|
|
 |
| |
| General Information about RAJSAMAND |
Rajsamand :
Area : 37 sq km.
Altitude: 577 meters
Languages : Hindi, English and Mewari
.
Distance: New Delhi ( 670 km), Jodhpur (260 km), Jaipur (420 km)
State :Rajsamand
STD Code :0294 |
THE DEOGARH MAHAL
As soon as you glimpse the Deogarh Mahal, you can see that its rulers must have been major players in the aristocracy of Mewar - their magnificent fort a fitting stronghold for one of the sixteen "umraos" - the most senior feudal barons attending on the Maharana of Udaipur. But you might not necessarily guess that the Rawats of Deogarh (a local title equivalent to "Raja") once ruled over the fourth largest feudal estate or "jagir" in all of Rajasthan. At its most extensive, their territory comprised of some 210 villages, with one of their defensive forts as far as 100 kms away. Yet there is little ostentation and even less gold to be found in their palace. Like most of the Mewar nobility, they spent too much time fighting to have much to spare for amassing great wealth.
Entering the Palace
It is the public face of the Deogarh rulers that we encounter first. The gateway into the front courtyard passes beneath the “Kacheri” where justice was administered - reminding us immediately that they held powers of life and limb over their subjects. Then the richly painted palace entrance leads us up, past a couple of small family shrines, through a series of narrow passages and staircases.
(A grander entrance route would have been harder to defend!)
But notice how well-worn the steps are here, compared with other parts of the palace. This is the area that saw the heavy traffic, the villagers coming to pay their feudal dues or seek some judicial remedy. Their business took them only as far as the first floor, where the revenue and general administration departments were located at the front of the building.
The heart of the palace
Anop Singh's adoptive father, Kishan Singh ji (1867-1900) is commemorated by Room 206 - “Kishan Kunj”. Kishan – pictured here in a couple of photographs – seems to have been a colourful man with several wives and numerous concubines. But he was also a great devotee of Lord Krishna and this is reflected in the decoration of this room, with various paintings of Lord Krishna and even a canopied ceiling of stars to evoke Kishan’s favourite deity. However, the room was never a bedroom in Kishan’s own day. It was originally a broad passage, leading behind the “Hawa Mahal” look-alike. The room incorporates some of the few small jali windows that survive from this, with other original stained glass windows on the opposite side. It also enjoys the benefit of a small private terrace.
|
| Click here to view Hotels of Rajsamand......... |
| |
|
|
|
| Rail Ticket |
 |
| North East |
 |
| Rajasthan |
 |
| Ayourveda |
 |
|
