City Palace, Jaipur

City Palace, Jaipur

The City Palace is a royal residence and former administrative headquarters of the rulers of Jaipur State in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Construction began soon after the founding of the city of Jaipur during the reign of Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, who moved his court from Amer to Jaipur in 1727. Jaipur remained the state capital until 1949 – when it became the capital of the present-day Indian state of Rajasthan – with the City Palace serving as the ceremonial and administrative seat of the Maharaja of Jaipur. The Palace was completed in 1732 and was also a venue for religious and cultural events, as well as a patron of arts, commerce and industry. Built according to the rules of Vastu Shastra, the royal family has about 500 personal servants.[citation needed] The palace complex consists of several buildings, various courtyards, galleries, restaurants and the offices of the Museum Trust. The MSMS II Museum Trust is chaired by the Rajmata of Jaipur, Padmini Devi (from Sirmaur in Himachal Pradesh). Princess Diya Kumari administers the Museum Trust as its secretary and trustee. She also manages The Palace School and Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh School in Jaipur. She founded and runs the Rajkumari Diya Kumari Foundation to empower underprivileged and underemployed women of Rajasthan. She is also an entrepreneur. In 2013, she was elected a member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly from the Sawai Madhopur constituency.

History

The palace complex is located in the heart of Jaipur city, northeast of the centre, at 26.9255°N 75.8236°E. The site of the palace was on a level ground on the site of a royal hunting ground, surrounded by a rocky hill range, five miles south of Amer. The history of the City Palace is closely intertwined with the history of the city of Jaipur and its rulers, beginning with Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, who ruled from 1699 to 1744. He is credited with initiating the construction of the City Complex by building the outer wall of the complex, spread over several acres. Initially, he ruled from his capital Amer, located 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) from Jaipur. He planned the city of Jaipur in six segments separated by wide avenues, based on the principles of Vastushastra and other similar classical texts under the architectural guidance of Vidyadhar Bhattacharya, a Bengali architect from Naihati in present-day West Bengal, who was initially an accountant-clerk in the Amber treasury and was later promoted to the post of chief architect by the king.

After the death of Jai Singh in 1744, there were internecine wars among the Rajput kings of the region, but cordial relations with the British Raj continued. Maharaja Ram Singh sided with the British in the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 and strengthened his position with the royal rulers. It is to his credit that the city of Jaipur and all its monuments (including the City Palace) are painted 'pink' and the city has been called the "Pink City" ever since. This change in the colour scheme was done in honour of the hospitality extended to the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII). This colour scheme has since become the identity of the city of Jaipur.

Man Singh II, the adopted son of Maharaja Madho Singh II, was the last Maharaja of Jaipur to rule from the Chandra Mahal in Jaipur. However, the palace continued to be the residence of the royal family even after the Jaipur state merged into the Indian Union in 1949 (after India's independence in August 1947) along with other Rajput states like Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Bikaner. Jaipur became the capital of the Indian state of Rajasthan and Man Singh II had the honour of becoming the Rajpramukh (present governor of the state) for some time and later he was also the Ambassador of India to Spain.

Architecture  

The City Palace is located in the central-north-east part of Jaipur city, built in a unique manner with wide roads. It is a unique and special complex of many courtyards, buildings, pavilions, gardens and temples. The most prominent and most visited structures of this complex are Chandra Mahal, Mubarak Mahal, Shri Govind Dev Temple and City Palace Museum

Entrance gates 

Udai Pol near Jaleb Chowk, Virendra Pol near Jantar Mantar and Tripolia (three pols or gates) are the three main entrances to the City Palace. The Tripolia Gate is reserved for the royal family's entry into the palace. Common people and visitors can enter the complex only through Udai Pol and Virendra Pol. Udai Pol leads to the Sabha Niwas (Diwan-i-Aam or public meeting room) through several tight turns. Virendra Pol leads to the Mubarak Mahal courtyard, which is connected to the Sarvato Bhadra (Diwan-i-Khas) through Rajendra Pol. These entrances were built at different times in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.

