Rajmahal, Mehsana Explained

Rajmahal
Building Type:Palace
Architectural Style:Indo-Saracenic architecture
Address:Near old bus station, Rajmahal road,
Location City:Mehsana
Location Country:India
Current Tenants:Vacant
Completion Date:1904
Closing Date:2017
Destruction Date:-->
Client:Sayajirao Gaekwad III
Owner:Gaekwad family
Material:Bricks, wood, mortar, stone
Floor Count:3
Floor Area:30322.64square feet
Architect:Frederick William Stevens
Rooms:130
Mapframe-Zoom:14
Mapframe-Marker:building

Rajmahal is a palace in Mehsana, Gujarat, India. Built in 1904 by Sayajirao Gaekwad III of Baroda State, it was used as the government office and later as the court until 2017. It has three floors and 130 rooms.

History

Gaekwads conquered Baroda and established Baroda State in 1721. They expanded their rule in north Gujarat and established Patan as its administrative headquarters. Later the headquarters was moved to Kadi and subsequently to Mehsana in 1902 when the city was connected by the Gaekwar's Baroda State Railway which was opened in 1887.

As a public relief during the famine of 1899–1900, Sayajirao Gaekwad III built the palace, Rajmahal, on Ramosana Tekri[1] in 1904 (Vikram Samvat 1956) at a cost of . It was designed by the English architect Frederick William Stevens.[2] [3] Intended for his son, Fatehsinhrao Gaekwad, who died shortly afterwards in 1908, the palace was then handed over to the municipal authorities.[4] In 1960, when Mehsana was made the district headquarters of Mehsana district, the palace was rented by the Government as the Collector's Office. Later it was used as the district court until 2017.[5] [6] [7] The palace is unused since and the Gaekwad family is under process in the court to take over its possession. There is a proposal to convert it in a heritage hotel as well as a museum.[8]

Architecture

The palace is spread over an area of 30322.64square feet. It has three floors and 130 rooms in total; the ground floor with 70 rooms, the first floor with 55 rooms and the second floor with five rooms. The palace is crowned by one large onion-shaped dome, eight small onion-shaped domes and eight small pyramidal domes.

There is a statue of Sayajirao Gaekwad III in the open square in front of the palace.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: Gujarat Marching Ahead . Government of Gujarat . Kumar . Ashwini . 4 . Gandhinagar . February 2018 . 20-23 . District Profile: Mehsana: Gujarat's cultural and political axis . 2.
  2. Web site: Aklekar. Rajendra B.. 2017-04-22. A Sentimental Visit to Mumbai to See Her Great Grandfather's Magnificent Buildings. 2020-11-06. The Wire. en. court houses at Mehsana for the Gaekwads of Baroda..
  3. 2003 . Journal of the Indian Institute of Architects. The Indian Institute of Architects . 28 . Journal of the Indian Institute of Architects. (Collection of Volume 68, Issue 1 - Volume 69, Issue 12)
  4. Book: Sergeant, Philip W.. The Ruler of Baroda: An Account of the Life and Work of the Maharaja Gaekwar. John Murray. 1928. London. 226–229.
  5. Web site: 2020-09-17. gu:હેરિટેજ ટુરિઝમ: સરકારની હેરિટેજ પૉલિસીની જાહેરાત, મહેસાણાના ઐતિહાસિક રાજમહેલને મ્યુઝિયમ બનાવવાની રજૂઆત રાજ્યકક્ષાએ પેન્ડિંગ. https://www.divyabhaskar.co.in/local/gujarat/mehsana/news/announcement-of-governments-heritage-policy-proposal-to-make-the-historic-palace-of-mehsana-a-museum-pending-at-state-level-127725530.html. 2020-11-06. Divya Bhaskar. gu.
  6. Web site: Mehsana Nagarpalika, Mehsana. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20161104173054/http://mehsananagarpalika.com/mehsana.html. 4 November 2016. 1 February 2017. Mehsana Nagarpalika. gu.
  7. Book: Gujarat State Gazetteers: Mehsana District. Directorate of Government Print., Stationery and Publications, Government of Gujarat. 1975. S. B. Rajyagor. Gujarat State Gazetteers. 5. 805. https://web.archive.org/web/20170216021852/https://books.google.com/books?id=JycbAAAAIAAJ. 2017-02-16. live.
  8. Web site: 2018-06-05. gu:સયાજીરાવ ગાયકવાડના પ્રપૌત્રે મહેસાણાના રાજમહેલની મુલાકાત લીધી. https://www.navgujaratsamay.com/the-grandson-of-sayajirao-gaekwad-visited-mehsana-s-palace/74256.html. 2020-11-06. NavGujarat Samay. gu.