Gajner Palace, Bikaner
| Gajner Palace | |
|---|---|
  Gajner Palace Location in Rajasthan, India | |
| General information | |
| Status | Adapted to a heritage hotel |
| Location | Bikaner, India |
| Coordinates | 27°56′43″N 73°03′10″E / 27.9453°N 73.0527°E |
| Client | Ganga Singh |
| Management | HRH Group of Hotels |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Samuel Swinton Jacob |
Gajner Palace in Bikaner, Rajasthan, India, served as a hunting lodge for the maharajas of Bikaner. It now operates as a heritage hotel.
History
[edit]When Gaj Singh, the Maharaja of Bikaner, was returning from Jaisalmer after his marriage with its princess, he and his entourage encamped at Chandasar.[1] His wife, who was missing her paternal home, told him that she saw Jaisalmer in Chandasar and requested him to create a pleasure garden there for her.[1] In the group she brought from her hometown, there was a gardener skilled in desert farming.[1] Gaj commissioned him to landscape a low tract called Magra.[1] He also built an artificial lake called Gaj Sagar to supply water to his wife’s garden.[1] He also built a Jal Mahal for her and established a village named Gajsinghpura after himself there.[1] Over the years, Gajsinghpura became Gajner.[1] In 1808, the troops of Jodhpur, during a siege against Bikaner, destroyed the palace.[2] The later-day palaces and canal system at Gajner were the work of Sardar Singh, Dungar Singh, and Ganga Singh.[2] When the famine of 1899 left the Gaj Sagar empty, Ganga Singh deepened the lake and widened it so that two years of water supply could be held in it.[1] Its capacity was 50 mcft (1,415,842,329.6 liters), and its catchment area was approximately 50 sq. miles (129.5 sq. km).[3]
Besides the Vallabh gardens, it was one of the two private game reserves of the Maharajas of Bikaner.[3] It was compared to being on par with British hunting estates such as Balmoral and Sandringham.[4] When important guests would visit Ganga Singh, they were taken here to shoot the great Indian bustard or the sandgrouse.[5] A record stands from the bygone days that 11,000 birds were shot in a day using as many as 40 guns.[5]
Ganga Singh commissioned Samuel Swinton Jacob, who had designed Lalgarh, to design a new palace for him.[1][6] This palace, made of pink sandstone, was built around 1910-13.[1] It was fully equipped with comforts and included a separate wing for visitors.[6] It became known as Gajner Palace.[1] Mumbai (then Bombay)-based John Roberts and Co. was commissioned to furnish it.[1] Ganga Singh's grandson, Karni Singh, who rarely shot anything but clay pigeons and was a strict vegetarian due to the influence of his mother, who was also a vegetarian and did not herself shoot, was generally opposed to the taking of life.[1][7] He opened a portion of the palace for his private guests and disapproved of hunting on Gajner grounds.[1] Now it is converted into a heritage hotel.[1] It is managed by HRH Group of Hotels.[8]
Features
[edit]Its compound stretches over 6000 acres.[9] It is situated in a thick forest.[10] It is divided into four wings: Dungar Niwas, Mandir Chowk, Gulab Niwas, and Champa Niwas.[9] Migratory birds flock in great numbers and can be viewed here.[10]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Sugich, Michael (1992). Palaces of India : a traveller's companion featuring the palace hotels. Internet Archive. London : Pavilion. pp. 64–66. ISBN 978-1-85145-520-1.
- ^ a b Goetz, Hermann (1950). Art and Architecture of Bikaner State. pp. 68–69, 75, 80, 82, 95.
- ^ a b Sehgal, K. k (1962). Rajasthan Distict Gazetteers Bikaner. pp. 12, 126.
- ^ Hughes, Julie E. (1 March 2013). Animal Kingdoms. Harvard University Press. pp. 142–144. ISBN 978-0-674-07478-1. Archived from the original on 20 January 2025. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
- ^ a b Gupta, T. N. (1994). Amber Jaipur: A Dream in the Desert. Classic Publishing House. p. 31. ISBN 978-81-7193-041-8.
- ^ a b The Sphere: An Illustrated Newspaper for the Home. 1907. pp. iv.
- ^ Hooja, Rima (1997). Prince, Patriot, Parliamentarian: Biography of Dr. Karni Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner. HarperCollins Publishers India. pp. 36, 173, 183, 230. ISBN 978-81-7223-260-3.
- ^ Desmond, Kevin (25 September 2017). Electric Boats and Ships: A History. McFarland. p. 132. ISBN 978-1-4766-2768-7.
- ^ a b "Discover the Royal Gajner Palace in Bikaner". Incredible India. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
- ^ a b RajRAS (2 March 2018). Art Architecture & Culture of Rajasthan. RajRAS. p. 72.