vijay vilas
The palace was built during reign of Maharao Shri Khengarji III, the Maharao of Kutch, as a summer resort for the use of his son & heir to the kingdom, the Yuvraj Shri Vijayaraji and is therefore, named after him as Vijaya Vilas Palace. The construction of palace started in year in 1920 and was completed in year 1929. The palace is built with red sandstone. It has all the elements of Rajput architecture and draws largely on the plan of palaces of Orchha and Datia. The central high dome on the pillars, the Bengal domes on the sides, the windows with colored glass, carved stone 'jalis', domed bastions at the corners, extended porch and other exquisitely stone-carved elements, make the palace worth visiting. The palace is set in the middle of well-laid gardens with water channels and marble fountains. The carved stone works of Jalis, Jharokas, Chhatris, Chhajas, murals and many other artistic stone carvings, colored glass work on windows and door panels all have been done by the architect and craftsman from places like Jaipur, Rajasthan, Bengal and Saurashtra, and local Kutchi artisan community, the Mistris of Kutch and Suthars. The mixture and mingling of architect and style of different regions of India, as such, can be distinctly seen in design & architect of the Vijaya Vilas Palace. The balcony at the top affords a superb view of the surrounding area. The tiny intricate windows gives one feeling to be out in open, through which cool sea wind passes out.
The campus also houses a Chhatri of Vijayaraji, who died in 1948, to whom this palace was very dear.
Vijaya Vilas Palace has its own private beach which offers air-conditioned tented accommodation. The royal family of Kutch State now reside permanently in the palace, who earlier used it only as a summer resort. It was after the 2001 Gujarat earthquake in which one of the wings of their other palace at Bhuj - the Ranjit Vilas - was heavily damaged, they moved into Vijaya Vilas Palace. The Palace also houses a museum.
Scenes from the Bollywood blockbusters Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Lagaan, Commando as well as a number of Gujarati films, were shot in the palace.
This palace was used for shooting of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanman and that is the only attraction here. You are not allowed to go to most of the places. While they charge you for your entry, they also charge you for using your cell or cameras there. Since you are not allowed to check out most of the places, its better to carry only 1 camera incase you feel so. In all, a place to visit for rememberance if you are keen, rest can be checked in pictures.
AINA MAHAL
History
The Aina Mahal was built by Rao Lakhpatji (r. 1741–1760) in around 1750. The chief architect and designer of the palace was Ram Singh Malam, who lived in Europe for 18 years and mastered several European craft and architecture skills. The construction costed 80 lakh (8 million) koris or about ₹20 lakh (2 million); equalling three years of the state revenue in that period.[1][3]
In 1830, Englishwoman Mrs Postnas visited the palace and noted her impressions in her memoir Cutch[B] (1839). She remarked on the "motley and incongruous mélange of ornament" in a room illuminated with large candles where she found six musical clocks playing at once among jelly glasses and old vases.
The palace was converted into a museum in 1977. It was damaged in the 2001 Gujarat earthquake and part of the building was restored and now houses the Aina Mahal Trust Museum
Architecture
The Aina Mahal is located near Prag Mahal. It is a two-storey mansion that is constructed with stones and decorated with stone carvings and wood fretwork. The exterior is whitewashed. It was designed in the local style and decorated in the European style. The palace floors are laid with blue delftware tiles and the marble walls are decorated with mirrors that are separated by gilded frames. The walls are also decorated with fitted shelves on which glassware and ceramics were displayed. The rooms were illuminated by hanging candelabra and chandeliers with shade of Venetian glass. The pillars and roofs are decorated with golden mouldings and other ornamentation, and spaces between pillars and walls are filled with triangular mirror compartments.
The first floor has the Audience Hall, the Pleasure Hall, the Hall of Mirrors and the State Apartments. The second floor has the ante-chamber, Darbar (Court) Hall and Marriage Hall.
Near the entrance of the first gallery is a 15 m (49 ft) long and 22 cm (8.7 in) wide scroll painting depicting a royal procession of Maharao Pragmalji II. The scroll is dated 1876 and is signed by its painter Vadha Juma Ibrahim.
The collection is an early example of "europeanerie", an 18th-century obsession with European things among Indian nobles. The collection includes English, French and Dutch chiming clocks, glassware, ceramics, chinaware, mechanical toys, celestial globes, arms, palanquin, costumes, furniture and items associated with court life. There is an operational pendulum clock that is synchronized with the Hindu calendar in a collection made in Bhuj by Morarji Lakhamshi Soni in 1839.
