Rajasthan is one of the most popular tourist locations and especially for the stunning palaces that you can visit here. One such beautiful palace is the Umaid Bhawan Palace Jodhpur. This is not just a palace but also a beautiful 5 star hotel as well. Furthermore this is a luxurious wedding venue as well that has hosted celebrity weddings in the past. Moreover what attracts more visitors here is the fact that the palace also houses a beautiful museum inside its premises. The museum is rich in artefacts and would give you a sneak peek into the royal lives and culture as well. Additionally this is also one of the palaces where the royals are still residing.
Umaid Bhawan Palace Jodhpur
Overall the palace looks stunning and the architecture is also worth mentioning. It would be an extremely interesting visit to the Umaid Bhawan Palace whenever you are visiting Jodhpur. It would be interesting to look into the museum and also to take a stroll amidst this huge palace as well. So whenever you are in Jodhpur then make sure you are visiting this beautiful and massive palace. Keep on reading this article as here I will mention everything that you might need to know about the Umaid Bhawan Palace Jodhpur. This will be a helpful article for you if you are planning a trip to this palace in Jodhpur any time soon.
Location: Cantt Area, Umaid Bhawan Palace Road, Jodhpur, Rajasthan
Timings: The Umaid Bhawan Palace timings are from 10 am to 4:30 pm
Entry fee: The Umaid Bhawan Palace entry fee for Indians is Rs. 30 per person. And for foreigners the Umaid Bhawan Palace tickets are for Rs. 100 per person. For children between 5 to 11 years of age the ticket price is Rs. 10 per person.
How to reach
By air
If you are travelling by air then the nearest airport to reach the Umaid Bhawan Palace is the Jodhpur Airport. From the airport the palace is located at a distance of 4.4 km. It would take you only 10 minutes to reach the palace from the Jodhpur airport. You can easily take local transport like an auto rickshaw to reach the palace from the airport. In terms of International airport the nearest airport is the Jaipur International airport. From there the palace is located at a distance of 355 km. It would take you a little less than 6 hours to reach Umaid Bhawan from Jaipur. You can easily take a car or hire a cab from Jaipur to reach the palace in Jodhpur.
By train
While travelling in a train the nearest railway station to reach Umaid Bhawan Palace Jodhpur is the Jodhpur railway station. From Jodhpur Railway Station the palace is located only 5.8 km away. It would take you around 12 minutes to reach there from the railway station. You can easily take an auto rickshaw to reach the palace from the railway station.
By road
You can however travel by road as well and the roads to Jodhpur are well connected by roadways. Buses are available on this route that you can opt for to travel to this palace. If you are travelling from nearby cities and towns you can opt for both the public as well as private buses. Buses ply on this route from locations like Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Jaipur, so you can opt for that. Or else if you are traveling within the city then the auto rickshaws are a very common mode of transport as well. Both new and old styles of auto rickshaws are available here and you can opt for them to travel shorter distances.
You can also travel by your own vehicle as well from any location. Or else you can also hire a car or a cab as well to reach the Umaid Bhawan Palace Jodhpur from any location.
Overview of Umaid Bhawan Palace
Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur is one of the most popular tourist locations that you can visit in the city. It is currently a museum that will give you a glimpse of the opulent life of the royal families back in the days. What makes the location even more interesting is the fact the Umaid Bhawan Palace owner, the royal family, still lives here in one section of the palace. Furthermore other than the museum here the palace also houses a heritage hotel as well. The Taj Group of Hotels had taken over an entire wing of this palace and currently runs a luxurious 5 star hotel here. The palace is a very popular luxury wedding venue as well.
Famous weddings at Umaid Bhawan Palace have always been a highlight. And one such famous Bollywood wedding was the wedding of Bollywood Actress Priyanka Chopra with Nick Jonas that took place at this palace. Due to the luxury and the grandeur of the palace the Umaid Bhawan Palace wedding cost is also huge ranging between 72 lakhs to 95 lakhs.
Maharaja Umaid Singh built this beautiful palace and his main purpose behind this was to employ thousands of villagers who were distressed due to droughts. It took a long time for the construction to complete. Currently one section of the palace is a museum open for public viewing. The museum at Umaid Bhawan Palace is also popular as the Government Museum. It is a well maintained museum that houses various royal antiques. It can be an enriching experience to visit the museum as the collection here is rich. Also the complex looks beautiful with lush green gardens and beautiful structure of the palace.
