Umaid Bhawan Palace, Royal palace in Jodhpur, India
Umaid Bhawan Palace is a yellow sandstone structure with more than 300 rooms, domes, and colonnades in central Jodhpur. The sprawling gardens surround the main building with fountains, lawns, and shade trees.
Construction began in 1929 on the orders of Maharaja Umaid Singh during a severe drought to provide work for thousands of people. The work continued until 1943, employing stonemasons, bricklayers, and craftsmen from across the region.
The palace is named after Maharaja Umaid Singh, who ordered its construction to give work to farmers hit by three years of drought in the 1920s. The throne room frescoes in the east wing were painted by J.S. Norblin, a Polish refugee, and the interior follows an Art Deco scheme.
The palace is split into three parts: the royal family's residence, the Taj Palace Hotel and a museum on 20th-century Jodhpur royal history. The museum opens from 9 am to 5 pm. The palace stands on Chittar hill, about 6.5 km from Mehrangarh Fort and 4.5 km from the airport and railway station.
The sandstone was dressed at the site into large blocks with interlocking joints, so the walls could be laid without any mortar. A railway line was built to the distant quarry to carry the stone, and donkeys hauled soil up Chittar hill.
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