The Princely State Palaces In Delhi: What Are They Used For Now

Monuments in Delhi are remnants of India's fascinating and dynamic past. From the structures of mediaeval grandeur to the buildings of the modern past. One such series of monuments still standing across the roads of New Delhi are the former palaces of Indian Princely States, a reminder of a time when numerous states within India were ruled by monarchs.

Lutyens Delhi | BCCL

There are numerous former Palaces around Lutyens Delhi that today are owned by the government. They however represent an important aspect of pre-Independence India. These palaces were used by the rulers of princely states during their visit to Delhi.

Initially the British were not in favour of rulers of princely states acquiring property outside their respective states. According to Sumanta Kumar Bhowmick, who has written a book titled ＆Princely Palaces in New Delhi＊, ※There had been specific orders to restrict the princes buying lands outside their States. This, however, changed following the British decision to make Delhi the capital of India.

The Viceroy's House, now Rashtrapati Bhavan

Following the British decision to shift the Indian capital from Calcutta to Delhi, a new capital was built which is today＊s New Delhi. The Viceroy's House, now Rashtrapati Bhavan, Council House now the Parliament, and other buildings were placed at the core of the Capital once it was declared.

Indian royalty were encouraged by the British authorities to build palaces for their stay in the new capital. Indian princes were given large plots based on their status. The plan was to build a 'Princes' Park' area surrounding the C-Hexagon, which would eventually become India Gate.

Rashtrapati Bhavan Delhi | BCCL

In 1920 the Chamber of Princes was established as a collective forum to represent all the Princely states of India. It met once a year in the hall that today is the library of the Indian Parliament. The rulers would visit the capital at least once a year. And for this they had palaces constructed around the newly built capital. Most of these palaces were constructed around what came to be known as Princes Park.

However these palaces were very occasionally used by the rulers and were for some reason just a status of prestige. Many rulers didn＊t even have a palace in Delhi even though land was allotted for the same.

And some prominent rulers had simpler or not so grand palaces. According to Indian diplomat Amit Narang ※As the names would suggest to any reader of history, these Houses represented the ＆Provinces＊ or more accurately the ＆Princely States＊ that existed pre-independence.

In reality, these were the ＆Embassies＊ of princely states at the British imperial Capital at New Delhi ''. Regarding these Palaces, Narang in one of his tweets commented, ※Total 34 plots; location & size approx. to the status of resp States. Most Princely Houses were built between 1920 and 1940. Some were never built, some were built but never used§.

Following independence, most of these palaces were acquired by the government and are being used for different purposes

Palaces belonging to princely states of Bahawalpur, Balrampur, Baroda, Bharatpur, Bhavnagar, Bikaner, Bundi, Cochin, Darbhanga, Dholpur, Faridkot, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jamnagar, Jind, Jodhpur, Jubbal, Kanika, Kapurthala, Kashmir, Kota, Mandi, Pataudi, Patiala, Sheikhupura, Tehri-Garhwal and Travancore House 每每 28 in all were built in New Delhi. In Civil Lines, six princely houses came up, which included palaces of the states of Gwalior, Jamnagar, Kolhapur, Nabha, Sirohi and Udaipur. Old Delhi had only three: Dujana House, Loharu House and Pataudi House.

Hyderabad House | victorianweb.org

The most prominent and grand of these palaces happens to be Hyderabad House

Sir Edwin Lutyens, architect of most structures of New Delhi, designed this palace for Osman Ali Khan, the Nizam of Hyderabad. After Osman Ali Khan's death, his sons donated the palace to the Indian government.

Since then, Hyderabad House has been a Government of India property, with news conferences, banquets, and meetings being held there. Located at Ashoka Road, It is today owned by the Ministry of External Affairs and used for State functions.

Lutyens also designed Baroda House for Maharaja Gaekwad of Baroda, which is simpler in style. It now houses the Northern Railways office, which is located on the India Gate circle on Kasturba Gandhi road.

Baroda House at Delhi | Lutyens Trust

The Maharajas Bhupinder and Yadvindra Singh constructed Patiala House

It housed the World Health Organisation for a while, was the site of the meeting that led to the 1st Asian Games, and now houses the Delhi District Court, also known as patiala house court.

The Maharaja of Jaipur＊s Delhi residence was Jaipur House, located at the end of Rajpath. It was given to the state of Jaipur in exchange for land gained for the construction of Lutyens' Delhi. It now houses the National Gallery for Modern Art, which was designed by the Blomfield brothers.

Another former palace located close to India Gate is Bikaner House, the former residence of the Maharajah of Bikaner State in New Delhi.Charles G. Blomfield was in charge of the design. It was purchased by the Rajasthan state government after independence.

Dholpur House | Wikipedia

The erstwhile residence of the Rana of Dholpur in Delhi is Dholpur House

It is located On Shahjahan Road, it is next to India Gate. The Union Public Service Commission is now housed in this building. Here, candidates are interviewed for positions in the All India Services and Group A services of the Government of India.

Kashmir House is the former residence of the Maharajah of Jammu & Kashmir＊s residence, located on Rajaji Marg in Delhi. It was not as grand as other palaces in spite of J&K being one of the most prominent states in J&k.

The State of J&K was among the only five ＆21-gun status＊ states and it did not get a place on the India Gate. It is today owned by the Ministry of Defence and used today by the Indian Army for hosting distinguished guests and it also serves as the Headquarters of Army Welfare Housing Organisation (AWHO).

National School of Drama | BCCL

What today houses the National School of Drama was the Delhi residence of Nawab of Bahawalpur, state today part of Pakistan.

The locality of Mandi House gets its name from the residence of Raja of Mandi that stood there and was later demolished.

The other palaces in the same way are being operated by different departments or state governments. These palaces were once the theatre of India＊ royalty and its grandeur but today are a part of the functioning of different democratic setups.