Shiv Niwas Palace
Diadem of the Palace
The debonair Shiv Niwas Palace was first opened for the shooting of
the 007 Bond film Octopussy. This crescent shaped palace was
originally the annexe to the Shambhu Palace near the southern end of
the Pichola Lake. It was built sometime in the beginning of the
century by Maharana Fateh Singh for nearly Rs 6,00,000, a very great
sum in those days. The style and design of the building is purely
European although it has retained some of the distinctive traditional
Hindu elements seen in Udaipur. It is a beautiful combination of Hindu
tradition and European elegance. As a structure it is more harmonious
and artistic than the Shambhu Niwas. The maharana had sent two of his
court artisans, Khaja Ustadh and Master Kundan Lal, to England; the
former to learn the art of glass-mosaic design and the latter to study
the fine art of fresco painting. The former has given the interiors of
Shiv Niwas their radiant effect. In 1903 when the Prince of Wales
came to visit Udaipur he was dazzled by the brilliance of the palace
and described it as ‘the Diadem of the Palace’.
 ¤
The Luxurious Accommodation
The Shiv Niwas Palace was used for a short period by Maharana Fateh
Singh as his personal residence and during Maharana Bhopal Singh’s
stint as the king the palace was used for partying and entertainment
for the royal guests. The original palace had nine suites all around
the courtyard. The first among these is ornated with beautiful
paintings. The second, third, seventh and eighth are without any such
ornamentation. The fourth, fifth, sixth and ninth are decorated with
inlaid glass mosaics. The fifth suite once housed the celebrated
Crystal suite and is the most intricate and beautiful of the
glass-mosaic work. The palace was converted into a hotel by Bhagwat
Singh in 1982 which was later developed by his son and heir Arvind
Singh into India’s most luxurious and exclusive hotel. Later more
suites were added on the second floor overlooking the courtyard and
the marble swimming pool, and each with an open terrace facing the
lake. The decoration of the traditional suites has been candidly
preserved. The suites, with hand-cut coloured glass inlay work on
their walls, crystal chandeliers and polished teakwood doors inlaid
with ivory, have all been retained in their original state for the
privileged guests. The conference room has a breathtaking view of the
lake and since from wall to ceiling it is covered in glass, the water
of the lake is reflected at every nook and corner of the room.
¤ The Tradition of Entertaining Guest By Maharajas
Arvind Singh, the royal host personally entertains the hotel guests
from his residence at Shambhu Niwas. Entertaining guests has always
been a great tradition with the Mewaris as recounted by Louis
Rousselet, a French traveller in the 1870s who had attended a banquet
in Udaipur given by the Maharana. He records his experience thus: "The
dinner itself, which comes from the kitchens of the Residency,
naturally is quite in the European style; and the wine, which comes
from the royal cellars, is first rate. The Rana receives his guests,
but only waits till they are seated at the table … considering
that, his religion forbids him to take part in our repast, his
presence as a spectator would be a restraint upon his guests. Numerous
toasts soon remove all constraint, and Rajpoots and Europeans vie with
each other in doing honour to the wines of the West and to the Manila
and Havanah cigars." Shiv Niwas Palace maintains an aura of both
worlds a princely palace and a luxury hotel, fully epitomizing the
bygone days of oriental swank and splendour. |
