Shiv Niwas Palace

 

Shiv Niwas Palace is a former residence of the Maharana of Udaipur, Rajasthan, located on the banks of Lake Pichola. Located to the south side of and part of the City Palace complex, work on this building was begun by Maharana Sajjan Shambhu Singh (1874 to 1884) and finished by his successor Maharana Fateh Singh at the beginning of the 20th century as a royal guesthouse.
During its time as a guesthouse it hosted a number of royal gatherings and VIP visits from all over the world, including George V of the United Kingdom, in 1905 and Edward the Prince of Wales.
By the time that Bhagwat Singh succeeded to the throne of Mewar in 1955 it was becoming increasing difficult for the royal family to afford the cost of maintaining the large numbers of royal residences that they owned, and in particular the city palace. Following his success in converting the Lake Palace into an income generating hotel he decided to also convert the Shiv Niwas and the smaller Fateh Prakash Palace into luxury heritage hotels. After a 4 year long period of conversion the Shiv Niwas opened as a hotel in 1982.
The 3 levels of the palace are arranged in a semicircular arc around an internal courtyard in the middle of which is a marble pool. Balconies and rooftop terraces opening off different rooms enjoy views to the south of the gardens laid below the dam wall of Lake Pichola; while to the west the island resorts of Jag Mandir and the Lake Palace. The building is of ancient Rajput architectural styles. The interior features ivory and mother-of-pearl inlay work, glass mosaics and frescoes, many of them produced by Khaja Ustadh and Kundan Lal, who the Maharana had sent to England; to learn the art of glass-mosaic design and to study fresco painting.
Since its conversion into a hotel it has played host to among others Queen Elizabeth II, the King of Nepal, the Shah of Iran, and Jacqueline Kennedy.
The hotel is run by the HRH Group of Hotels, itself owned by the current Maharana.
The palace was featured in the James Bond movie Octopussy.
When first built the palace only had 9 suites, all on the ground floor. During its conversion into a hotel 8 apartments were added in a new second storey so that the hotel now contains a total of 31 guest rooms consisting of:

• 14 deluxe rooms.
• 8 terrace suites.
• 3 royal suites.
• 2 imperial suites.

rajasthan hotels

Chokhi Dhani

Chokhi Dhani Village, situated in the outskirts of Jaipur, is a representation of the culture, traditions and lifestyle of village life in Rajasthan. Chokhi Dhani village consists of a five-star ethnic village theme resort with 100 (cottages, royal cottages and haveli suites) and it has multicuisine restaurants, banquet halls, spa, barbeque and sheesha (Hukkah)lounge and many more themes.
Still the most popular of th all themes is the village fair which encapsulates the actual feeling of the rural life and cultural richness of rajasthan, a state known for its cultural and historical richness.
Developed in 1989 for the first time, it is now spread over 22 acres (89,000 m²) of land and has evolved as one of the most popular tourist attraction in Jaipur.


Location -
12 Miles, Tonk Road, Via Vatika, Jaipur - 303 905, INDIA

Lake Palace

Lake Palace (formerly known as Jag Niwas) is a luxury hotel, of 83 rooms and suites featuring white marble walls, located on a natural foundation of 4 acres (16,000 m²) rock on the Jag Niwas island in Lake Pichola, Udaipur, India. The hotel operates a 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.

History

It was built in 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 Maharana, ruler of Jaipur from 1628 to 1654, was very friendly with Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and encouraged his craftsmen to copy some of the glories of his incomparable buildings at Agra. The palace was constructed facing east, allowing its inhabitants to pray to the 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

Relation of the palace to the city of Udaipur Panorama from Jag Mandir Island

The upper room of the palace is a perfect circle and is about 21 feet (6.4 m) in diameter. Its floor is inlaid with black and white marbles, the walls are ornamented with niches and decorated with arabesques of different coloured stones in the same style as the Taj at Agra, though the patterns are Hindu and dome is exquisitely beautiful in form. A room built of 12 enormous slabs of marble, Shah Jahan’s throne sculptured from a single block of serpentine and the little mosque dedicated to Kapuria Baba, a Muhammedan Saint, are other objects of interest on the island.
During the famous Indian Sepoy Mutiny in 1857 several European families fled from Nimach and used the island as an asylum, offered to them by Maharana Swaroop Singh. In order to protect his guests the Rana destroyed all the town’s boats so that the rebels could not reach the island^].