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History of Umaid Bhawan Palace
The history of the construction of the Umaid Bhawan Palace Jodhpur started long before the actual construction. It goes back to 1459 when the Mehrangarh Fort was established when a saint cursed that there will be a prolonged period of drought that will affect Jodhpur under the rule of Rathore dynasty. It was then that the Maharaja decided to build a lavish palace so that he could employ the farmers in the work of construction. In the year 1929 the Maharaja himself laid the foundation of the palace. He employed about 2000 to 3000 people. To keep the villagers employed the construction continued for a really long time till 1943.
Later the palace was opened for occupancy and it was one of the largest royal residences in the whole world. But it could not really function that well as a residence. Umaid Singh Maharaj stayed at the palace for only 4 years and then he died in 1947. Then his successor Maharaja Hanwant Singh stayed there but he soon died in 1952. Later Maharaja Gaj Singh II succeeded his father and started staying there. He also decided to turn one section of the palace into a museum and one section into a hotel. Currently he also lives here with his family and it serves as his royal residence.
Architecture of Umaid Bhawan Palace
Located on top of Chittar Hill, the Umaid Bhawan Palace is a beautiful palace. The palace reflects a blend of European and an Indian style of architecture. Maharaja Umaid Singh appointed architect Henry Vaughan Lanchester to design this massive palace. Furthermore he also worked with Indian architect Budhmal Rai to build the final construction. Under the guidance of Vidyadhar Bhattacharya who was the architect and S S Jacob the construction was completed. The construction followed an amalgamation of Indo Deco style.
Built in golden yellow sandstone the palace looks marvelous in its appearance. Spread across 26 acres there is beautiful lush greenery with flowery gardens inside the premises. They have used Burmese Teak wood and Makrana marble to construct the palace. In total the palace has 347 rooms, a private dining hall, a private meeting hall and numerous other halls and courtyards. The central dome here is made according to Renaissance style. And the towers that you will see here are inspired from Rajput style of architecture.
Umaid Bhawan Palace Museum Collection
Paintings
The palace houses a huge collection of paintings that includes some photographs as well. You will also find miniature paintings of the royal family here. There are paintings depicting various mythological stories and pictures of some important events as well. These paintings and pictures depict the history of the royal family. Some artistic items, murals and cultural items are present in the museum as well.
Cutlery
The Umaid Bhawan Palace Jodhpur houses a lot of personal belongings of the royal family and one of them is the cutlery that they used. You will get to spot a variety of plates, porcelain wares, wine glass and other crockery and cutleries here.
Textile
This is yet another important display in the Umaid Bhawan Palace Jodhpur. From turbans to shawls to various other garments the variety here is praise worthy. You can further look at the embroidery work of the artisans as well which will leave you spellbound.
Weapons
The collection of weapons is also extremely interesting to look at. From swords to shields you will get a peek into the royal armory here. Additionally you will also find some weapons from the medieval period as well like some rare pistols and guns.
Trophy
The collection of trophies is one of the interesting collections that you will find in the museum. There are items like a tiger skin cushion, elephant feet stool, tusk of boar and a lot more here. Also you will find a great collection of flags here which Queen Victoria had gifted to Maharaja Jaswant Singh in 1877.
Cars
This collection is definitely one of the main highlights in the Umaid Bhawan Palace Museum. The vintage cars that you would get to observe here are major attractions at the palace. The variety ranges from Mercedes Benz to Rolls Royce to Austin Martin and many more.
Clocks
There is a separate collection of some antique clocks here which is interesting to look at. From vintage clocks to ornamental clocks you will find a huge variety here.
Wrapping Up!
So that was all about the Umaid Bhawan Palace and now you need to plan a trip there soon. You will be enchanted by the beauty of this beautiful palace once you visit there. Also the museum is quite interesting to explore there so you cannot miss out on visiting that. Overall a visit to this palace would give you a great insight about the royal life and their lifestyle. So if you are interested to know more about the royalty and the royal life a visit to Umaid Bhawan Palace is a must. So when are you planning a trip to Umaid Bhawan? And let me know if this article on Umaid Bhawan Palace Jodhpur is helpful for you in planning a trip there.