The museum has a large collection of paintings, including some acquired by Ram Singh Malam during his visits of Europe. The subjects of the paintings in the State Apartments include British, Flemish and Italian personae including Rana Ranjit Singh of Mewar, Raja Bakht Singh of Marwar and Empress Catherine the Great. It also includes 18th-century prints of A Rake's Progress by William Hogarth and related moralizing series. There are paintings depicting the courts and portraits of the royals of Kutch including some with Mughal influences. Occasionally, real gems were incorporated on the surface of painting in areas depicting jewellery items such as ear-rings and necklaces
The Hira Mahal (royal bedchamber) is located in the centre of the first floor of Aina Mahal next to Hall of Mirrors and its reception. It measures 4.6 m × 7.3 m (15 ft × 24 ft) and contains one of bed of Maharao Lakhpatji whom, according to legends, used to use a bed for a year and then auctioned it off after ordering the new one. His beds were purchased with state funds and the proceeds of the auctions paid for his other entertainments for a year. His last bed has pure golden legs; this is kept along with his buckler and a diamond-studded sword that was presented by the Mughal Empreror Alamgir II in the 18th century. The bed is surrounded by more than twenty-seven large mirrors inlaid with gold flowers and semi-precious stones, and framed in Rococo or Baroque style guilt frames
The floor and walls surrounding the exterior of the Hira Mahal are covered in cloth panels of Kutchi silk aari embroidery fabrics while its ceilings, pillars and doors are covered in mirror-work and guilt wood-carvings.
Fuvara Mahal
The Fuvara Mahal (Pleasure Hall) is located adjacent to the Hira Mahal. Except for the narrow corridor along the walls, the whole chamber is a pleasure pool with a central, raised, square platform that can be approached by on three sides via narrow aisles. The pool was filled with water using siphons and pumps. The pool includes fountains can cast spray in patterns and cool the air. The corridor is lined with pillars that surround the pool and support the ventilated roof. The capitals of these pillars are decorated with Chinese-style carvings. The throne in the centre of the platform was surrounded by water sprays and fanned from above. Maharao held his courts in the Fuvara Mahal. The chamber was illuminated by hanging candelabra and is decorated with Chinese-influenced, 18th-century glass paintings.
Second floor
An exterior staircase leads to the second floor, where the courts were held. In the ante-chamber, Mughal farmans (royal decrees) issued between 1617 and 1658 by Shah Jahan, Jahangir and Dara Shikoh that are mostly addressed to Rao Tamachi (r. 1655–1666) are displayed. A farman dated 20 April 1617 issued by Jahangir praises the rulers of Kutch for their help in the conquest of Gujarat. Another farman dated 8 April 1657, issued by Shah Jahan and addressed to Gujarat Sultan Muzaffar Shah III and Rao Tamachi. Another farman dated 6 March 1657 asks Rao to pay due respect to the governor of Surat, Ali Kunwar Beg. A farman dated 6 December 1657 issued by Dara Shikoh asks Rao to visit his capital Agra and prepare for his visit to Bhuj. In another farman dated 28 January 1658, Dara Shikoh asks Rao to capture a rebel named Qutubuddin who had attacked Kutch during his visit and offers his help.
The Darbar (Court) Hall has a silver throne with 19th-century gilt wooden chairs. There is a marriage hall that was built in 1884 for Maharao Khengarji III (r. 1876–1942). Weapons are exhibited on the walls and a perfume sprayer is placed in the centre of the hall.
A door of the palace that is decorated with inlaid ivory and gold was made at the cost of 400 koris by a carpenter named Madho in 1708 during the reign of Pragmalji I. The collection also includes Mahi Maratib, a golden fish that was part of the coat of arms of Cutch State; it was gifted to Maharao Lakhpatji by the Mughal Emperor during his visit to Delhi. There are artistic rulers' horoscopes that are drawn in the local Kamangari painting style; the 38.7-metre (127 ft)-long horoscope of Rao Pragmalji II dated 1839 is believed to be the longest horoscope in the world.
Prag mahal
History
Prag Mahal is named after Rao Pragmalji II, who commissioned it and construction began in 1865. It was designed by Colonel Henry Saint Wilkins in what the local tourist office describes as the Italian Gothic style,, although it would be better described as a Romanesque architecture twist on the Indo-Saracenic Revival style, and many Italian artisans were involved in its construction. The palace artisans' wages were paid in gold coins. Construction of the palace, which ultimately cost 3.1 million rupees, was completed in 1879 during the regency of Khengarji III (Pragmalji II's son) following Pragmalji II's death in 1875. The local Kutchi builder community (Mistris of Kutch) were also involved in construction of Prag Mahal along with Colonel Wilkins.
Notable features
- The palace is made of Italian marble and sandstone from Rajasthan.
- The main hall, filled with decaying taxiderm
- Durbar hall, with broken chandeliers and classical statues
- Corinthian pillars
- Jali work depicting European plants and animals
- It has 45 foot high tower with a clock, from where you can see the entire Bhuj city
- There is also a small temple in the courtyard behind the palace with nicely carved stonework.
Restoration
The 2001 Gujarat earthquake severely damaged the palace. In 2006, the palace was burgled, with thieves stealing antiques worth millions of rupees and damaging other items throughout the palace. Today, the palace is in a "ghostly", "forlorn" state. However, the palace and the tower have been repaired, after Amitabh Bachhan took personal interest in restoration of palace. and its tower and clock have been repaired and are now open for public viewing. Visitors may enter the main palace halls and ascend the bell tower, which offers views of the city.
In popular culture
Scenes from the Bollywood blockbusters Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Lagaan, as well as a number of Gujarati films, were shot in the palace.
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