1. Vijay Vilas Palace
Visit Kutch with gokutch.com |
| Vijay Vilas Palace at Mandvi |
Vijay Vilas Palace is the famous one time summer palace of
Jadeja Rajas of Kutch located on sea-beach of Mandvi in Kutch.
The palace was built during reign of Maharao Shri Khengarji III,
the Maharao of Kutch, as a summer resort for the use of his son & heir to
the kingdom, the Yuvraj Shri Vijayaraji and is therefore, named after him as
Vijaya Vilas Palace. The construction of palace started in year in
1920 and was completed in year 1929. The palace is built with red
sandstone. It has all the elements of Rajput architecture and draws largely on
the plan of palaces of Orchha and Datia. The central high dome on the pillars,
the Bengal domes on the sides, the windows with colored glass, carved stone
‘jalis’, domed bastions at the corners, extended porch and other exquisitely
stone-carved elements, make the palace worth visiting. The palace is set in the
middle of well-laid gardens with water channels and marble fountains. The
carved stone works of Jalis, Jharokas, Chhatris, Chhajas, murals
and many other artistic stone carvings, colored glass work on windows and door
panels all have been done by the architect and craftsman from places like
Jaipur, Rajasthan, Bengal and Saurashtra, and local Kutchi artisan community,
the Mistris of Kutch and Suthars. The mixture and mingling of architect and
style of different regions of India, as such, can be distinctly seen in design
& architect of the Vijaya Vilas Palace. The balcony at the top affords
a superb view of the surrounding area. The tiny intricate windows gives one
feeling to be out in open, through which cool sea wind passes out The
Maharao’s private beach, behind Vijay Vilas Palace, is 8 km from town, and
requires a small fee (the other beaches are free and open to the public). More
secluded than the others, the Vijay Vilas Beach has nice white sand, lovely
places to swim and accommodation available in air-conditioned tents along the
shore.
The erstwhile palace which belonged to Maharao Lakhpatji has now been converted into a Museum. It is a piece of art in itself and houses several rare paintings and collectibles from around the world.
2. Aina Mahal
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| Aina Mahal at Bhuj |
Aina Mahal is an 18th century palace that was
built during the flamboyant rule of Lakhpatji who had a passion for music, art,
architecture, and literature. The layout, design and decorations of Aina Mahal
were highly influenced by a royal dream that had eventually been converted into
reality by an extremely deft craftsman Ramsinh Malam who designed it in a mixed
Indo-European style and set about creating the materials for the palace
locally.
This are many glimpse inside in Palace like,
1.THE NAGPANCHAMI
ASHWARI SCROLL
2. FUVARA MAHAL
3. AINA MAHAL
4. IVORY DOOR
5. HIRA MAHAL
6. MARRIAGE CEREMONY
7. DARBAR HALL
8. MAHARAO'S HOROSCOPE
The erstwhile palace which belonged to Maharao Lakhpatji has now been converted into a Museum. It is a piece of art in itself and houses several rare paintings and collectibles from around the world.
3. Prag Mahal
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| Prag Mahal at Bhuj |
The Prag
Mahal is a 19th-century palace located next to the Aina
Mahal. Prag Mahal is named
after Rao Pragmalji II, who commissioned it and construction began in
1865. It was designed by Colonel Henry Saint Wilkins in the Italian
Gothic style, and many Italian artisans were involved in its
construction.The palace artisans' wages were paid in gold
coins. Construction of the palace, which ultimately cost 3.1
million rupees, was completed in 1879 during the regency
of Khengarji III (Pragmalji II's son) following Pragmalji II's death
in 1875. The local Kutchi builder community (Mistris of Kutch) were also
involved in construction of Prag Mahal along with Colonel
Wilkins.
Scenes
from the Bollywood blockbusters Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Lagaan,
as well as a number of Gujarati films, were shot in the palace.
The 2001 Gujarat earthquake severely damaged the
palace. In 2006, the palace was burgled, with thieves stealing antiques
worth millions of rupees and damaging other items throughout the
palace. Today, the palace is in a "ghostly", "forlorn"
state. However, the palace and the tower have been repaired,
after Amitabh Bachhan took personal interest in restoration of
palace. And its tower and clock have been repaired and are now open for
public viewing. Visitors may enter the main palace halls and ascend the bell
tower, which offers views of the city.
4. Sharad Baugh Palace
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| Sharad Baugh Palace at Bhuj |
The last ruler of Kutch Maharao Madansinhji Saheb Resident here. Here died in 1991 after which,
the Place was opened for the public
viearing. many priceless artifacts and articles are housed here. Stuffed animals, gold coins,
Paintings, royal gifted items are some
of the displays. Maharao Madansinhji Saheb was appointed Ambassador to Norway in 1956. During
his tennure in the Foreign Service, he was Presented with many valuable and
artistic artifacts. which he
donated to the Trust. This garden was famous in
the olden days as botanical garden.
5. Kutch Museum
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| Kutch Museum |
Kutch
museum was initially formed as a part of the School of Arts established by
Maharao Sir Khengarji III, which was founded on 1 July 1877.
The
museum has the largest existing collection of Kshatrapa inscriptions, dating to
the 1st century AD. The oldest Kshatrap inscription found in Andhau and the
only Gujarati Abhir inscription of the 3rd century are the main attractions. It
also has examples of the extinct Kutchi script (now the Kutchi language is
mostly written in the Gujarati script) and an interesting collection of coins,
including the Koris – Kutch’s local currency till 1948.
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