the current occupants are the family of Raja Rajendra Mullick Bahadur. Raja Rajendra Mullick was the adopted son of Nilmoni Mullick, who built a Jagannath temple which predates Marble Palace, and still stands within the premises, but is only accessible to members of the family.

The house is basically Neoclassical in style, while the plan with its open courtyards is largely traditional Bengali. Adjacent to the courtyard, there is a thakur-dalan, or place of worship for members of the family. The three-storey building has tall fluted Corinthian pillars and ornamented verandas with fretwork and sloping roofs, built in the style of a Chinese pavilion.The premises also include a garden with lawns, a rock garden, a lake and a small zoo.

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10 Jagan Mohan Palace, Mysore

aganmohan Palace is a palace in Mysore, in the princely city of Mysore, India. Its construction was completed in 1861 and was initially used by the Wodeyars, kings of Mysore as their home (when the present majestic Mysore Palace (Amba Vilas Palace) was under construction after the old palace turned into ashes owing to a fire accident). It is now converted into an art gallery and a function hall. The palace is one of the seven palaces of the royal city of Mysore and one of the most beautiful contributions of the Wodeyar Kings of the city during their regime. The royal family has innumerable contributions not only to Mysore but also to some of the most important present metropolitans like Bangalore, Jaipur (the Jaipur Palace) etc.

The Jaganmohan Palace was constructed in 1861 by the king, His Highness Krishnaraja Wodeyar III as an alternate retreat for the royal family. The Mysore Palace, which was the original home of the royal family was burnt down in a fire and the construction of a new palace in its place was started in 1897. Till the new palace was completed in 1912, the Jaganmohan Palace was used by the royals as their home. In 1902, the king His Highness Rajarshi Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar was installed to the Mysore throne, in a ceremony that took place in a pavilion inside the Jaganmohan Palace.

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11 Uzzyanta Palace, Agartala

The Ujjayanta Palace is a former royal palace of the Tripura (princely state) situated in Agartala, the capital of the Indian state of Tripura, and also served as the meeting place of the Tripura Legislative Assembly until 2011 and now a museum. Ujjayanta Palace is a tourist attraction of Agartala, and tours are conducted by the Tripura Tourism Department. The Palace stands on the banks of a small lake surrounded by the lush greenery of Mughal gardens in Agartala, sprawling over 28 hectares of parkland, the exotic palace has several Hindu temples dedicated to Lakshmi Narayan, Uma-Maheshwari, Kali and Jagannath. It is the largest museum in Northeast India covering an area of over 800 acres of land in the capital city, Ujjayanta Palace was the command hub until the erstwhile princely Tripura`s accession to India in October 1949. The museum showcases the lifestyle, arts, culture, tradition and utility crafts, beside the customs and practices of various communities residing in northeast India. The name Ujjayanta Palace was given by Rabindranath Tagore.The Palace was purchased from the royal family by the Tripura government in 1972-73 for Rs. 2.5 million, housed the state legislative assembly till July 2011. It was constructed between 1899 and 1901 by then Tripura king, Maharaja Radha Kishore Manikya.

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12. Padmanabhapuram  Palace, Thuckalay, TN

Padmanabhapuram Palace is located in at Padmanabhapuram Fort, in Padmanabhapuram, Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu, India. Padmanabhapuram is the former capital city of the erstwhile kingdom of Travancore. It is about 20km from Nagercoil, and about 50km from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The palace complex is inside an old granite fortress around four kilometers long. The palace is located at the foot of the Veli Hills, which form a part of the Western Ghats. The river Valli flows nearby.

The palace was constructed around 1601 AD by Iravi Varma Kulasekhara Perumal who ruled Venad between 1592 and 1609. It is believed that the Thai Kottaram was built in 1550. The founder of modern Travancore, King Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma (1706–1758) who ruled Travancore from 1729 to 1758, rebuilt the palace in around 1750. King Marthaanda Varma dedicated the kingdom to his family deity Sree Padmanabha, a form of Lord Vishnu and ruled the kingdom as Padmanabha dasa or servant of Lord Padmanabha. Hence the name Padmanabhapuram or City of Lord Padmanabha. In the late 18th century, precisely in 1795 the capital of Travancore was shifted from here to Thiruvananthapuram, and the place lost its former glory. However, the palace complex continues to be one of the best examples of traditional Kerala architecture, and some portions of the sprawling complex are also the hallmark of traditional Kerala style architecture.

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13 Bolgatty Palace, Mulavukad, Kerala

Built by the Dutch in India, Bolgatty Palace is located on the island popularly known as Bolghatty Island in Kochi, Kerala. One of the oldest existing Dutch palaces outside Holland, this quaint mansion, built in 1744 by Dutch traders, was later extended and gardens were landscaped around it. The building was then the Governor's palace for the commander of Dutch Malabar, and later in 1909 was leased to the British. It served as the home of the British Governors, being the seat of the British Resident of Cochin during the British regime. In 1947, when India obtained independence, the palace became the property of the state and was later converted into a heritage hotel resort. Bolgatty Palace now has a swimming pool, 9-hole golf course, ayurvedic centre and daily Kathakali performances and is a holiday destination for Indian and overseas tourists. There is in a temple dedicated to Shiva that is the first of its kind in Kerala.

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14 Cooch Behar Palace, West Bengal

Cooch Behar Palace, also called the Victor Jubilee Palace, is a landmark in Cooch Behar city, West Bengal. It was designed on the model of Buckingham Palace in London in 1887, during the reign of Maharaja Nripendra Narayan.

The Cooch Behar Palace, noted for its elegance and grandeur, is a property of The Mantri's. It is a brick-built double-storey structure in the classical Western style covering an area of 51,309 square feet (4,766.8 m2). The whole structure is 395 feet (120 m) long and 296 feet (90 m) wide and is on rests 4 feet 9 inches (1.45 m) above the ground. The Palace is fronted on the ground and first floors by a series of arcaded verandahs with their piers arranged alternately in single and double rows. At the southern and northern ends, the Palace projects slightly and in the centre is a projected porch providing an entrance to the Durbar Hall. The Hall has an elegantly shaped metal dome which is topped by a cylindrical louvre type ventilator. This is 124 feet (38 m) high from the ground and is in the style of the Renaissance architecture. The intros of the dome is carved in stepped patterns and Corinthian columns support the base of the cupola. This adds variegated colours and designs to the entire surface. There are various halls in the palace and rooms that include the Dressing Room, Bed Room, Drawing Room, Dining Hall, Billiard hall, Library, Toshakhana, Ladies Gallery and Vestibules. The articles and precious objects that these rooms and halls used to contain are now lost.

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15 Kowdiar Palace, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

Kowdiar Palace in Trivandrum, Kerala, India was built in 1934 by Maharajah Sree Chithira Thirunal, on the occasion of the Pallikettu(wedding) of his only sister, Maharani Karthika Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi with Lt. Col. G. V. Raja. After the Constitutional Amendment of 1971, the properties and estates of the royal family were partitioned and divided equally among the branches of the two Travancore Queens, Sethu Lakshmi Bayi and Sethu Parvathi Bayi. This Palace belongs to the heirs of Sethu Parvathi Bayi as it was built by her son Maharajah Sree Chithira Thirunal.

Kowdiar Palace's architectural work is famous and has over 150 rooms. The entry to this famous palace is restricted as it is the private residence of the royal family settled in Thiruvananthapuram .