Fodor's Expert Review Umaid Bhawan Palace Museum
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, it has an art deco design that 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 a model of the palace, royal finery, collections of palace crockery and cut glass, menus, a sample of palace rooms (dining room and lounge), miniature paintings, stuffed big cats, and a large number of clocks. There's a photographic history of how the palace was designed as well as some grand old photographs of the palace, the royal family, and famous visitors. You may catch a glimpse of the titular Maharaja of Jodhpur, who still lives in one large wing, but you certainly won't miss the magnificent peacocks that... READ MORE
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, it has an art deco design that 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 a model of the palace, royal finery, collections of palace crockery and cut glass, menus, a sample of palace rooms (dining room and lounge), miniature paintings, stuffed big cats, and a large number of clocks. There's a photographic history of how the palace was designed as well as some grand old photographs of the palace, the royal family, and famous visitors. You may catch a glimpse of the titular Maharaja of Jodhpur, who still lives in one large wing, but you certainly won't miss the magnificent peacocks that strut around the palace's marble chattris (canopies) and lush lawns.
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