Navlakha Palace, also known as Rajnagar Palace, is a royal Brahmin palace in the town of
Rajnagar, near
Madhubani in
Bihar, India
Bihar (; ) is a states and union territories of India, state in eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, 2nd largest state by population in 2019, list of states and union territories of India by are ...
. The palace was built by Maharaja
Rameshwar Singh
Rameshwar Singh Thakur (16 January 1860 – 3 July 1929) was the Maharaja of Darbhanga in the Mithila region from 1898 to his death. He became Maharaja on the death of his elder brother Maharaja Sir Lakshmeshwar Singh, who died without issue. ...
of
Darbhanga
Darbhanga is the fifth-largest city and municipal corporation in the Indian state of Bihar situated centrally in Mithila region.
Darbhanga is the headquarters of the Darbhanga district and the Darbhanga division. It was the seat of the erstw ...
.
History
It was built by
Rameshwar Singh
Rameshwar Singh Thakur (16 January 1860 – 3 July 1929) was the Maharaja of Darbhanga in the Mithila region from 1898 to his death. He became Maharaja on the death of his elder brother Maharaja Sir Lakshmeshwar Singh, who died without issue. ...
, the younger brother of
Maharajah Of Darbhanga, between 1884 and 1929 to serve as the
Darbhanga Raj's administrative capital. This complex covers . It includes 11 temples to gods and goddesses and several forts and palaces. It suffered significant damage during the
1934 Bihar–Nepal earthquake and has never been rebuilt.
Architecture
Up to 22 layers of carving were used in the construction of the monument, greater than the
Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal (; ) is an Islamic ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1631 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mu ...
, which has a maximum of 15 layers. Its
Kali
Kali (; sa, काली, ), also referred to as Mahakali, Bhadrakali, and Kalika ( sa, कालिका), is a Hinduism, Hindu goddess who is considered to be the goddess of ultimate power, time, destruction and change in Shaktism. In t ...
temple is made of
ivory
Ivory is a hard, white material from the tusks (traditionally from elephants) and teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentine, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mammals is ...
and white marble that resembles the Taj Mahal. The portico has arches standing on four elephants built from cement and is allegedly one of the first cement structures in India. The oldest surviving
Mithila painting
Mithila painting is a style of painting practiced in the Mithila region of India and Nepal. Artists create these paintings using a variety of mediums, including their own fingers, or twigs, brushes, nib-pens, and matchstick. The paint is creat ...
is found in the Gasauni Ghar (the room where the family deity is kept) of the palace. Made in 1919 on the occasion of the Maharaja's daughter's wedding, there are very few written or photographic records of the palace.
Present condition
The palace is currently owned by the Raj Darbhanga
. Following the 1934 earthquake, it was never repaired. It is continually suffering from encroachment. Locals have long demanded that it be turned into a tourist site.
See also
*
Nargona Palace
Nargona Palace is situated at Darbhanga in State of Bihar, India. This Palace was the last royal Brahmin palace to be built in Raj Darbhanga.
History
The city of Darbhanga was one of the major cities to be destroyed in the 1934 Nepal–Biha ...
*
Darbhanga Fort
Darbhanga Fort is also called ''Ram Bagh Fort'', because it is situated in Rambagh Palace inside the fort. Rambagh campus is surrounded by walls and spreads in about 85 acres of land.
But when the construction of the fort was completed on thr ...
*
Anand Bagh Palace
Anand Bagh Palace (also known as Lakshmivilas Palace) is a palace situated in town of Darbhanga in the Indian state of Bihar. Anand Bagh Palace was constructed during the reign of Maharaja Lakshmeshwar Singh in the 1880s and was severely damag ...
*
Rohtasgarh Fort
The Rohtasgarh or Rohtas Fort is located in the Son River valley, in the small town of Rohtas in Bihar, India.
Location
Rohtasgarh is situated on the upper course of the river Son, 24° 57′ N, 84° 2′E. It takes around two hours from Sas ...
*
Munger Fort
The Munger Fort, located at Munger (also spelt as Monghyr during the British Raj), in the state of Bihar, India, is built on a rocky hillock on the south bank of the Ganges River. Its history is not completely dated but it is believed that it wa ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
* http://songs.surtall.com/raja_darbhanga_maithili_article.php
* https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/documentary-puts-spotlight-on-ruins-of-raj-darbhanga-s-famed-palace-in-bihar-119042100157_1.html
* https://www.livehindustan.com/bihar/madhubani/story-madhubani-rajnagar-raj-complex-could-not-be-buuilt-yet-1669881.html
* https://www.livehindustan.com/bihar/madhubani/story-rajnagar-raj-campus-can-not-improve-2445776.html
* http://www.catchnews.com/patna-news/biharpolls-rajnagar-home-to-the-oldest-surviving-madhubani-painting-1446630681.html
Palaces in Bihar
Tourist attractions in Madhubani district