Mysore Palace
Mysuru, Karnataka
The seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, rebuilt after the old wooden palace burned in 1897. On Sunday evenings, public holidays and through the Dasara festival, nearly 97,000 bulbs trace every dome and arch, and it ranks among the most visited monuments in India.
- Built
- 1897–1912
- Architect
- Henry Irwin
- Style
- Indo-Saracenic: Hindu, Mughal, Rajput and Gothic elements
- Don’t miss
- The stained-glass ceiling of the Kalyana Mantapa (marriage hall)
- Best time
- A Sunday evening for the illumination, or Dasara in autumn
City Palace
Udaipur, Rajasthan
Rising from the east bank of Lake Pichola, this is the largest palace complex in Rajasthan. Maharana Udai Singh II began it in 1559, and successive rulers of Mewar kept adding courtyards, towers and balconies for roughly four centuries.
- Built
- From 1559, expanded over about 400 years
- Built by
- Maharana Udai Singh II and later Mewar rulers
- Style
- Rajput and Mughal, in granite and marble
- Don’t miss
- Mor Chowk, the courtyard of glass-mosaic peacocks
- Best time
- Late afternoon, then a boat on the lake to see it at sunset
Umaid Bhawan Palace
Jodhpur, Rajasthan
One of the last great palaces built in India and one of the largest private residences in the world. Maharaja Umaid Singh commissioned it partly to give work to people during years of drought and famine. Today it is three things at once: a royal home, a hotel and a museum.
- Built
- 1929–1943
- Architect
- Henry Vaughan Lanchester
- Style
- Indo-Deco: Art Deco lines with Indian details
- Material
- Golden-yellow sandstone, quarried nearby
- Don’t miss
- The museum wing, with its clocks and royal collections