Gajapati Palace located at

Paralakhemundi Paralakhemundi shortly known as Parala is district Headquarter of Gajapati district and one of the oldest Municipality established in 1885, in the Indian state of Odisha. Majority of the people in the town speak Odia. The city and the Distri ...

, of

Gajapati district Gajapati district is a district of Odisha State in India. It was created from Ganjam District on 2 October, 1992. Gajapati district was named after Krushna Chandra Gajapati Narayan Deb, the King of the Paralakhemundi estate and the first Prime ...

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...

, is the fort of Gajapati rulers where they used to stay. Nowadays the property is under the protection of

Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) is a non-profit charitable organisation registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. In 2007, the United Nations awarded INTACH a special consultative status with Unit ...

(INTACH). The palace is one of the rich architectural and cultural heritage of India. This palace was built for a purpose of permanent residential abode for the Gajapati Rulers of

Paralakhemundi Estate Parlakhemundi estate was a Zamindari of Odisha in the British Raj period .Before odisha province formation it was under Madras Presidency.The state was ruled as an independent kingdom till 1769.The royal family belong to the Krishnatreya gotra ...

belonging to the

Eastern Ganga dynasty The Eastern Ganga dynasty also known as Purba Gangas, Rudhi Gangas or Prachya Gangas were a large medieval era Indian royal dynasty that reigned from Kalinga from as early as the 5th century to the mid 20th century. Eastern Gangas ruled much of ...

History

The palace was built by Maharaja

Krushna Chandra Gajapati Krushna Chandra Gajapati KCIE (26 April 1892 – 25 May 1974), also known as Captain Maharaja Sri Sri Sri Krushna Chandra Gajapati Narayana Deba KCIE, was a key personality and regarded as the architect , founding father of an Independent O ...

, the Gajapati ruler of that time. It is believed that the Paralakhemundi ruler started building the palace to enhance the beauty of the state. The concept of building the sight was finalized on 20 May 1835. As regards its historical importance, the seeds of a separate statehood for the Odia-speaking people were germinated in the Gajapati Palace precincts.

Architecture

The palace is known for its rich culture among the world heritages. British Architect, Robert Fellows Chisholm was responsible for design and construction of this royal fort. The fort is influenced by IndoSaracenic style combined with Byzantine and European architectural features. This palace is a 3-storey structure which has a secret hall and a subversive passageway that links to the chief citadel of the Maharaja. The palace includes an underground floor connecting it with the main palace of the Maharaja. It is believed that this secret passage was used by the royal family to hide during attacks from enemies. One can easily notice eye-catching works of art on the walls of the fort (Brundaban palace). A stunning wood let is also situated close to Brundaban Palace. While entering into the Singhadwar (the main gate) two reclining lions statues are seen on both sides over two raised platforms. A huge eye caching decorative iron gate stands anchored in between two round shaped tall minarets known as Gombuja (ଗମ୍ବୁଜ).A large mounted metal bell is situated at the main entrance, to be struck manually by a heavy wooden mallet for indicating accurate hourly time to the Palace and the general public of the town. The gilt decorated walls and intricate wooden trellis-worked Durbar Hall is the main attraction of the palace. It is an excellent piece of art to experience. Durbar Hall is located in the middle of the pPalace and consists of Raja Mahal and Rani Mahal (the two main wings of the palace). The construction is so symmetrical that if one stands on the centre line of the place and makes comparison of both the wings, it is found that one half appears to be exactly the mirror image of the other half. One other must visit place in the fort is the Gantaghar (strong-room). It is simultaneously used as an armoury room.

Location

Gajapati palace of paralakhemundi located in Paralakhemundi, Gajapati district. Gajapati district in Odisha is nearly 237 km from Bhubaneswar.

References

{{Gajapati district Gajapati district Palaces in Odisha