Vinay Vilas (City Palace)
The Palace Complex is a must-see,
though most of the buildings have been taken over by the Government
and converted into offices.
¤ The Architectural Splendor
Situated just below the fort, the palace complex is a large and
imposing one with massive gates. Vinay Vilas Palace is a glorious
blend of Rajput and Mughal styles of architecture. Maharaja Bakhtawar
Singh built most of it in 1793, later added on by his successors. The
checkered Central Courtyard is where marble pavilions are set on lotus
bases and walls lined with canopied balconies. If one could go back in
time, one could even have seen dancing girls perform here by
moonlight. As you enter you'll come upon the splendid Durbar Hall,
with its walls and ceilings richly decorated with ornate arabesques.
In a little chamber beyond is an exquisite frieze of miniature
paintings running along the wall and sealed under glass. Visitors need
special permission form the Maharaja of Alwar (at Alwar House, New
Delhi) to see this section. The evocative zenana (women's apartments)
was the setting for the 'Antony and Cleopatra' scene in the famous
Merchant-Ivory film, Shakespeare Wallah. Its cupolaed pavilions and
trellised balconies formed a good background for the actors.
¤ The Picturesque Garden
Adjoining the palace is a beautiful garden, Purjan Vihar (Company
Garden). The lush cool shades make it hard to believe that it is so
close to the Great Indian Desert. Laid by Maharaja Shiv Dan Singh in
1868, the garden was once watered by a channel from the Siliserh Sagar
10km away (see Siliserh). However, the duct is no longer functional.
The Company Garden even has a pretty nook called Shimla which was a
later addition by Maharaja Mangal Singh in 1885. We don't know why it
was called Shimla; it may have had something to do with the British.
After all, it was too the hill station Shimla where they all rushed to
when the heat of the plains got too much.
¤ Museum
The upper storey of Vinay Vilas Palace houses a Museum which is
divided into three sections, each housed in a big hall. This is where
quite a few of Alwar's legendary treasures are displayed. This
includes one of the finest collections of Mughal and Rajput painting
dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries, objects made from jade,
ivory and silver. Some of these testify to the wealth of the kings of
Alwar, like a pair of ivory slippers and a silver dining table with
legs shaped like a lion’s feet. There’s also beautiful brass
and pottery works from Jaipur, Multan (now near the
Pakistan-Afghanistan border), Bengal and Ceylon (Sri Lanka). In the
armoury section are kept the swords of Sultan Mohammad Ghori (the late
12th century ruler of Delhi) and of the Mughal emperors Akbar and
Aurangzeb. There is also a fine collection of Rajput weapons like
various kinds of shields, swords, pistols, rifles and daggers.
Among the musical instruments kept in the museum is a sitar (large
string instrument) in the shape of a peacock. The stone exhibits
include a 11th century sculpture of Vishnu (the Preserver of the
Creator-Preserver-Destroyer Trinity).
¤ The Ancient Manuscripts in Museum
There are also some ancient manuscripts in Persian, Arabic, Urdu and
Sanskrit. Don't miss the illustrated copy of the Mahabharata painted
by the artists of the Alwar School. It is a 200-feet long scroll made
from a single length of paper. But the most valued piece is perhaps
the copy of the Gulistan (or Garden of Roses, originally written by
Sheikh Saadi), a masterpiece of calligraphy. Originally written in
1258AD by Sheikh Muslihuddin-Sadi, this copy was commissioned by Vinay
Singh in 1858, and the scribes spent 12 long years over it!
Visiting Hours : 1000-1700,
except Fridays and gazetted holidays
Entry Fee : Rs 3, free on Mondays |
