City Palace Museum

A grand and elaborate edifice located in Jaipur that displays numerous historical and heritage artifacts, the City Palace Museum is an amalgamation of several museums located inside the magnificent City Palace that stands tall and mighty at the heart of the city and still oozes the royal vibes.

About the Museum

The beautiful city of Jaipur is one city that reflects the royal heritage of the state of Rajasthan and takes you back to the glorious era of the Rajput. Scattered with magnificent architectural edifices and historical places, the city experiences a mass of visitors throughout the year. One such place of absolute delight in Jaipur is the City Palace which exhumes the regal façade and royal days of the city. Built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh in 1727 who is also considered the founder of Jaipur, the City Palace is a heritage building that preserves the rich history of the city and makes the visitors transfixed by its magnificent beauty and the artifacts housed inside it.

The City Palace used to be the residence of the royal family of Jaipur but not has been separated into two parts where one part comprises the museum and a few courtyards and the other part is where the royal family still resides. Though the structure was initiated by Maharaja Jai Singh II, many new courtyards and buildings were added to the premises over decades and thus they bear distinct time stamps. Reflecting the Mughal-European-Rajput architectural style of façade, the grand edifice is made of red and pink sandstone and is enveloped by several smaller arched palaces which have now been converted into museums. Upon entering the palace, the visitors are greeted with valuable relics like huge sculptures and fire machines that are placed at different corners of the Palace walls.

The entire complex contains several sections of the royal residences like the Mubarak Mahal, Pritam Niwas Chowk, Chandra Mahal, Diwan-I-Khas, Diwan-I-Aam, Baaghi Khana, Maharani Palace and more. The Mubarak Mahal was constructed in the 19th century as a Reception Centre and now has been turned into a Textile Museum that exhibits ornaments and clothes worn by the royal families. The Chandra Mahal is now an Art Museum that houses old photographs, paintings, and mirrorwork. The inner courtyard that is the Pritam Niwas Chowk is renowned for its four grand gates namely the Lotus (Summer) gate, Green (Spring) Gate, Rose (Winter) Gate, and Mor (Peacock) Gate. The Diwan-I-Aam houses two priceless artifacts that stand 1.6 meters tall as the Silver Urns and weigh 340kg earning themselves the status of the world’s largest silver vessel in the Guinness Book of World Records. Other breathtaking attractions of the Palace are the Diwan-I-Khas situated in the courtyard of Mubarak Mahal, the Maharani Palace that treasures a distinct scissor-action dagger, and other ancient arms and weapons in the Arms Museum, and Baghi Khana which displays old carriages and chariots along with a stunning collection of vintage cars.

While exploring the massive City Palace, it is undoubted that you are going to get hungry and to make things easier, the Palace houses an in-house restaurant known as ‘’Baradari’’ that serves scrumptious delicacies to its visitors. There is also a souvenir shop known as ‘Palace Atelier’ which is an ideal place to buy heritage crafts and items. By all means, the City Palace is one such attraction that must be visited at least once in a lifetime to virtually travel back to the regal days of kings and queens.