Umaid Bhawan Palace Museum

Umaid Bhawan Palace Museum Review

Built between 1929 and 1942 at the behest of Maharaja Umaid Singh during a long famine, this public-works project employed 3,000 workers. Now part museum, part royal residence, and part Heritage Hotel, its art-deco design makes it unique in the state. Amazingly, no cement was used in construction; the palace is made of interlocking blocks of sandstone, something to admire when you stand under the imposing 183-foot-high central dome. The museum's collection includes royal finery, local arts and crafts, miniature paintings, stuffed big cats, and a large number of clocks. You may catch a glimpse of the titular Maharaja of Jodhpur, who still lives in one large wing of the palace, but in any case you won't miss the magnificent peacocks that strut around the palace's marble chattris (canopies) and lush lawns. Photography is allowed on the lawns but not in the museum.