Lalbagh Palace

See also: Laibagh

Lalbagh Palace in Indore
Main gate of Lalbagh Palace
A statue of Subedar Malhar Rao Holkar (1693–1766)

Lalbagh Palace was built by the Holkar Dynasty, and is situated in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India.

The Holkar family resided in the palace up to 1978. After the death of Tukojirao Holkar(III), his granddaughter Usha Raje established a trust and looked after the estate. Later, the former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Arjun Singh brought it under control of State Government.

History

The palace was home to the powerful maratha Holkar Dynasty. Spread over 76 acres of property, the construction of the 45-room palace happened in three phases. It is built in the Italian Renaissance Revival architecture style[1] and once had a 20-acre rose garden, while its main gates are modelled after those at the Buckingham Palace, by Triggs of Calcutta.[2] Paneling, bronze work, decorative plaster, stone work and furniture for the palace were provided by H.H. Martyn & Co. of Cheltenham, England.[3]

Tukojirao Holkar II in 1886, built this palace, his son Shivajirao Holkar continued building it and his grandson, Tukojirao Holkar III in 1926, further expanded it. After the death of Tukojirao Holkar III in 1978, his third wife, an American, Sharmishtha Devi (formerly Nancy Anne Miller) moved out and subsequently, much of the first floor was destroyed in a fire.

In the 1980s, the palace fell into disrepair and was prone to theft of its antiques before the state government acquired the property in 1987 for Rs 64.46 lakh.[2][4]

Lalbagh Palace Indore, now serves as a museum. [5]

Current status

It is inscribed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as a protected monument.[6]

It will be renovated by the World Monuments Fund under the aegis of the Madhya Pradesh state Government.[7][8]

Amongst others, parts of Hindi film Kalank (2019) with Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, and Madhuri Dixit, were shot here.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Lal Bagh Palace". The Times of India. 14 March 2014.
  2. ^ a b "Lal Bagh palace in Indore is a crumbling edifice". India Today. 15 April 1988.
  3. ^ The Best,H.H. Martyn and Co, John Whitaker, pp. 23-30
  4. ^ "Four Holkar architectural gems to explore in Indore". Deccan Herald. 30 June 2022.
  5. ^ https://www.mptourism.com/lal-bagh-palace-indore.html
  6. ^ "Protected Monuments in Madhya Pradesh « Archaeological Survey of India".
  7. ^ "Lal Bagh Palace".
  8. ^ Ritupriya Basu (14 January 2022). "India's Extravagant Lal Bagh Palace is Restored to its Former Glory". Architectural digest.
  9. ^ "A luxury traveller's guide to Indore, the cleanest Indian city". luxebook. 3 September 2020.

Media related to Lalbagh Palace at Wikimedia Commons

22°42′00″N 75°50′50″E / 22.7001°N 75.8471°E / 22.7001; 75.8471