Samode Palace

Samode Palace, Samode Haveli and Samode Bagh (Garden) are heritage monuments and structures built by the noble feudatory

Vassal

A vassal or feudatory is a person who has entered into a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. The obligations often included military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain privileges, usually including the grant of land held...

with the hereditary title of 'Maha Rawal' or 'Maha Saheb’ of the Amber

Amber

Amber is fossilized tree resin , which has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Amber is used as an ingredient in perfumes, as a healing agent in folk medicine, and as jewelry. There are five classes of amber, defined on the basis of their chemical constituents...

and Jaipur

Jaipur

Jaipur , also popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Founded on 18 November 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, the city today has a population of more than 3.1 million....

principality in Rajasthan

Rajasthan

Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. All three have rich history of several hundred years and display a fusion of Mughal

Mughal architecture

Mughal architecture, an amalgam of Islamic, Persian, Turkish and Indian architecture, is the distinctive style developed by the Mughals in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries in what is now India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. It is symmetrical and decorative in style.The Mughal dynasty was...

and Rajasthan

Rajasthan

i art and architecture. They are now part of the Heritage group of hotels under the flagship name of “Samode” that are run by the hereditary owners of these structures. The Samode Palace is located 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) north of Jaipur

Jaipur

city, the Samode Haveli is close to Jaipur (centrally located within city limits, 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) away from the city railway station) and the Samode Bagh or Garden, 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) from the palace which is also run as a luxury hotel.

Many Hindi

Hindi

Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...

feature films have been pictured with the settings of the palace. The 1984

1984 in television

This article is a list of television-related events in 1984.-Events:*January 9 – Wendy's "Fluffy Bun" ad first airs, which propels Clara Peller and her "Where's the beef?" catchphrase to national prominence....

American HBO TV serial adaption of the Raj-romance novel, The Far Pavilions
The Far Pavilions
The Far Pavilions is an epic novel of British-Indian history by M. M. Kaye, first published in 1978, which tells the story of an English officer during the Great Game. The novel, rooted deeply in the romantic epics of the 19th century, has been hailed as a masterpiece of storytelling...

, was also filmed in the palace precincts and starred Ben Cross

Ben Cross

Ben Cross is a British actor of the stage and screen, best known for his portrayal of the British Olympic athlete Harold Abrahams in the 1981 movie Chariots of Fire.-Early life:...

, Amy Irving

Amy Irving

Amy Davis Irving is an American actress, known for her roles in the films Crossing Delancey, The Fury, Carrie, and Yentl as well as acclaimed roles on Broadway and Off-Broadway. She has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Golden Globes, and has won an Obie award...

, Omar Sharif

Omar Sharif

Omar Sharif is an Egyptian actor who has starred in Hollywood films including Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago and Funny Girl. He has been nominated for an Academy Award and has won two Golden Globe Awards.-Early life:...

and Christopher Lee

Christopher Lee

Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE, CStJ is an English actor and musician. Lee initially portrayed villains and became famous for his role as Count Dracula in a string of Hammer Horror films...

History

Samode is a large town in Rajasthan, which belonged to the landlords known as ‘zamindars’ (in Hindi language) of the principal thakurs

Thakur (Indian title)

Thakur is an Indian feudal title in several Indian languages, literally meaning "lord". A Thikana is the state or estate of a Thakur. A Thakurani is the wife of a Thakur...

of the state of Amber

Amber

. It shot into prominence due to the thakurs lineage traced to Maharaja Prithviraj Singhji, the 17th prince of the house of Kacchwaha Rajputs. Samode was bequeathed to Gopal Singhji one of his 12 sons, as a noble feudatory of the Amber

Amber

and Jaipur principality. Samode was, even then, considered a very rich town under the kingdom of Amber. Behari Das, a Rajput warrior who was then in Mughal service of the Nathawat

Nathawat

Nathawat is a sub clan of Kachwaha Rajputs included in Bara Kothri. Natha was a great warrior. He was the son of Gopal, who was the son of Raja Prithviraj of Amber, India. Gopal was given the jagir of Chomu and Samode. His descendants are called Nathawats...

clan inherited the Zamindari of Somede. It was under the British Raj

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

but was restored to the Nathawat clan with the hereditary title 'Rawal Saheb' or 'Maha Rawal' (title conferred for their valiance and loyalty to the royal family), in 1757, and this lineage is continued to this date.

Samode Palace was initially built in the sixteenth century as a Rajput fort, but in early 19th century, under the nobleman Rawal Berisal, it was converted from a fort into an exquisitely designed palace in Rajput and Muslim

Muslim

A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...

architectural style

Architecture

Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...

. Rawal Berisal, during this time also served as the Chief Minister of Rajasthan and exercised full powers. He was signatory, on behalf of the Maharaja of Jaipur, to the treaty signed in 1818 with the British

United Kingdom

East India Company

The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...

, which gave it the status of a protectorate

Protectorate

In history, the term protectorate has two different meanings. In its earliest inception, which has been adopted by modern international law, it is an autonomous territory that is protected diplomatically or militarily against third parties by a stronger state or entity...

to Jaipur. Rawal Sheo Singh, descendent of Rawal Berisal, who was the Prime Minister

Prime minister

A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...

of Jaipur state for several years, during the middle of the 19th century, further expanded the Palace by adding the Darbar

Darbar

Darbar may refer to:* A term for a court in Urdu from the Persian - Durbar * A surname used in the Indian Subcontinent, it originated during Mughal rule...