Assembly Hall (Diwan-i-Aam)

Built on the lines of the Mughal-era assembly hall, the Diwan-i-Aam, i.e. the assembly hall, is a meeting hall for the general public. It has many pointed arches supported by marble pillars and a beautiful colourful plaster ceiling. The jaalis (lattices) at the southern end of the assembly hall were used by women to keep an eye on the proceedings of the assembly hall and helped them connect with the outside world while wearing a veil.

Sarvato Bhadra (Diwan-i-Khas)
The Sarvato Bhadra is a unique architectural masterpiece. Its unique name reflects the shape of the building: the Sarvato Bhadra is a single-storey, square, open hall with enclosed rooms at the four corners. One of the uses of the Sarvato Bhadra was also as a Diwan-i-Khas, or private meeting room, which meant that the ruler could hold court with state officials and nobles in a more private, intimate space, compared to the grand space of the Sabha Niwas in the next courtyard, which was open to more people. It is one of the most important ceremonial buildings in the complex, and remains so today, as it represents a 'living heritage'. Located between the public areas and the private residence, it has traditionally been used for important private ceremonies, such as the coronation of the Maharajas of Jaipur.

Even today, it is used for royal festivals and celebrations such as Dussehra. During Gangaur and Teej, the idol of the goddess is placed in a palanquin in the middle of the hall, and then taken in procession around the city. During the harvest festival of Makar Sankranti, paper kites made by Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II about 150 years ago are displayed in the middle, and the roof is used for kite flying. It is also used for modern celebrations such as parties and weddings.

Two huge sterling silver vessels measuring 1.6 metres (5.2 ft) high are on display here, each with a capacity of 4000 litres and weighing 340 kilograms (750 lb). They were made from 14,000 melted silver coins without any soldering. They hold the Guinness World Records as the world's largest sterling silver vessels. These vessels were specially made by Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II to carry Ganga water for drinking during his visit to England in 1902 (on the occasion of the coronation of Edward VII). Hence, these vessels are named Gangajali (Ganga-water urn).

Pritam Niwas Chowk
This is the inner courtyard from where one can access the Chandra Mahal. There are four small gates (known as Riddhi Siddhi Pol) decorated with symbols of the four seasons and Hindu deities. These gates are: the north-east Mayur Gate (peacock figures on the gate) which symbolizes autumn and is dedicated to Lord Vishnu; the south-east Lotus Gate (continuous flowers and petals) which symbolizes summer and is dedicated to Lord Shiva-Parvati; the north-west Green Gate, also called Lahariya (meaning: "waves"), is green in colour which symbolizes spring and is dedicated to Lord Ganesha, and finally, the south-west Pink Gate which has repeated floral motifs which symbolize winter and is dedicated to the Goddess.

Chandra Mahal
The Chandra Mahal is one of the oldest buildings in the City Palace complex. It has seven floors, which were considered auspicious by the Rajput rulers. The first two floors are Sukh Niwas (House of Bliss), followed by Shobha Niwas decorated with coloured glass and then Chhabi Niwas decorated with blue and white ornamentation. The last two floors are Shri Niwas and Mukut Mandir, which is literally the top pavilion of this palace. The royal flag of Jaipur is hoisted at all times in the Mukut Mandir with a bungalow roof, along with a quarter flag (underlining the Sawai in the title) when the Maharaja is in residence.

An anecdote is narrated about the 'Sava Dhwaj', the symbolic flag of the Maharajas of Jaipur. Emperor Aurangzeb, who attended the wedding of Jai Singh, shook hands with the young groom and wished him well on his marriage. On this occasion, Jaisingh made an insulting remark towards the emperor and said that because of the way he had shaken hands with him, it was the emperor's duty to protect him and his kingdom. Instead of getting angry at this sarcasm, Aurangzeb was pleased and gave the young Jaisingh the title of 'Sawai', which means "one and a quarter". Since then, the Maharaja uses this title before his name. While residing there, he also hoists a flag of one and a quarter size on his buildings and palaces.

Gallery

 Map ( Click on the photo, the map will open )