Sunday, November 30, 2008

JAI MAHAL PALACE, JAIPUR, INDIA

Jai Mahal Palace

Jai Mahal Palace,  Jaipur Rajasthan
Jai Mahal Palace Jaipur

Jai Mahal Palace was originally developed around 1745 by Hargovind Natani, Military Commander and Prime Minister of Sawai Ishwari Singh of Jaipur. He initially fought from the side of Sawai Ishwari Singh's army and led it to a striking victory over Madho Singh's combined forces of Udaipur, Kota, Bundi, and the Marathas of Holkar states. However, later he ditched his own master and shook hands with Madho Singh which resulted in Sawai Ishwari Singh committing suicide. Later, after Natani's death, his property, including the Garden of Natani (on which the palace stands) was took over by the Jaipur state since he was deemed a traitor. From then, Jai Mahal Palace remained a princely property and continued so till the time Sawai Man Singh II (1922-1947) took over Jaipur State and converted Natani ka Bagh into the official residence of the Prime Ministers of Jaipur. After one year, the name Natani ka Bagah was changed with that of Jai Mahal Palace. It is said that the name could either be drawn from the name of the city itself or was a gesture of honour by Sawai Man Singh for his ancestor Sawai Jai Singh II or his son Jai.

After independence, Jai Mahal remained vacant till 1955 when finally the lack of accommodation facilities for ever- increasing tourists to Jaipur made jeweller Laxmi Kumar Kasliwal Man Singh transform this palace into one of the earliest palace hotels of Jaipur.

The palace is today a luxurious hotel offering a stay of a lifetime. Positioned in the lush greenery of Mughal Gardens, the Jai Mahal Palace Hotel is a perfect place to enjoy the splendorous life of the erstwhile Rajput rulers. The architecture of the building, the spectacular surroundings, the interior designing and the colour scheme together present a picture postcard beauty.

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