TOP 10 PALACES IN INDIA

WONDERFUL! TOP  PALACES IN INDIA

               As all knows India is the land of palaces. Before the independence India was the land of princely states. Once India has the large number of these states ruled by royal families of these states. After India’s freedom most of the royal palaces converted in to heritage sites and hotels. These Forts and Palaces are the Marvel Architecture of engineering and the historical monuments of India. There are so many forts and palaces anybody can see all over India, but Most of the palaces are situated in Royal Rajasthan, Delhi, Bangalore and so many other paces too. These evergreen architectural wonders never fail to mesmerize anybody who visits them. Once you have explored these majestic palaces, you definitely be proud to be part of the beautiful mystery known as India.

1.UMMAID BHAWAN PALACE, JODHPUR

   

             
                 The spectacular Ummaid Bhawan Palace is One of the biggest palace in the entire country and the largest private residence in the world. The palace is owned by the royal family of jodhpur and the current owner is maharaja Gaj Singh.Umaid Bhawan Palace was called Chittar palace during its construction due to use of stones drawn from the Chittar hill where it is located. The construction of  this beautiful and huge palace took around 14 years. The Palace is divided into three functional parts – the residence of the royal family, a luxury Taj palace hotel, and a Museum focusing on the 20th century history of the Jodhpur Royal Family. The Taj Hotel is a heritage hotel , managed by Taj group of hotels. It has 70 guest rooms including the luxurious "Regal and Vice Regal Suites" and the fabulous "Maharaja" and "Maharani suites" with art deco style decorations, the latter is fitted with a bath tub carved from a single block of pink marble sand to be the only one of its type in India. The museum opens for visitors 09:00 am  to  06:00 pm.

                    Recently, Umaid Bhawan Palace was awarded as the World's best hotel at the Traveller's Choice Award, which was organised by Trip adwiser.

2.RAMBAGH PALACE, JAIPUR

              
                 One of the most popular and beautiful heritage palaces in India, the Rambagh Palace is considered one of the finest heritage hotels in the world. It is most popular and beautiful palace in India.This beautiful palace heritage hotel considered as the most expencive hotels in India. 
                This heritage palace had been the residence of many royal families. 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. Therefore, in 1957 they decided to convert it into a luxury hotel.
               

                In September 2009 it was rated as the best hotel in the world by Conde Nast Traveller Magazine.

3.UDAY VILAS PALACE, UDAYPUR RAJASTHAN

                   This beautiful heritage palace located in Rajasthan, the Udai Bilas Palace, Dungarpur is a 19th century palace nestled amidst the Aravallis.  Dungarpur used to be the residential place of the Shekhawati clan of Rajputs. Maha Rawal Udai Singhji had built this palace which overlooks the lake and allures tourists from all over the world. Made of a bluish grey stone, the Udai Bilas Palace, Dungarpur on the banks of Gaibsagar Lake is simply a magnificent structure. With the blue waters of Gaibsagar lake on one side and a cove of private reserve forest on the other, Udai Bilas Palace is the embodiment of the old world charm of princely India.

4.AMBA VILAS PALACE OR THE ROYAL PALACE OF MAYSORE, MAYSOR KARNATKA

   

     
                  The wonderful and huge Amba vilas palace or The royal palace of maysore is one of the most beautiful palace of India. It is the royal residence palace of royal family of maysor. It was built in the year 1912 and extended by the british architect Henry Irwin. The first fase of construction was started in 1897. As you know Maysore known as the city of the palaces but this palace is the main attraction of maysore.

5.LAXMI VILASE PALACE, VADODRA GUJRAT

                    The Laxmi vilas palace is a huge and beautiful architecture in india. It  is located in Vadodara Gujrat and with series of palaces it is also known as the Maharaja Palace. Laxmi Vilas Palace is built by Gaekwad in old classical style. This building, not really a palace, was given up for the Nazar baug Palace built in old classical style.

                   After this the Lakshmi Vilas Palace, an extravagant building of the Indo seracenic revival architecture, was built by maharaja Syajirao Gayekwad in 1890 at a cost of GBP 180,000.

                 The Maharaja Palace is used as a Museum, a venue of music concerts and other cultural events.The palace sprawls for about 700 acres and incorporates a number of buildings. The Motibaug Palace and Museum need a special mention. The museum was constructed for the educational purposes of the Maharaja's children. Today this museum houses a large number or art works belonging to the Royal family. Among all the works of art, the paintings of  Raja Ravi Verma stand out on the virtue of the skill of the artist that is clearly reflected in them. Another popular highlight of Laxmi Vilas Palace is the zoo. Today nothing remains of the zoo except a pond that is inhabited by a number of crocodiles. If you are lucky enough you might also find peacocks strutting about the palace compound or langoors hanging from the tree branches.

6.HAWA MAHAL, JAIPUR RAJASTHAN

                         Jaipur’s most distinctive landmark, the Hawa Mahal is an extraordinary, fairy-tale, pink sandstone, delicately honeycombed hive that rises a dizzying five storeys. Jaipur is synonymous with Hawa Mahal. This beautiful monument of India was built by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh in the year 1799. Also known as the Palace of Winds, this beautiful monument is the landmark of Jaipur. The monument is five stories high and the front of the monument is delicately carved with beautiful motifs. It provides an outstanding example of Rajput style of architecture. Hawa Mahal is not exactly a palace but a screen of superbly sculpted windows that look like the front of a palace. It was built for the royal ladies of Rajasthan who wanted to view the busy city life from inside a veil. The structure comprises of 953 beautiful windows made out of pink sandstone. These windows are known as "Jharokhas" and are built in a way that it resembles a honeycomb.  The palace is called Hawa Mahal because these small windows allow natural circulation of air, thus allowing ventilation from all parts of the palace. There are no stairs inside the Hawa Mahal. 

