Vijaya Vilas Palace is a summer palace of

Jadeja The Jadeja (also spelled Jarejo) (Gujarati: ) is a Rajput clan that inhabits the Indian state of Gujarat. They claim to be descended from the legendary Jamshed of Iran. They also claim descent from Krishna. They originated from pastoral communit ...

Maharao of Kutch located on the beach of

Mandvi Mandvi is a Beach town with municipality in the Kutch district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It was once a major port of the region and summer retreat for Maharao (king) of the Cutch State. The old city was enclosed in the fort wall and remai ...

in Kutch,

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

, India.Vijay Vilas Palace, Mandvi

History

Built during the reign of Maharao Shri Khengarji III, the Maharao of Kutch, as a summer resort for the use of his son and heir to the kingdom, the

Yuvraj Yuv(a)raj(a) (Sanskrit: युवराज) is an Indian title for the crown prince, and the heir apparent to the throne of an Indian (notably Hindu) kingdom or (notably in the Mughal Empire or British Raj) princely state. It is usually applied t ...

Shri

Vijayaraji Maharajadhiraj Mirza Maharao Sri Sir Vijayarajaji Khengarji Sawai Bahadur, GBE (2 September 1885 – 26 February 1948) was the ruling Rao of Cutch from 1942 to his death in 1948.Mistris of Kutch Kutch Gurjar Kshatriya (also known as Mistri or Mestri) are a minority Hindu and one of the Socially and Educationally Backward communities of Gujarat in India, who claim to be Kshatriyas. They are an artisan community related with Kadia wor ...

and architects built by them mainly in Princely State of Kutch. and was completed in 1929. The palace was built with red

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

. Its

Rajput Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...

architecture draws largely on the plan of palaces of

Orchha Orchha is a town, near city of Niwari in Niwari district of Madhya Pradesh state, India. The town was established by rajput ruler Rudra Pratap Singh some time after 1501, as the seat of an eponymous former princely state of covering parts of c ...

and

Datia Datia is the district headquarter of the Datia District in north central Madhya Pradesh,a state of Central India. It is an ancient town, mentioned in the Mahabharata ruled by King Dantavakra. The city is 78 km from Gwalior, 325 ...

. It is designed with a central high dome on pillars,

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

domes on the sides, windows with colored glass, carved stone '

jali A ''jali'' or jaali (''jālī'', meaning "net") is the term for a perforated stone or latticework, latticed Window screen, screen, usually with an ornamental pattern constructed through the use of calligraphy, geometry or natural patterns. T ...

s', domed bastions at the corners, an extended porch and other stone-carved elements. The palace is set in the middle of gardens with water channels and marble fountains. The carved stone works of ''Jalis'', Jharokas,

Chhatri ''Chhatri'' are elevated, dome-shaped pavilions used as an element in Indo-Islamic architecture and Indian architecture. Originating as a canopy above tombs, they serve as decorative elements. The earliest example of chhatri being used in the ...

s, Chhajas,

mural A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...

s and other stone carvings, colored glass work on windows and door panels all have been done by the architect and craftsman from

Jaipur Jaipur (; Hindi Language, Hindi: ''Jayapura''), formerly Jeypore, is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Rajasthan. , the city had a pop ...

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...

and Saurashtra, and local Kutchi artisan community, the

Mistris of Kutch Kutch Gurjar Kshatriya (also known as Mistri or Mestri) are a minority Hindu and one of the Socially and Educationally Backward communities of Gujarat in India, who claim to be Kshatriyas. They are an artisan community related with Kadia wor ...

and Suthars. The balcony at top affords a view of the surrounding area. The windows give one the feeling of being in the open, through which sea winds pass. The campus also houses a

Vijayaraji Maharajadhiraj Mirza Maharao Sri Sir Vijayarajaji Khengarji Sawai Bahadur, GBE (2 September 1885 – 26 February 1948) was the ruling Rao of Cutch from 1942 to his death in 1948.Kutch State now reside permanently in the palace after the 2001 Gujarat earthquake in which one of the wings of another palace at

Bhuj Bhuj () is a Municipality and District Headquarters of Kutch District in the state of Gujarat, India. Etymology According to legend, Kutch was ruled by the Nāga chieftains in the past. Sagai, a queen of Sheshapattana, who was married to Kin ...

- the Ranjit Vilas - was heavily damaged. The Palace also houses a museum. File:Vijay Vilas - 2009.JPG, Front View Vijay Vilas Palace File:VIJAYA-VILAS palace.jpg, Vijaya Vilas Palace standing at sea shore of Mandavi File:VIJAYA-VILAS palace gujarat 01.jpg, A closer view of gate, one can see name plate - Vijaya Vilas - on top of entrance File:Inside VIJAYA-VILAS palace.jpg, Inside the palace File:Vijaya Vilas Palace.jpg, On the top

In popular culture

Scenes from the Bollywood movies ''

Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam ''Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam'' () is a 1999 Indian Hindi-language romantic musical film directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. It was released internationally as ''Straight From the Heart''. The film stars Aishwarya Rai, Salman Khan and Ajay Devgn. Ba ...

,'' ''

Lagaan ''Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India'' () is a 2001 Indian Hindi-language sports drama film written and directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. The film was produced by Aamir Khan, who stars alongside debutant Gracy Singh and British actors Rachel Sh ...

'', and ''

Commando Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin">40_Commando.html" ;"title="Royal Marines from 40 Commando">Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin area of Afghanistan are pictured A commando is a combatant, or operativ ...

'' as well as a number of Gujarati films, were filmed in the palace.

References

{{coord missing, Gujarat Palaces in Gujarat Royal residences in India Tourist attractions in Kutch district Rajput architecture History of Kutch Buildings and structures completed in 1929 Houses completed in 1929 Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture