Jhargram Palace

Jhargram Palace

Raj Palace(or Rajbari)
General information
Architectural style Italian and Islamic
Town or city Jhargram, West Bengal
Country India
Completed 1931
Technical details
Size 3,50,000 square feet
Design and construction
Architect Calcutta Improvement Trust

The Jhargram Raj Palace is the current residence of the Malla Deb Royal family. Situated in Jhargram, Paschim Medinipur district, it is a structure combining the Italian and Islamic architecture model. About 10 rooms plus three dormitories on the ground floor have been converted into a Heritage Hotel run by the family.[1]

History

Legend has it that around 1574 CE Man Singh had come to conquer Bengal on behest of Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great from Rajasthan (erstwhile Rajputana Kingdom).[2][3] He appointed two of his loyal officers in the army, Sarveshwar Singh and his elder brother to defeat the local Malla tribal rulers of the region known as Jungalkhand. Raja Sarveshwar Singh defeated the Mallas and took the name Malla Deb and set Jhargram as his capital. In order to commemorate this victory every year an idol of Malla Raja is made and killed on Vijaya Dasami. After Man Singh left for Rajputana after the campaign, the brothers decided to stay at their conquests. Sarveshvar Singh was made the Subedar and Raja of Jangalkhand and his elder brother, the ruler of Bhishnupur or Mallabhum, that later became independent. They belonged to the Kshtriya Chandra Vansha Chauhan clan of Rajputs. The Raja of the State was known as Sarveshwar Malla Ugal Sanda Deb(Ugal Sanda – the bull in the fort walls of the city of Jhargram) and the title has been continued up to Raja Narasingha Malla Ugal Sanda Deb. The estate had an area 252 sq. miles when it became a part of India and encompassed 1200 sq mi at its peak.[4]

Architecture

The Main Building is impressive. The Jhargram Raj Palace is an opulent Italianate structure, set in carefully laid lawns and gardens. Built in 1931 CE, this palace was designed by the Calcutta Improvement Trust during the reign of Raja Narasingha Malla Deb Bahadur. In the Palace campus, so evocative of a regal lifestyle, the past comes alive.[5]

The Palatial Guest House is a part of the Jhargram Raj Palace it has been a host to several dignitaries right from its inception some of the dignitaries who have officially stayed in this building as per the records are .

Heritage Cottages for tourists

Jhargram Palace has set up a new joint venture joint venture with West Bengal Tourism to develop tourism infrastructure in the Raj estate campus.The heritage resort will comprise 15 twin cottages that will face two water bodies .There will be 30 beds in all, a central dining hall-cum-cafeteria,conference room,museum,open green lawns,boating and a lily pool. The equal JV will be called Jhargram Palace Heritage Tourism Project and intends to become an expertise to develop tourism infrastructure in the state.The work will do a complete hand holding, visualization and implementation of the project in three phases.

Transport

Jhargram is well connected by roads/highways with other nearby cities like Midnapore, Kharagpur, Kolkata. For local transportation bus, taxi, minibus, cycle-rikshaws, and autos are available. Jhargram is also connected by train to nearest big city like Kolkata, Tatanagar and Ranchi.
The nearest airport is Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport of Kolkata 155 km (by train) and 169 km (by road- NH-6).Sonari Airport of Jamshedpur is located at a distance 96 km by train.Birsa Munda Airport of Ranchi is located at a distance of 233 km (by road- NH-33) and 258 km (by train).

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Royal retreats: Jhargram Palace/ Midnapore". The Telegraph. July 5, 2008. Retrieved Feb 16, 2013.
  2. ↑ jhargramtourism
  3. ↑ Indian Princely States
  4. ↑ "Jhargram Estate". WordPress.com. May 19, 2014. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
    *Royal Families of India
  5. ↑ "Top Heritage Hotel in India". Covering India. January 27, 2015. Retrieved September 16, 2015.

External links

Jhargram travel guide from Wikivoyage

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