****Umaid Bhwan Palace Jodhpur****                                                                                            

Taj Umaid Bhawan Palace Jodhpur is a marvel built by Maharaja Umaid Singh of Rathore Dynasty. The youngest palace of India is an architectural splendor, marvelous heritage hotel of Jodhpur and a true royal experience. Built on sprawling grounds of 26 acres, the royal residence is perched high above the Blue City of Rajasthan. Only 4 kilometers from the Jodhpur Airport and 5 kilometers from the Jodhpur Railway Station, the royal home is a magnificent crown of the desert city. Also known as Chittar Palace, interesting stories are hidden in the premises of the golden-yellow monument. The glorious heritage and hospitality is kept alive by the Taj Hotels Group who own a part of the palace pampering guests with exquisite delights. The imperial palace is no doubt breathtaking but would you not like to know some lesser known secrets?

Check out 5 Interesting Facts about Taj Umaid Bhawan Palace Jodhpur.

1. Last Royal Palace built in India before Independence.

Taj Umaid Bhawan Palace is the last royal palace built before the Independence of India. Its foundations were laid in 1929 and completed in 1943. Four years after the palace’s completion, the country became a free sovereignty. Independent India had no royal kingdoms, only their lavish homes remained. Maharaja Gaj Singh, the descendant of Maharaja Umaid Singh still resides here. Wouldn’t you love to meet a Maharaja and his family?

2. One of the largest private residences in the World.

Maharaja Umaid Singh had a vision to create the largest private residence in the world. For the luxury home, the Maharaja hired the British engineer, H.V. Lancaster, contemporary of Sir Edward Lutyens who planned the buildings of the New Delhi government complex. The Chittar Sandstone has been used for the outer structure. The inner architecture is a combination of lndo-Saracenic, Classical Revival and Western Art Deco styles designed in Makrana marble and Burmese teak wood. The exotic frescoes of the palace are painted by Polish artist, J.S. Norblin.

Taj Umaid Bhawan Palace is spread over 26 acres of lush grounds including 15 acres of well-kept lush gardens. The royal residence has 347 rooms, an exquisite throne chamber, an exclusive private meeting hall, a Durbar Hall to meet the public, a vaulted banquet hall, private dining halls, a ball room, a library, an indoor swimming pool and spa, a billiards room, four tennis courts, two unique marble squash courts and long passages. The gardens of the beautiful property have peacocks freely roaming around. Views of Mehrangarh Fort and other attractions of Jodhpur can also be seen.

Don’t lose your way while exploring. It’s a maze of history, heritage and memories. Every corner has numerous stories to narrate.

3. Part Palace, part hotel and part museum.

The Taj Umaid Bhawan Palace Jodhpur is part palace, part hotel and part museum.

Royal Residence: The Chittar Sandstone monument has two major wings. One wing is entirely the home of the Rathore Dynasty of Jodhpur. They live their imperial lifestyle away from prying eyes. Maharaja Gaj Singh, grandson of Maharaja Umaid Singh till date resides here with family.

Taj Hotel: The Taj Hotel Group owns and maintains the other wing of the palace. They have under their dominion, 64 accommodations compromising of 25 rooms and 39 suites. The rooms/ suites are categorized as Maharani Suite, Maharaja Suite, Royal Suite, Regal Suite and Deluxe Rooms. The ostentatious rooms have retained the historic charm. Many family portraits, leopard skins and stuffed animal heads are seen. The hotel rooms are blessed with picturesque scene of gardens where magnificent peacocks stroll around. The hotel indulges guests with elegant dining. Indian fares, multi cuisine la carte options and gourmet drinks of fine wines from various countries are available. Spa and yoga studio pamper guests with rejuvenating sessions. The hotel is a luxury experience in the modern times with glories of the regal era.

Museum: The grand property houses a museum. Open for all, here are some marvelous specimens. The museum has exhibits of glass, porcelain wares, memorabilia, and information on the building of the palace. The unique allures are the stuffed leopards, an enormous symbolic flag gifted to Maharaja Jaswant Singh by Queen Victoria in 1877, an impressive collection of clocks in interesting windmill and light house shapes, and photographs of the graceful art-deco interior of the palace. The classic cars of the Maharajas are also on display. A part of the museum, Darbar Hall, has elegant murals, miniature paintings, armors and a rare collection of expensive household paraphernalia of 1930s.

