Clock Tower Pragmahal Bhuj Kutch Gujarat

The Prag Mahal is a 19th-century palace located next to the Aina Mahal in

Bhuj Bhuj () is a city and the headquarters of Kutch district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Etymology According to legend, Kutch (Kachchh) was ruled by the Nāga chieftains in the past. Sagai, a queen of Sheshapattana, who was married to King B ...

, Kutch,

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

, India.

History

Prag Mahal is named after Rao Pragmalji II, who commissioned it and construction began in 1865."All about Gujarat: Palaces"
. Gujarat State Portal.Haresh Pandya

.

Rediff.com Rediff.com, stylized as rediff.com, is an Indian news, information, entertainment, and shopping website. Founded by Ajit Balakrishnan in 1996, it was the first Indian website to become a mainstream news media organization. It is headquartered i ...

(4 September 2006). It was designed by Colonel Henry St Clair Wilkins in what the local tourist office describes as the Italian Gothic style, although it would be better described as a

Romanesque architecture Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Ro ...

twist on the Indo-Saracenic Revival 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 Rupee (, ) is the common name for the currencies of India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Afr ...

, was completed in 1879 during the regency of

Khengarji III Maharajadhiraj Mirza (noble), Mirza Maharao Sir Khengarji III Sawai (title), Sawai Baghatur, Bahadur (23 August 1866 – 15 January 1942) was a progressive and List of longest-reigning monarchs, one of the longest ruling monarchs and also the l ...

(Pragmalji II's son) following Pragmalji II's death in 1875. The local Kutchi builder community (

Mistris of Kutch Kutch Gurjar Kshatriya (also known as Mistri or Mestri) are a minority Hindu community of Gujarat in India, who claim to be Kshatriya. They are an artisan community related with masonry, artistic carvings, sculpting and building and construction ...

) were also involved in construction of Prag Mahal along with Colonel Wilkins. Prag Mahal4

Notable features

*The palace is made of Italian marble and sandstone from

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

. *The main hall, filled with decaying taxidermyJane Yang. ''Let's Go India & Nepal''. Let's Go (2003)
pp. 218-19
. *

Durbar hall Durbar is a Persian-derived term (from ) referring to the noble court of a king or ruler or a formal meeting where the king held all discussions regarding the state. It was used in South Asia for a ruler's court or feudal levy. A durbar may be ...

, with broken chandeliers and classical statues * Corinthian pillars *

Jali A ''jali'' or ''jaali'' (''jālī'', meaning "net") is the term for a perforated stone or latticed screen, usually with an ornamental pattern constructed through the use of calligraphy, geometry or natural patterns. This form of architectu ...

work depicting European plants and animals *It has 45 foot high tower with a clock, from where you can see the entire Bhuj city. *There is also a small temple in the courtyard behind the palace with nicely carved stonework.

Restoration

The

2001 Gujarat earthquake The 2001 Gujarat earthquake, also known as the Bhuj earthquake, occurred on 26 January at . The epicentre was about 9 km south-southwest of the village of Chobari in Bhachau Taluka of Kutch district in Gujarat, India. The earthquake had ...

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. As of 2007, the palace was in a "ghostly", "forlorn" state. The palace and the tower were later repaired, after

Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He is often considered one of the greatest, most accomplished and commercially successful actors in the history of Indian cinema.* * * * * With a cinemati ...

took personal interest in restoration of palace, and its tower and clock have been repaired and are now open for public viewing. The Darbar Hall of the majestic Pragmahal Palace was renovated by the Maharao Pragmalji-III at a personal cost of Rs 5 crore. Visitors may enter the main palace halls and ascend the bell tower, which offers views of the city."Prag Mahal"
. Gujarat Tourism. File:PragMahal-Bhuj-Gujarat-JM18.jpg, Durbar Hall File:Prag Mahal Bhuj.jpg, Italian Gothic architecture of Prag Mahal with clock tower on right File:Prag Mahal.jpg, Back side of Prag Mahal File:Prag Mahal Palace Bhuj.jpg, Full View of Prag Mahal

In popular culture

Scenes from the Bollywood blockbusters ''

Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam ''Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam'', released internationally as ''Straight From the Heart'', is a 1999 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama musical film directed, co-written, and produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The film stars Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn ...

'' and ''

Lagaan ''Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India'', or simply ''Lagaan'', () is a 2001 Indian Hindi-language epic period musical sports drama film written and directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. The film was produced by Aamir Khan, who stars alongside debuta ...

'', as well as a number of Gujarati films, were shot in the palace.Joe Bindloss & Sarina Singh. ''India''.

Lonely Planet Lonely Planet is a travel guide book publisher. Founded in Australia in 1973, the company has printed over 150 million books. History 20th century Lonely Planet was founded by married couple Maureen Wheeler, Maureen and Tony Wheeler. In 19 ...

(2007)
p. 760
.

References

{{coord, 23.25479, 69.66833, display=title Palaces in Gujarat Bhuj Royal residences in India Rajput architecture History of Kutch Tourist attractions in Kutch district 1879 establishments in India Museums in Gujarat

History

Notable features

Restoration

In popular culture

See also

References