| Hazarduari Palace | |
|---|---|
 The palace illuminated at night | |
  Location of the palace inWest Bengal | |
| Former names | Bara Kothi |
| Alternative names | Nizamat Kila |
| Etymology | Place of 1,000 thousand doors(of which 100 are false)[seenote a] |
| General information | |
| Type | Palace |
| Architectural style | |
| Location | Kila Nizamat,Murshidabad,Murshidabad district,West Bengal,India |
| Coordinates | 24°11′11″N88°16′07″E / 24.1864°N 88.2687°E /24.1864; 88.2687 |
| Groundbreaking | 9 August 1829 |
| Completed | December 1837 |
| Cost | 16.50 Lacs gold coins |
| Client | Nawab Nazim Humayun Jah |
| Owner | Archaeological Survey of India |
| Height | 24 m (80 ft) |
| Dimensions | |
| Other dimensions |
|
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 3 |
| Grounds | 41 acres (17 ha) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Colonel Duncan MacLeod |
| Other information | |
| Parking | Available |
| Public transit access | train:Hazarduari Express; and bus |
 Ac. 1814 painting by William Prinsep of theNizamat Fort area, showing the old and small Nizamat Fort, from theBritish Library | |
 Interactive map of Hazarduari Palace | |
| Official name | Hazarduari Palace andImambara (Murshidabad) |
| Designated | 1977 |
| Reference no. | N-WB-122 |
| References | |
| [1] | |
TheHazarduari Palace, earlier known as theBara Kothi,[2] is a formerpalace and now a national monument and publiccultural museum, located in the campus ofKila Nizamat inMurshidabad, in theIndian state ofWest Bengal. It is situated near the bank of riverGanges. Based on designs by Colonel Duncan McLeod, the palace was built in the nineteenth-centuryNeoclassicalItalianate style withDoric order influences, byNawab Nazim Humayun Jah, theNawab ofBengal,Bihar andOrissa between 1824 and 1838.
Together with theNizamat Imambara, the palace is aMonument of National Importance since 1977,[1] and administered by theArchaeological Survey of India since 1985.[3][4][5]
TheKila Nizamat, also known as theNizamat Kila and theNizamat Imambara (Nizamat Fort), was the site of the oldfort of Murshidabad. It was located on the present site of the Hazarduari Palace, on the banks of theBhagirathi river.[6] The fort was demolished to make way for the palace.[7]
The palace draws its name fromhazar, which means "thousand", andduari, which means "the one with doors". Hence, the name means "the one with a thousand doors". The palace was known asBara Kothi, named as the palace that has one thousand doors, of which one hundred are false.[a] They were built so that if any thief or robber tried to steal something and escape, he would be confused between the false and real doors and by that time he would be caught by the Nawab's guards.[16]
Hazarduari Palace is a three-storied palatial building, set on a 17-hectare (41-acre) site, built in the Neoclassical Italianate style. The palace was designed by Colonel Duncan MacLeod, aScottish architect of the Bengal Corps of Engineers, between 1829 and 1837. The palace is characterised by its symmetricalfaçade and triangularpedimentportico supported by 52 Doric columns.[17] The main gates are adorned withNaubat Khana (musician galleries); and each gate is large and high enough for an elephant to pass, with itshowdah. The palace can be accessed by a flight of 37 stone steps on its northern side,[1] with a base step that is 33 metres (108 ft) wide, with a stone lion statue on either side.[7]
The former palace building is 129 metres (424 ft) long, 61 metres (200 ft) wide, and 24 metres (80 ft) high. Inside the palace, there are 114 large and lavishly decorated rooms, that include Durbar Hall, a banqueting hall, drawing rooms, sitting rooms, billiard rooms, a ballroom, library, committee room, and portrait gallery. The library has more than 3,000 manuscripts inArabic,Persian, andUrdu, almost 12,000 books in English, Arabic, and Persian. The library contains a copy of theBritish Constitution, a hand-scribedQuran that is 1.2 metres (4 ft) long, 0.91 metres (3 ft) wide, and weighs approximately 20 kilograms (44 lb), and a large range of other historical texts and maps of theMughal era.[7]
In 1977 Hazarduari Palace was declared a Monument of National Importance, initially managed by theGovernment of West Bengal. The Archaeological Survey of India has administered the site since 1985, to enhance preservation.[4][5] The former palace has been transformed into a museum which houses collections from the Nawabs including paintings, furniture, and other antiquities, including a secret mirror and largechandelier, that used to accommodate 1,001 candles, and now 96 light globes.[7]
Located adjacent to the palace, are theNizamat Imambara, theMurshidabad Clock Tower, both the old and newMadina Mosque, theChawk Masjid,Bacchawali Tope, the Shia complex,Wasif Manzil, the two Zurud Mosques and Nizamat College.[7]
A miniature of the palace,[18] made by Sagore Mistri in ivory, along with portraits of His Highness and his son, among other presents, were sent toKing William IV. He honoured theNawab with a full-size portrait of His Majesty and an autographed letter, and conferred upon him the badge and insignia of the Royal Guelphic and Hanoverian order,[14] which are still preserved in the former palace.[citation needed]
Hazarduari Palace travel guide from WikivoyageTourist attractions inMurshidabad | |
|---|---|
| Houses and palaces | |
| Kathgola | |
| Graves, mosques and tombs | |
| Cannons | |
| Temples |
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| Archaeological sites | |
| Others | |