                       The palace is now maintained by the Archaeological Department. There is a small museum located in the premises of Hawa Mahal that houses ancient artifacts related to the Rajput lifestyle.

7.THE LAKE PALACE, UDAYPUR RAJASTHAN

                     Udaipur Lake Palace is one of the most romantic places on this earth. The Lake Palace is situated in the middle of the Lake Pichola on the Jag Niwas Island in Udaipur. The Palace situated amidst the scenic Pichola Lake offers a heavenly view to the onlooker. The imposing Aravalli Hills on one side and soaring palaces on the other, make the perfect background to this beautiful Lake Palace.

                    The Lake Palace in white marble appears to float on the water of the lake, which looks like a star shining in the dark sky. The beautiful palace has been designed following the Mewari style of architecture.

                     The palace boasts the royalty of the long-gone era of the kings. The lovely gardens, beautiful fountains and the expansive terraces enhance the charm of the white marvel. The walls of the palace have been ornamented with glasswork and stonework in Arabic style.The palace has some special rooms such as Khush Mahal, Bada Mahal, Ajjan Niwas, Dhola Mahal and Phool Mahal. The rooms are adorned with paintings, arches, glass work, and colourful stones.

                     Having served many generations of the royal family, the palace was turned into a hotel following the orders of Bhagwat Singh in the 1960s. The hotel project was assigned to an American artist. The hotel came under the charge of the Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces in 1971.

8.Cooch Behar Palace, West Bengal

                    The very huge Cooch Behar Palace, also known as Victor Jubilee Palace, is the main landmark of the city. Designed by Maharaja Nripendra Narayan, it was modeled on London’s Buckingham Palace. 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 renowned for its grandeur and the monument is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India. With verandahs with alternate rows of single and double pillars, the Cooch Behar palace projects out at the northern and southern ends. There is a regal metallic dome on top of the hall which rises to a height of 124 ft and is built in the Renaissance style of architecture.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.

                     The only planned city in the north Bengal region, Cooch Behar is also one of the largest cities of the state of west bengal. It is replete with signs of the bygone era, the most prominent of them being the breathtakingly beautiful Cooch Behar Palace.

9.THE LEH PALACE

                 The leh palace is located  Namggyal hill area in jammu kashmir. The location of the palace is very beautiful. Located in the Himalayas, the adventurous journey one has to undertake to reach the palace is what makes it even more special. Leh palace was built in the 17th century by King Singe Namgyal as the royal residence. It was deserted in the mid 19th century after the family shifted to Stok. The Leh Palace of Ladakh still retains an old worldly charm about it. Bearing a passing similarity to the Potala Palace in Lhasa (Tibet), this nine-storey dun-coloured palace is Leh's dominant structure and architectural icon. Today the sturdy walls enclose some exhibition spaces and a small prayer room, but the most enjoyable part of a visit is venturing up to the uppermost rooftops for the view.
                  The majestic palace overlooks the Namgyal hill and is nestled amidst breath taking locales of the Himalayas. It resembles Potala in Lhasa, though in comparison is much smaller. Right above the palace is the famous Victory Tower that was built in the memory of the triumphant brave Ladakhi soldiers who fought the invading armies of Balti Kashmiris in the early 16th Century. Today, the palace serves as an office for Indian Government's Archaeological Conservation Organization.

10.Bangalore Palace, Bengaluru

                 This beautiful a palace is the proud of Bangalore. This is a huge palace with abeautiful garden. The palace complex, including the gardens, is spread over 454 acres, of which the palace has a floor area of 45,000 sq. ft. The Tudor-style architecture is eminent from the turrets, the battlements on the fortified towers. The furniture has a touch of Victorian, neo-classical and Edwardian styles. The interior of the palace is magnificently decorated with floral motifs, cornices and wood carvings. The ceiling is ornamented with relief paintings. There are 35 rooms in the palace, along with a manual lift. Wooden fans from General Electric and imported stained mirrors and glass are also used.

                 Rev. Garrett, the principal of the Central High School in Bangalore, started construction of the palace in 1862, which was completed in 1944. The ownership of the palace changed hands several times, from the Reverend to Chamarajendra Wadiyar of the Wadiyar Dynasty, to the British Empire.  Presently, Bangalore Palace is under the ownership of the descendant of the Mysore Royal Family, Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar. He opened the palace in 2005 for public viewing. The entry fees and other charges so collected are used for the maintenance and upkeep of the palace.

                 The Wadiyars were believed to be great hunters, and Jayachamaraja Wadiyar was considered to have hunted around 300 tigers and several elephants. One such elephant head is mounted at the entrance of the palace. Stools made of elephant feet, vases of the elephant trunk, and trophies of elephant hunting are displayed in the palace.

                   DEAR FRIENDS ALL THE UPPER PLACES ARE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND MAGNIFICENT ARCHITECTURE OF NOT ONLY INDIA BUT WORLD. SERIALS OF THE PALACES ARE NOT SHOWING ANY TYPE OF RANKINGS. 
   
                    If you have some other palaces which should be mentioned here , please write the coment.........