New Palace, Kolhapur, Royal palace and museum in Kolhapur, India.
The New Palace is a royal building with stone walls, an octagonal tower structure at the center, and colored glass windows, surrounded by landscaped lawns and tree groups. The museum inside extends over several floors, with galleries showing traditional paintings, royal garments, and historical writings from the Maratha rulers' era.
Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj IV commissioned the building between 1877 and 1884 after the old Mahadwar Palace suffered fire damage. British architect Charles Mant drew the plans using elements from Italian Gothic and Indo-Saracenic styles popular during the British colonial period.
The Chatrapati Shahu Maharaj Hall on the ground floor displays jewelry, weapons, and personal items of the royal family, while rooms feature teak carvings and Belgian chandeliers. The architecture brings together European arches with Indian courtyards, letting visitors walk through rooms where Maharaja ceremonies took place.
The museum sits around 3.5 kilometers from the bus station and is reachable by rickshaw or taxi, while guided tours help access several rooms on the ground floor and first floor. Visitors should bring comfortable shoes for walking through large halls and galleries with stone and wood flooring.
A room on the upper floor holds a collection of old coins and a rare library with handwritten manuscripts in Modi script once used by Maratha officials. The ceiling of the central tower displays a circular stained glass pattern that casts light onto the floor, creating a colored mosaic that shifts with the sun.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
