LAL BAGH PALACE

Within the sweeping halls and rooms of the Lal Bagh Palace in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, the world falls away and time stands still.

- RITUPRIYA BASU

The interiors of the Sitting Room are embellished with bevelled mirrors and brass wall lamps, the warm glow from which adds to the natural light filtering in through the windows.

Once a seat of the Holkar family, one of the most powerful Maratha rulers of India, the structure’s construction began in the late 19th century, and was completed in 1926 by Tukojirao Holkar III, who lived in the palace until his death in 1978. In the decades since, as the royals left and the palace was converted into a museum, the structure fell into disrepair: the roofs leaked, the paint peeled off, and a fire ravaged the top floor.