Bikaner House is the former residence of the
Maharajah
Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king".
A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, a ...
of
Bikaner State
Bikaner State was a princely state in the Rajputana from 1465 to 1947. The founder of the state, Rao Bika, was the eldest son of Rao Jodha, ruler of Jodhpur. Rao Bika chose to build his own kingdom instead of inheriting his father' ...
in
New Delhi
New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Ho ...
. It is located close to
India Gate
The India Gate (formerly known as the All India War Memorial) is a war memorial located near the Rajpath on the eastern edge of the "ceremonial axis" of New Delhi, formerly called duty path. It stands as a memorial to 84,000 soldiers of the B ...
.
History
After the
British Raj
The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent;
*
* it is also called Crown rule in India,
*
*
*
*
or Direct rule in India,
* Quote: "Mill, who was him ...
set up the
Chamber of Princes
The Chamber of Princes (''Narendra Mandal'') was an institution established in 1920 by a royal proclamation of King-Emperor George V to provide a forum in which the rulers of the princely states of India could voice their needs and aspiratio ...
, the rulers needed a residence in the capital city. A number of palaces were constructed in New Delhi, at the coveted Princes’ Park. Around the statue of King George V are the
Hyderabad House
Hyderabad House is an official residence in New Delhi, India. It is the State Guest House of the Prime Minister of India. It is used by the Government of India for banquets, and as a venue for meetings with visiting foreign dignitaries. It wa ...
,
Baroda House,
Patiala House,
Jaipur House,Darbhanga House and Bikaner.
It was designed by Charles G Blomfield.
After independence it was bought by the state government of Rajasthan. It was renovated in 2014–15 to be used as a space for arts and culture.
Architecture
It is spread over an 8-acre plot in
Lutyens' Delhi
Lutyens' Delhi is an area in New Delhi, India, named after the British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens (1869–1944), who was responsible for much of the architectural design and building during the period of the British Raj, when India was part o ...
. Among all the princely residences, Bikaner House was the least grand in design, as it was more like a bungalow than a palace.
See also
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Hyderabad House
Hyderabad House is an official residence in New Delhi, India. It is the State Guest House of the Prime Minister of India. It is used by the Government of India for banquets, and as a venue for meetings with visiting foreign dignitaries. It wa ...
*
Jaipur House
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Baroda House
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Patiala House
References
Further reading
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External links
{{commonscat-inline
Facebook page of Bikaner House
History of Bikaner
Royal residences in Delhi
Government buildings in Delhi
Government of Rajasthan