Navlakha Palace
| Rajnagar Palace | |
|---|---|
 Ruins of the Navlakha Palace | |
 Interactive map of Rajnagar Palace | |
| 26°24′17″N 86°10′18″E / 26.404733°N 86.171718°E | |
| Type | Palace |
| Location | Rajnagar, Bihar, India |
| History | |
| Founder | Darbhanga Raj |
| Built | 19th-century |
| Demolished | 15 January 1934 |
| Site notes | |
| Area | 1,500 acres (610 ha) |
Architectural style | Mithila Art |
| Owner | Darbhanga Maharaja |
Navlakha Palace, also known as Rajnagar Palace, is a royal palace in the town of Rajnagar, near Madhubani in Bihar, India.[1] The palace was built by Maithali Brahmin Maharaja Rameshwar Singh of Darbhanga.[2]
History
[edit]It was built by Rameshwar Singh, the younger brother of Lakshmeshwar Singh, the Maharaja of Darbhanga, between 1884 and 1929 to serve as the administrative capital of Darbhanga Raj.[3] This complex covers 1,500 acres (610 ha). It includes 11 temples to gods and goddesses, and several forts and palaces. It suffered significant damage during the 1934 Bihar–Nepal earthquake and has never been rebuilt.[4][5]
Architecture
[edit]Up to 22 layers of carving were used in the construction of the monument, more than the Taj Mahal, which has a maximum of 15 layers. Its Kali temple is made of ivory and white marble that resembles the Taj Mahal. The portico has arches standing on four elephants built from cement and is allegedly one of the first cement structures in India. The oldest surviving Mithila painting is found in the Gasauni Ghar (the room where the family deity is kept) of the palace. Made in 1919 on the occasion of the Maharaja's daughter's wedding, there are very few written or photographic records of the palace.[6][7]
Present condition
[edit]The palace is currently owned by the Raj Darbhanga. Following the 1934 earthquake, it was never repaired. It is continually suffering from encroachment. Locals have long demanded that it be turned into a tourist site.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Manjari, Manisha (August 2, 2022). Phoenix Rising From The Ashes. Sahityapedia. ISBN 978-93-91470-12-8.
- ↑ Heinz, Carolyn Brown (August 18, 2023). Bihar Days. Austin Macauley Publishers. ISBN 979-8-88693-815-9.
- ↑ Sahay, Navneet (November 4, 2016). Patna: A Paradise Lost!: Saga of a 2500 Year Old City from Ajatshatru to Present Day Patna. Notion Press. ISBN 978-1-946204-54-7.
- ↑ Bhattacharyya, Asmita; Basu, Sudeep (September 20, 2017). Marginalities in India: Themes and Perspectives. Springer. p. 165. ISBN 978-981-10-5215-6.
- ↑ Sinha, Gangananda (1936). The Bihar Earthquake and the Darbhanga Raj. Thacker's Press & Directories and Published by the Darbhanga Raj. p. 3.
- ↑ Addison, Henry Robert; Oakes, Charles Henry; Lawson, William John; Sladen, Douglas Brooke Wheelton (1910). Who's who. A. & C. Black.
- ↑ India, Geological Survey of (1907). Records of the Geological Survey of India. government of India.
External links
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