Hall (considered as "extravagantly florid and hand painted") with a gallery and the Sheesh Mahal

Sheesh Mahal

The Sheesh Mahal [In Urdu شيون كا محل ] is located within the Shah Burj block in northern-western corner of Lahore Fort. It was constructed under the reign of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1631-32. The ornate white marble pavilion is inlaid with pietra dura and complex mirror-work of the finest...

or the hall of mirrors. In 1987, it was converted into the heritage “Samode Palace Hotel”.

Samode haveli was also built by Rawal Sheo Singh more than 150 years ago. It was built as a resort for the royal family.

Samode Bagh or Samode garden was landscaped more than 150 years ago by one of the sons of Maharaja Prithiraj Singhji of Jaipur. It was patterned on the lines of Mughal gardens

Mughal Gardens

Mughal gardens are a group of gardens built by the Mughals in the Islamic style of architecture. This style was heavily influenced by the Persian gardens particularly the Charbagh structure. Significant use of rectilinear layouts are made within the walled enclosures...

, which the Mughals had developed in other parts of their kingdom as a retreat for relaxation and enjoyment. The royal family of Samode also established a similar garden 4 kilometres away from their Samode Palace.

Geography and climate

Geographically, the three monuments and the village of Samode and its structures are in the pristine hill range of the Aravalli Range

Aravalli Range

The Aravalli Range literally meaning 'line of peaks', is a range of mountains in western India and eastern Pakistan running approximately 800 km from northeast to southwest across states of Rajasthan, Haryana, and Gujarat and Pakistani provinces of Punjab and Sindh...

in north-western India.

The climate at Samode is severe with summer heat reaching as high as 45 °C (113 °F) and winter temperatures dropping to 4 °C (39.2 °F).

The palace, built by the noblemen of the court of the royal family, is located near the Samode village on the outskirts of Shekhawat

Shekhawat

Shekhawat is a sub-clan of Kachwaha Rajputs found mainly in Rajasthan, India. The Shekhawat clan claims descent from the great rajput warrior Maharao Shekha Ji. The Shekhawats were the most prominent among all sub clans of Kachwahas of Jaipur. Shekhawats were the rulers of Shekhawati.-History:The...

. It is built of sandstone

Sandstone

Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...

at the foot of the Aravalli range of hills (the foremost mountain range of north-western India) with a fortress like setting. The interiors of the palace are composed in the ancient architectural style of Rajasthan: marble floors, intricately ornamented pillars, mosaic walls (with tiny pieces of small inlaid stones), with luxurious carpets, and decorated with old wall paintings (hunting scenes, floral motifs and so forth). At the entrance gate of the palace is a unique piece of a large sized treasure chest made of dark wood with marble settings and gleaming glass. The Sheesh Mahal (Hall of Mirrors) is located on the southern side of the palace. The frescoes in the Durbar hall and in the Sultan Mahal are said to be 250 years old. The palace is built on three levels (planned in a sequence of courtyards of increasing height) with a patio on each floor. There is an old ruined fort above the palace from where a panoramic view of the valley could be seen. The fort area is overgrown with vegetation but stone paved paths have been built to reach the fort heights. Samode fort was the former residence of the Maharaja. It is said that an underground passage links it to the palace that provided access at times of emergency. It is now approached by a well laid out stone paved path (300 steps). There is also an entry gate to the ruined fort. Two other forts close by complete the circuit of a circular walk from and back to the palace. There is also a small temple, 3 kilometres away from the fort.

The Samode village near the palace is noted for its cloth made by block printing and also for handicrafts such as bangle making. There is a small artists' colony in the village where miniature paintings are made.

Samode haveli

The haveli is built facing north. It has an elegant painted dining room and an airy passage. It has a unique ambiance of the historic juxtaposed against a contemporary setting. An elephant ramp, specially constructed at the entrance to the haveli, was laid in 1940 on the occasion of the marriage ceremony of a member of the Royal family.

Samode bagh

Samode Bagh or garden, a 16th century Mughal style garden, enclosed by a 15 feet (4.6 m) high wall is spread over an area of 20 acres (8.1 ha). It also has 44 sandbank coloured tents with air-conditioning to accommodate visitors. It blends traditional Rajasthan and Mughal décor

Interior design

Interior design describes a group of various yet related projects that involve turning an interior space into an effective setting for the range of human activities are to take place there. An interior designer is someone who conducts such projects...

with the Victorian style

Victorian architecture

The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...

, with modern facilities. It has a 200 feet (61 m) long water channel with a row of fountains that are fed by springs and wells. The tent walls also depict elegant paintings in Mughal art. The tents have been furnished with carpets, standing lamps and well designed beds and chairs and other modern facilities. There is also a 150 year old pavilion within the precincts of the garden.

Visitor information

The palace, the haveli and the garden are at a distance of 42 kilometres (26.1 mi), 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) and 45 kilometres (28 mi) respectively from Jaipur. Jaipur in turn is well connected by rail, road and air to all the major cities in the country.
Jaipur is 260 kilometres (161.6 mi) from Delhi by road on the National Highway NH-1

Entry to the palace is not free and costs Rs 500 per person as on Feb 2011. This includes the Bagh & the Palace.The only things that you can access in Samode Palace if you have not checked in( its used as a hotel) is the sish mahal(room of mirrors) and the darbur hall. If you have visited Amber Fort then you have wittnessed a better shish mahal and darbur. You need your own transport to visit samode. The Bagh is nice but again its too a resort which provides tent houses. If you are not a guest and just a visitor, you will need a ticket of Rs.500/-(a combo for both Bagh & Palace). Before heading for Samode please inform yourself on the prevailing entry fee rate from Jaipur.

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