Rambagh Palace

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

History

The first building on the site was a garden house built in 1835 for the wet nurse of prince Ram Singh II. In 1887, during the reign of Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh, it was converted into a modest royal hunting lodge, as the house was located in the midst of a thick forest at that time. In the early 20th century, it was expanded into a palace to the designs of Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob. Maharajah Sawai Man Singh II made Rambagh his principal residence and added a number of royal suites in 1931. After India became independent and the princely states united, the Palace became the Government House. By the 1950s, the royal family felt that the upkeep of the palace and its 47 acres (190,000 m²) of gardens was becoming very costly. They, therefore, decided in 1957to convert it into a luxury hotel.

Awards and recognition

• Sep 2009 it was rated as the best hotel in the world by Conde Nast Traveller magazine

Falaknuma Palace

Falaknuma Palace is one of the finest palaces in Hyderabad, India belonging to the Paigahs but later owned by the Nizams. It is located on a 32 acre, 19400 square meters area. It is located in Falaknuma, 5 km. from Charminar was built by Nawab Vikar-ul-Umra, the then Prime Minister of Hyderabad ( He was also Uncle and Brother in law of H.H. The Nizam VI,Nawab Mir Mahboob Ali Khan Bahadur). Falak-numa literally means "Like the Sky" or "Mirror of the Sky" in Urdu.

The Palace

One of the highlight's of the palace is the state reception room, whose ceiling is decorated with frescoes and gilded relief's. The ballroom contains a two-ton manually operated organ said to be the only one of its kind in the world.
The palace has as many as 220 lavishly decorated rooms and 22 spacious halls. It has some of the finest treasures collections of the Nizam. Falaknuma houses a large collection of rare treasures including paintings, statues, furniture, manuscripts and books.
The Jade collection of the Palace is considered to be unique in the world.
The famed dining hall of the palace could seat 100 guests on its dining table. The furniture was very aesthetic. The chairs were made of carved rosewood with green leather upholstery. The tableware was made of gold and crystal to which fluted music was added.
The palace has a library with a walnut carved roof, a replica of the one at Windsor Castle. The library had one of the finest collections of the Quran in India.
The ground floor of the palace housed the living quarters. A marbled staircase leads to the upper floor. It has carved balustrades, which supports marble figurines with candelabra at intervals.
On the walls of the landing are excellent oil paintings of (1) H.H The Nizam VI, Nawab Mir Mahaboob Ali Khan Bahadur (2) H.E The Shams ul Umra II, Amir e Kabir I, Amir e Paigah II, Prime Minister of Hyderabad(Grand Father of Sir Vicar ul Umra)(3) Nawab Shams ul Umra IV, Amir e Kabir III, Amir e Paigah,Nawab Rahiduddin Khan Bahadur (Father of Sir Vicar ul Umra)(4) H.E Nawab Mohammed Fazaluddin Khan,Iqbal ud Dowla, Sir Vicar ul Umra Bahadur (Vikar Ul Oomra,"VO"), Amir e Paigah(1881- 1902) Prime Minister of Hyderanad (1893-1901) (5) Nawab Sultan ul Mulk Bahadur, Amir e Paigah 1902-1949(Eldest son of Sir Vicar ul Umra Bahadur)(6) H.E Nawab Sir Salar Jung I Prime minister of Hyderabad 1853-1883 (7) Maharaja Narain Pershad Narainder Bahadur Raja e Rajayan, Peshkar and photographs of notable personages forming a very interesting historical picture gallery which adds greatly to the imposing effect of the staircase.
The Falaknuma palace has other unique things to its credit. It includes the largest collection of Venetian chandeliers. It is said that it took six months to clean a 138-arm Osler chandelier and the palace has 40 such chandeliers adorning the halls.
The telephone and electrical system was introduced in 1883 by Osler and the palace has one of the largest electrical switchboards in India.
Since the palace was the private property of the Nizam family until recently, visitors weren't allowed. Occasionally, however, the venue is opened for public

