Rajwada, also known as the Holkar Palace or Old Palace, is a historical palace in

Indore Indore (; ISO 15919, ISO: , ) is the largest and most populous Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The commercial capital of the state, it has been declared as the List of cleanest cities in India, cleanest city of In ...

that was constructed by the Holkars of the

Maratha empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern India, early modern polity in the Indian subcontinent. It comprised the realms of the Peshwa and four major independent List of Maratha dynasties and states, Ma ...

around 2 centuries ago. An example of the architecture of the time, the palace is a 7 story structure that is placed near the Holkar Chhatris. The structure has gained the attention of tourists due to its size and age. The construction of the palace was started by

Malhar Rao Holkar Malhar Rao Holkar (16 March 1693 – 20 May 1766) was a noble subedar of the Maratha Empire, in present-day India. He was one of the early officers along with Ranoji Scindia, appointed by Peshwa Bajirao I to help spread the Maratha rule to nort ...

, the founder of Holkar Dynasty, in the year 1747 A.D. This structure is placed in Khajuri Bazaar, near the center of the city. The palace has the

Shiv Vilas Palace Shiv Vilas Palace, also known as the New palace, is a palace in Indore, built by Shivajirao Holkar, Maharaja Shivajirao Holkar of the Holkar dynasty and served as the official residence of the Holkars from 1894 to 1920. This palace was built b ...

(New Palace) on the right and faces a garden with a statue of Maharani Ahilya Bai Holkar, fountains, and an artificial waterfall.

Structure

The structure comprises two parts with one near the center of the city and the other in an older section. Both parts utilize

Maratha The Marathi people (; Marathi: , ''Marāṭhī lōk'') or Marathis (Marathi: मराठी, ''Marāṭhī'') are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are native to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-A ...

architectural styles. The entrance itself is marked with a large wooden door, supported by iron studs. Inside the entryway, there is a courtyard that consists of a Maratha arched Ganesha hall and a number of balconies, windows, and corridors that link to galleried rooms. The lower three floors are made of stone and the upper floors are made of wood. The existing building is rectangular with cylindrical bastions at the four corners. It was originally constructed in 1766, and the southern part was later rebuilt in the years 1811–1833 after being damaged by fire. The front bay has forecourt assessed by a large fenestration in the front façade. The Rajwada building is now state property under Archeology, which granted special permission for restoring the old wada (residence) after the main building was damaged during the 1984 riots. This building was restored by H.H Usha Raje Holkar with the assistance of architects Himanshu Dudwadkar and Shreya Bhargava who used the 200-year-old blueprint. Additionally, the same material & finishes were used while adhering to modern seismic structural requirements. The restoration was designed to be identical to its previous state which was constructed with thin bricks in lime mortar with lime plaster, wooden columns with stone bases, rough black basalt flooring, and a brick paved courtyard. The only departure from the original building was a concealed pipe frame for structural stability which was necessary because the building lies in an earthquake prone area. This modification was also required to obtain relevant building permissions. After renovation of palace by H.H. Usharaje S Holkar in March 2007, another renovation was conducted by Indore Municipal Corporation from 2017 to 2023. Firstly it was scheduled for completion in 2019 but postponed due to budget related issues and

COVID-19 pandemic in India The COVID-19 pandemic in India is a part of the COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide pandemic of COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). As of , according to Indian government ...

. Rajwada was open after almost 6 years in February 2023.

Gallery

Rajwada Indore Diwali.jpg, Rajwada Palace as seen on Diwali 2014 Ahilya Status Rajwada Indore 2014.jpg, Ahilyabai Holkar statue in front File:HolkarPalace, Indore.jpg, One of the main halls

References

External links

{{coord, 22.7184, N, 75.8552, E, source:wikidata, display=title Buildings and structures of the Maratha Empire History of Malwa Tourist attractions in Indore Palaces in Madhya Pradesh History of Indore Buildings and structures in Indore Monuments and memorials in Madhya Pradesh 1766 establishments in India Royal residences in India Maratha architecture

Structure

Gallery

See also

References

External links