4. Built for a noble cause rather than luxury.

The building of Taj Umaid Bhawan Palace has an interesting tale behind it. Once in the 1920s, famine struck Jodhpur then known as Marwar. The troubled people came for help to Maharaja Umaid Singh. His Royal Highness (the grandfather of the present Maharaja) generously commissioned a new palace to give employment to the people. The expensive venture employing the needy was not only a beautiful private residence but a symbol of hope and the new icon of Jodhpur replacing the Mehrangarh Fort. The venture was constructed from 1928 and 1943 giving the hard working people enough to survive the bad times.

5. The Grandest Hotel Experience.

Umaid Bhawan Palace became a part of Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces in 2005 January. Taj having its legacy of hospitality, was the perfect choice to uphold the royal tradition of the luxurious Umaid Bhawan Palace and extend its indulgent hotel experience.

The 64 accommodation allotted to the property are no short of royal pleasure. From the modern facilities, the old world charm and the mesmeric views, the hospitality in unparalleled. The hotel pampers guest with lavish dining, spa & wellness and leisure. For the royal dining, ‘Risala’ a la carte restaurant serves wide range of cuisine from across the regions. ‘Sunset Pavilion” is an old charm hangout to savor the royal barbeque and drinks. It is the highest point to enjoy a drink in Jodhpur. ‘The Pillars’ is a comfy coffee shop with delicious pastries, sandwiches and sweets. Relish a steaming cup of hot coffee while enjoying a spectacular view of the Jodhpur city.

‘The Trophy Bar’ is a well-stocked bar serving wide range of exotic drinks. To pamper your senses, Taj Hotels offers the pampering services of Jiva Spa. The spa and wellness centre specializes in Indian beauty and Ayurvedic treatments. Rejuvenating body massages and therapies in the serene ambiance of the spa is available for all guests. The in-house yoga studio provides classes with a yoga master who has studied with legendary Deepak Chopra. The ostentatious hotel experience of royalty can be relished in the magnificent Umaid Bhawan Palace.

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                                       ****Mysore-Palace Karnataka****

The palace you see at Mysore is probably the third or the fourth generation of the palatial structure built over this location by the ruling dynasty.

Many reasons , including the shift in power and other catastrophes caused the destruction of older citadels.

The one thing that probably remained unchanged throughout the citadel's history is probably it name - Mysore Palace.

Originally this area was a bastion. A fortified area with ditches all around as in any military architecture.

Even today it is, though the dominating palace structure steals the show. You can see the fort walls, and some remains of the ditches on either sides of the main gateway (Jayamathanda Gateway) to the east of the palace compound.

The original fort was made in as early as 1574 CE. The construction of the fort is often attributed to Chamaraja Wodayar IV, the then ruler of Mysore.

What this fortification enclosed was a large community, mostly associated with the palace and the court.

The first definite mention of a palace structure is found in the text of Shrimanmaharaja's Vamshaavali ( History of the Mysore Royal Family ). The historic document says of the destruction of the then Mysore Palace by a lightning and reconstruction of a new palace by the ruling king Ranadheera Kantheerava Narasaraja Wodeyar in the year 1638.

A century later power shifted to Hyder Ali and his famous son Tippu Sulthan. That is roughly during the period from 1760 to 1799 CE.

That was a period of great turmoil in Mysore as Tipu was challenging the expansive ambitions of the British East India Company.

In 1799 Tipu Sultan was killed in the storming of the Srirangapatna by the English forces ( Battle of Seringapatam ). That brought an end to the 4th Anglo-Mysore War. Tipu's fall practically marked the fall of the last king in India who challenged the British power.

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****Lotus Temple Delhi****

Lotus Temple is one of the remarkable architectures of Bahai faith. It is located at Kalkaji in New Delhi. The temple looks like a lotus flower and is made of marble, cement, dolomite and sand. The temple has no restrictions for visitors and is open to people from all religions. The place provides immaculate environment for meditation, peace and wisdom. The Bahai temple was completed in 1986. Since then the temple has received recognition from all over the world for its splendid architecture and design. Lotus Temple is among the most visited monuments in India. The credit for building this beautiful structure goes to the Persian architect Fariborz Sahba from Canada.

