Umaid Bhawan Palace History :

Umaid Bhawan Palace, located in Jodhpur in Rajasthan, India, is one of the world’s largest private residences. A part of the palace is managed by Taj Hotels. Named after Maharaja Umaid Singh, grandfather of the present owner Gaj Singh. The palace has 347 rooms and is the principal residence of the former Jodhpur royal family. A part of the palace is a museum.
Ground for the foundations of the building was broken on 18 November 1929 by Maharaja Umaid Singh and the construction work was completed in 1943. The Palace was built to employ thousands of people during the time of famine.

History :

The history of building the Umaid Bhawan Palace is linked to a curse by a saint who had said that a period of drought will follow the good rule of the Rathore Dynasty. Thus, after the end of an about 50-year reign of Pratap Singh, Jodhpur faced severe drought and famine conditions in the 1920s for a period of three consecutive years. The farmers of the area faced with famine conditions sought the help of the then king Umaid Singh, who was the 37th Rathore ruler of Marwar at Jodhpur,[4] to provide them with some employment so that they could survive the famine conditions. The king, to help the farmers, decided to build a lavish palace. He commissioned Henry Vaughan Lanchester as the architect to prepare the plans for the palace; Lanchester was a contemporary of Sir Edwin Lutyens who planned the buildings of the New Delhi government complex. Lanchester patterned the Umaid Palace on the lines of the New Delhi building complex by adopting the theme of domes and columns. The palace was designed as a blend of western technology and Indian architectural features. The palace was built at a slow pace as its initial objective was to employ the famine-stricken farmers in the area. The foundation stone was laid in 1929. About 2,000 to 3,000 people were employed in its construction. Occupation of the palace by the Maharaja came after its completion in 1943, and close to the period of Indian Independence. There was some criticism for embarking on an expensive project but it had served the main purpose of helping the citizens of Jodhpur to face the famine situation. The estimated cost of building the palace was Rs 11 million. When it opened in 1943 it was considered as one of the largest royal residences in the world The site chosen for the palace was on a hill known as Chittar hill in the outer limits of Jodhpur after which the palace is also known where no water supply was available nearby and hardly any vegetation grew as hill slopes were rocky. The building material required was not close by as sandstone quarries were at quite a distance. Since the Maharaja had the foresight to bring his project to fruition, he built a railway line to the quarry site to transport the building material. Donkeys were inducted to haul soil to the site. The sandstone transported by rail was dressed at a site into large blocks with interlocking joints so that they could be laid without the use of mortar. The palace was built with “dun-colored” (golden – yellow) sandstone with two wings. Makrana marble has also been used, and Burmese teak wood has been used for the interior woodwork
When completed the palace had 347 rooms, several courtyards, and a large banquet hall that could accommodate 300 people. The architectural style is considered as representing the then in vogue Beaux-Arts style, also known as the Indo-Deco style. However, for many years the palace did not fully function following tragic events in the royal family. Umaid Singh who stayed in the place for only four years died in 1947. Hanumant Singh who succeeded him also died at a young age; he had just won in the 1952 General Elections and was returning home after this win when his plane crashed and he died. Gaj Singh II who succeeded his father then decided in 1971 to convert a part of the palace into a hotel.

Features :
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 palace complex is set in an area of 26 acres (11 ha) of land including 15 acres (6.1 ha) of gardens. The palace consists of a throne chamber, a private meeting hall, a Durbar Hall to meet the public, a vaulted banquet hall, private dining halls, a ballroom, a library, an indoor swimming pool and spa, a billiards room, four tennis courts, two marble squash courts, and long passages.
The interior central dome sits above the sky blue inner dome. The inner vaulted dome is a major attraction in the palace which rises to 103 feet (31 m) in the interior part which is capped by an outer dome of 43 feet (13 m) height. The entry to the palace has decorations of the Coat of arms of the Rathore Royal family. The entry leads to the lobby which has polished black granite flooring. The lounge area has pink sandstone and marble floors.
Maharaja Gaj Singh, known as “Bajpai”, stays in a part of the palace. The principal architect of the palace is an amalgam of Indo-Saracenic, Classical Revival, and Western Art Deco styles. It is also said[by whom?] the Maharaja and his architect Lanchester had considered the features of Buddhist and Hindu edifices such as the Temple Mountain-Palaces of Burma and Cambodia.

