UMAID BHAWAN

IN THE 1920S, WHEN JODHPUR WAS FACED WITH A FAMINE, MAHARAJA UMAID SINGH COMMISSIONED ARCHITECT HENRY VAUGHAN LANCHESTER TO DESIGN A PALACE. BUILT OVER 13 YEARS, ENGAGING OVER 3,000 WORKERS IN ITS CONSTRUCTION, THE UMAID BHAWAN PALACE-HOME TO THE ROYAL FAMILY AS WELL AS A HERITAGE HOTEL-IS THE MOST BREATH-TAKING EXAMPLE OF INDO DECO. HERE, FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE SEE A GLIMPSE INTO THE PRIVATE ROOMS OF THE PRINCE AND PRINCESS.

- WRITER COSMO BROCKWAY

Anyone who approaches the great domed Umaid Bhawan Palace perched on Chittar hill, the highest point in Jodhpur, might be reminded of Sebastian Flyte’s first view of Brideshead Castle in Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited. The seminal novel, published in 1945, reflects on the power of the monumental country house to beguile, fascinate and seduce. If there is an Indian version of this architectural siren then it is surely the astonishing palace of the Marwar royal family, an enduring symbol of the last gasp of dynastic power in the subcontinent.

Despite its grandeur, Umaid Bhawan’s origins are entwined with a petition of the people. Suffering under famine in the 1920s, a delegation was sent for an audience with the then ruler, Maharaja Umaid Singh, appealing for help. The ruler embarked on a hugely ambitious employment project. “Over 3,000 workers were engaged in its construction for more than a decade. The palace was intentionally built at a slow pace, ensuring continuous livelihood for famine-stricken farmers. My grandfather, Maharaja Umaid Singhji, saw this as a public project; his primary goal was to support the people of Jodhpur in their time of need,” reflects the current incumbent, Maharaja Gaj Singh II, known as Bapji, as we sit on his veranda overlooking the peerless rose gardens.