Devigarh

Devi Garh Palace
Location	Delwara, Udaipur, Rajasthan
Opening date	2000
Owner	Lekha Poddar, Anupam Poddar
Website	http://www.deviresorts.com/

Devi Garh Palace is a heritage hotel and resort, built in the 18th century Devi Garh palace in the village of Delwara, nestled in the Aravalli hills, 28 km northeast of Udaipur, Rajasthan and forms one of the three main passes into the valley of Udaipur
Today, it is one of India's leading luxury hotels , and Frommer's Review, while calling it "the best hotel on the subcontinent", stated that "Devi Garh is more than beautiful, it is inspiring." . In 2008, it was featured in Lifestyle Channel Discovery Travel and Living series, 'Dream Hotels' spread over five continents, other two Indian hotels that made it to the list of 55, were Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur, and Rambagh Palace, Jaipur

Chapslee Estate

Chapslee Estate is a small locality adjacent to the Lakkar Bazaar in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. The estate houses the erstwhile Secretary's Lodge which is now a heritage hotel run by the Maharaja of Kapurthala

History

Chapslee is one of the oldest estates to have been built in Shimla in between 1828 and 1835. It was built by Dr. Blake, a surgeon in the service of the British East India Company.
Lord Auckland, Governor General of the East India Company Territories, was a resident of the adjoining Auckland House. Finding the accommodation insufficient, he took this property first on rent and later purchased it in 1836, to house his private & Military Secretaries, ‘Aides De Camps’ (ADC’s) and named it ‘Secretary’s Lodge’

First Anglo-Afghan War

In June 1838, a tripartite treaty between the Government of India, Ranjit Singh and Shah Shuja was signed for the latter's restoration. Following this, Lord Auckland issued the Simla Manifesto announcing the intention of the Government of India to restore Shah Shuja to the throne of Afghanistan.
The ‘Simlah Manifesto’, declaring the first war with Afghanistan, was issued from ‘Secretary’s Lodge’ on 1 October, 1838. Lord Ellenborough, who succeeded Lord Auckland as Governor General acknowledged the failure of Lord Auckland’s policy in Afghanistan. On 1 October 1842, the same day four years after the issue of the Simla Manifesto, the Government proclaimed its altered intentions.
Lord Hardinge, who succeeded Lord Ellenborough as Governor General, continued to use Secretary’s Lodge as the Government Secretariat. General Peter Innes of the Bengal Army purchased Secretary’s Lodge in 1848 and changed its name to Chapslee. General Innes sold the house in 1870 and, thereafter, it changed hands every few years and served as the residence of famous persons, including Sir Courtenay Ilbert, General Pemberton, General Sir C. E. Nairne, Surgeon-General Bradshaw, Surgeon-General Cleghorn and so on.
Sir Arthur Milford Ker, manager of the Alliance Bank, eventually purchased it in 1896, and improved its looks to the way it stands today. He not only retained the original structure but enlarged it significantly.
Raja Charanjit Singh of Kapurthala purchased the estate after the demise of Sir Arthur Ker. He converted it to his summer residence and refurnished the interiors. Raja Charanjit Singh died in 1970.
Kanwar Ratanjit Singh, the grandson of the Late Raja Charanjit Singh of Kapurthala, is the present owner. He started a School known as ‘Chapslee School’ on the premises in 1973 and converted the estate to a hotel in 1976. Chapslee was one of the first ‘heritage hotels’ in India.
Parts of the estate were sold to different people in the 1970s post the land ceiling act imposed by the Government of India.
In keeping with the rule of restricted roads in Shimla, only vehicles with special permit are allowed to ply through the estate road.
The estate is en route to Longwood, a residential locality of Shimla