Umaid Bhawan royal residence is one of the biggest private homes on the planet. This is just a royal residence to have a working lift in India. Situated in Jodhpur, a piece of this castle is a legacy lodging today. The castle has 347 rooms, which were involved by the imperial group of Jodhpur royals previously.
Today, it is a standout amongst the best lavish inns in India and has been perceived as the equivalent by various elements. The castle was worked in Beaux Expressions Style in a blend of western and eastern compositional styles. No outing to Jodhpur is finished without putting in a couple of hours at this castle. On the off chance that you wish to appreciate the genuine excellence of the castle, visit amid winter mornings.
The establishment for this excellent royal residence was made in 1929 by Umaid Singh. In 1943, the royal residence was open for authority living arrangements. It is said that the castle was mostly worked to utilize a large number of individuals amid stupendous starvation. A holy person reviled the land that starvation will fall upon the rule. Truth to his words, the spot was in the genuine dry season for over three years.
To give work, the 37th ruler of the Rathore line, Umaid Singh chose to manufacture an extravagant royal residence. The ranchers utilized this chance to have a relentless salary when their fields were rendered futile.
After beginning the castle, the experts found that the spot of royal residence was infertile with no trace of water supply. The quarries were at a gigantic separation from the site of development. The Lord requested to manufacture a railroad line for transporting the building materials. Jackasses were utilized to convey soil to the slope locale. Makrana marbles and Burmese teak wood were utilized for inside work.
After the culmination of the castle, the complex was not open for working because of nonstop passing and adversities in the imperial family. Afterward, in 1943, Umaid Singh opened the royal residence and lived just for a long time before biting the dust in 1947. Afterward, his child kicked the bucket while coming back to the royal residence in the wake of winning the General Race. In 1971, Gaj Singh, grandson of Umaid Singh chose to commit a piece of this fabulous living arrangement for lodging.
The royal residence has 347 rooms including numerous patios, a monstrous dinner corridor, a working Taj Castle Lodging, and a historical center.

Royal residence :

The royal residence covers 26 sections of land and contains many intriguing chambers like a position of royalty room, private gathering corridor, private supper lobby, open gathering lobby, library, dance hall, spa, indoor pool, imperial sauna, marble squash court, tennis courts and considerably more. The inside vault is one of the primary attractions in the castle.
In the passage, you can discover the escutcheons of the imperial family. The hall that pursues has the stone ground surface in the passage and sandstone flooring in whatever is left of the region. The territory is enlivened in established restoration style and western stylistic theme.

Lodging :

The lodging has 64 visitor rooms including the regal suite of the ruler. The ruler and ruler suites have marble baths. This is the main spot where you can discover such baths on the planet. The dinner lobby that can hold 300 individuals is presently an eatery.

Historical center :

The historical center holds regal antiques and individual accumulation of the lords like vintage clock accumulations, old photos of the royal residence, exemplary autos of the ruler, porcelain products, memorabilia, wall painting depictions, smaller than usual artworks, etc.

Best time to visit Umaid Bhawan Royal residence :

The best time to visit the royal residence is from October to Spring. The royal residence and the patio nursery around it are at prime excellence consistently. Be that as it may, summers are burning sweltering, and moist. Summer begins in Spring and finishes in June.
Jodhpur is exceptionally near the Thar Desert and you may need to walk outside inside the royal residence complex to appreciate every one of the attractions. If you are visiting in summer, remember to carry your umbrella with you. Pack however much water as could be expected. It would be very getting dried out.
Storm season makes the zone soft and it turns out to be difficult to go around the district for touring. The storm begins in July and finishes in September. Walk around the greenery enclosure is preposterous amid substantial downpours.
Winter is satisfying and the patio nursery will be lavish amid this season. Winter is the pinnacle of the travel industry season in Rajasthan. If you are visiting amid winter, try to pre-book lodging facilities. Winter begins in October and finishes in February.
The royal residence and gallery are open from 9 toward the beginning of the day until 5 at night; consistently. On the off chance that you are searching for a quiet time with fewer visitors around you, pick early afternoon.