Personifying Lotus in the temple does not merely mean giving a lotus shape to the edifice but it has a message to the people of India in the form of a manifestation from the almighty. Lotus is a symbol of peace, purity, love and immortality. It is this particular specialty of Lotus flower which makes the flower an important icon in Indian culture and society. This is why the design of Lotus temple has been inspired by lotus flower.

The design looks like a half opened Lotus flower with 27 freestanding "petals" made of marble. The architect, while designing the temple took into account the eternal beauty of Lotus flower. The construction work took almost 10 years before it finally got shape and was open for public. The team comprised of 800 engineers, technicians, workers and artisans who worked diligently to give realization to one of the most complex edifices in the world. The temple integrates the aesthetic values along with the technological influence within the whole structure. There are nine reflecting pools that encompass the temple from outside. Converting the geometry of the design that did not have any straight line to the actual structure needed a lot of effort and dedicated engineering.

The temple has the capacity to accommodate nearly 2500 people and has nine doors that open in a central hall. The whole structure is made of white marble that adds to the glory of the temple. It is about 40 meters tall surrounded by nine ponds and appears as if the temple is floating like a Lotus flower in water.

The most appraising aspect of this particular architectural masterpiece is the integration of the effervescent Indian history along with the modern engineering and architecture. The temple has to its accreditation being recognized all over the world as one of the most visited edifices in the world with almost 50 million people having visited the temple since its inception in 1986.

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**** Taj Lake Palace Udaipur****

The palace was earlier called as Jag Niwas.Maharana Jagat Singh constructed the palace in the year 1743 to serve the purpose of a royal summer resort and thus it got its name – Jag Niwas.

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.

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.

Everything about the Lake Palace is just fantastic and if you are not staying there, then you must spend an evening to absorb its beauty, particularly during the sunset. This is the best place to pamper and indulge oneself.

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****Taj Mahal Agra****

The Taj Mahal of Agra is one of the Seven Wonders of the World, for reasons more than just looking magnificent. It's the history of Taj Mahal that adds a soul to its magnificence: a soul that is filled with love, loss, remorse, and love again. Because if it was not for love, the world would have been robbed of a fine example upon which people base their relationships. An example of how deeply a man loved his wife, that even after she remained but a memory, he made sure that this memory would never fade away. This man was the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, who was head-over-heels in love with Mumtaz Mahal, his dear wife. She was a Muslim Persian princess (her name Arjumand Banu Begum before marriage) and he was the son of the Mughal Emperor Jehangir and grandson of Akbar the Great. It was at the age of 14 that he met Mumtaz and fell in love with her. Five years later in the year 1612, they got married.

Mumtaz Mahal, an inseparable companion of Shah Jahan, died in 1631, while giving birth to their 14th child. It was in the memory of his beloved wife that Shah Jahan built a magnificent monument as a tribute to her, which we today know as the "Taj Mahal". The construction of Taj Mahal started in the year 1631. Masons, stonecutters, inlayers, carvers, painters, calligraphers, dome-builders and other artisans were requisitioned from the whole of the empire and also from Central Asia and Iran, and it took approximately 22 years to build what we see today. An epitome of love, it made use of the services of 22,000 laborers and 1,000 elephants. The monument was built entirely out of white marble, which was brought in from all over India and central Asia. After an expenditure of approximately 32 million rupees, Taj Mahal was finally completed in the year 1653.

It was soon after the completion of Taj Mahal that Shah Jahan was deposed by his own son Aurangzeb and was put under house arrest at nearby Agra Fort. Shah Jahan, himself also, lies entombed in this mausoleum along with his wife. Moving further down the history, it was at the end of the 19th century that British Viceroy Lord Curzon ordered a sweeping restoration project, which was completed in 1908, as a measure to restore what was lost during the Indian rebellion of 1857: Taj being blemished by British soldiers and government officials who also deprived the monument of its immaculate beauty by chiseling out precious stones and lapis lazuli from its walls. Also, the British style lawns that we see today adding on to the beauty of Taj were remodeled around the same time. Despite prevailing controversies, past and present threats from Indo-Pak war and environmental pollution, this epitome of love continuous to shine and attract people from all over the world.


