CONTEMPORARY ART, EVOLVING EXHIBITION FORMATS AND NEW NARRATIVES— HERE IS A GLIMPSE INTO THE STEADY TRANSFORMATION THAT IS UNDERWAY AT JAIPUR'S CITY PALACE COMPLEX.

Nearly 300 years old, Jaipur's City Palace has always been a must-visit attraction for first-timers to the city, and in recent years, it has gradually also become a contemporary cultural centre.

- TEXT: AATISH NATH PHOTOS: COURTESY OF CITY PALACE MUSEUM, JAIPUR

One can enjoy a meal at the rooftop restaurant The Sarvato, stop by to browse the offerings at the Princess Diya Kumari Foundation store or see works by renowned artists at the Jaipur Centre for Art, a new gallery space. There is a gentle transformation at play and the goal is to stay relevant for Jaipur's residents, even as it engages with the art world and the surrounding community in its own unique way.

Mrinalini Venkateswaran, deputy director and head of collections of the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum Trust, notes, "The pace of change has picked up over the last couple of years, quite rapidly"—a change she credits to Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh, the museum's chair. "The City Palace was shaped by the vision and precision of my ancestors, and it is my responsibility to carry that legacy forward. I see the City Palace Museum, Jaipur, not as a static set of galleries, but as a living institution," says the young royal.