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****Chitradurga Fort Karnatka****

A rock cut edict of Emperor Ashoka, near Bharamagiri reveals that Chitradurga was part of the Mauryan Empire dating to the 3rd century B.C. After the fall of the Mauryans, this land was under the rule of royal dynasties like the Rashtrakutas, Chalukyas and Hoysalas. But it really achieved eminence, as a feudatory state of the Vijayanagar Empire, under the dynastic rule of the Nayakas or “Paleyars”, known for their heroic exploits. The most eminent of the feudatory chieftains, was Madakari Nayaka, who after the fall of the Vijayanagar Empire, declared his suzerainty and consolidated his power. This hill fortress built by the Nayakas during the Vijayanagar era, became their stronghold later. In 1779, the fort was captured by Haider Ali, who along with his son Tipu Sultan, was responsible for its expansion and strengthening. After Tipu Sultan’s defeat by the British, the fort came under the rule of theRoyal Mysore family.

Chitradurga features bold rock hills and picturesque valleys, huge towering boulders in unimaginable shapes. It is known as the "stone fortress" (Kallina Kote). The landscape looks much like a mischievous giant's playground, with boulders thrown around, forming silhouettes against the sky. According to a story in the Epic Mahabharatha, a man-eating gaint named Hidimbasura lived on the Chitradurga hill and was a source of terror to everyone around. When the Pandavas came with their mother Kunti in the course of their exile, Bhima had a duel with Hidimba. Hidimba was slain by Bhima and peace returned to the area. Legend has it the boulders were part of the arsenal used during that duel. In fact, the boulders on which major part of the city rests belong to the oldest rock formation in the country.

Timmana Nayaka a chieften under the Vijayanagar empire rose to the rank of governor of Chitradurga as a reward for his excellence in military achievements, from the Vijayanagara ruler. This was the beginning of the rule of the Nayakas of Chitradurga. His son Obana Nayaka is known by the name Madakari Nayaka 1588 CE. Madakari Nayaka's son Kasturi Rangappa 1602 succeeded him and consolidated the kingdom to rule peacefully. As he had no heirs to succeed him, his adopted son, the apparent heir was enthroned but was killed in few months by the Dalavayis.

Chikkanna Nayaka1676 the brother of Madakari Nayaka II sat on the throne, and his brother succeeded him with the title Madakari Nayaka III in 1686. The unwillingness of Dalawayis to accept Madakari Nayaka III's rule gave an opportunity to one of their distant relatives, Bharamappa Nayaka to ascend the throne in 1689. He is known as dthe greatest of the Nayaka rulers. Somehow, the subjects of Chitradurga did not experience a good reign of the successive rulers as they ruled on the throne for very brief periods. The Hiri Madakari Nayaka IV 1721, Kasturi Rangappa Nayaka II 1748, Madakari Nayaka V 1758 ruled this area but there is not much to mention of their rule.

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****Charminar****

The Charminar was built in 1591 by Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah, the fifth sultan of the Qutub Shahi dynasty of India. There are varying legends as to why he built the magnificent structure. One account says that the sultan built it in honor of his wife, Bhagyamathi (or Bhagmathi), together with the construction of Hyderabad itself. Another, more popular, legend is that the sultan built it to honor a promise to Allah when he prayed for an end to a plague that ravaged the new city. The building got its name from its four minarets, which were possibly meant to honor the first four caliphs of Islam. Another legend also holds that a secret tunnel runs underneath the monument that connects the palace at Golconda to it should the royal family need to escape but so far, no such tunnels have been found.

The Charminar is in a square shape, with the four minarets in each of the corners. The sides measure 20 meters each, and the minarets stand at a height of 48.7 meters from the ground. Every side of the Charminar opens into a plaza and through giant arches that overlook four major thoroughfares. The arches also dwarf the other features of the building except the minarets, and these could be the reason why the Charminar was given its other nickname. The minarets, on the other hand, have four stories each, marked by a carved ring. There are 149 winding steps inside each, which the visitor can use to climb up in order to glimpse a breathtaking view of the city. At the western end of the Charminar’s roof is a mosque–the oldest in Hyderabad. Atop the building are 45 prayer spaces where the devout can worship. The first floor has beautiful balconies where one can also get a fantastic view of the city.

Islamic architecture is characterized mostly by the deployment of arches, minarets, and domes in order to make a unified whole, and the Charminar answers to this principle impressively. In spite of this, though, it still has several features that answer to Hindu architecture, and as a whole, it embodies elements of the temple architecture of South India, a fitting testament to the Hindu and Islam-influenced culture of Hydebaran and the dynasty that built it.

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