Ramnagar Palace
Ramanagar is a beautiful small town in Jammu and Kashmir. There are many tourist spots to see in Ramnagar. Ramnagar palace is one of the most beautiful heritages of this town and is a must visit tourist spot in Jammu and Kashmir. In addition to Ramnagar palace, Ramnagar also has Ramnagar fort and many other spiritual shrines like pingla mataji and Choura mata temple.
History of Ramanagar Palace
Ramnagar was once upon a time, the Capital town of Bandralta region where Raja Bhupendra Dev was its last ruler. The Sikh forces overpowered him in the year 1821. Maharaja Gulab Singh, a eminent Dogra Ruler and Warrior, fought well to defeat Raja Bhupendra Dev. Ramnagar Palace was built during the mid 19th Century as a residential complex for Maharaj Suchet Singh, Maharaj Gulab Singh's brother. Maharj Suchet Singh was a lover of art and has made many contribution to Ramnagar by building some terrfic heritages like Ramnagar fort in addition to Ramnagar palace.Overview of Ramnagar Palace
The Ramnagar Palace consisit of Purana Mahal, Nawa Mahal and Sheesh Mahal. The palace Complex has two courtyards in the frontier of the buildings with high soaring corners. There are large halls and rooms edged on either side of a central passage behind these lofty corners. The right part from the entrance has an arcaded balcony with rooms at its rear while the Rang Mahal, Sheesh Mahal and Darbar Hall are seen in the left part of the entrance.Purana Mahal in Ramnagar Palace
The Purana mahal Palace is comparatively a bigger complex and has rooms rising upto three stories having watch towers at regular intervals and extremely high walls. The peculiarity of the walls of the room is its decoration with fine lime work and its floral and geometrical painted designs. The ceiling has extensively decorated wooden members while the corner of roofs is projected which resembles a lotus flower.Nawa Mahal in Ramnagar Palace
The Nawa mahal has an inner courtyard which is surrounded by halls having two entraces facing each other. The walls of this palace are also extremely high with buttresses supporting them. The wooden beams just below the ceiling are spruced up with floral design painting cornice. The rooms also has fireplaces used for warming during severe winter season.Sheesh Mahal in Ramnagar Palace
Sheesh mahal which lies adjacent to the Darbar hall has two forecourts with bastions at the corners. On either side of the central passage are halls and rooms with flat ceilings. There are mural paintings adorning the Darbar Hall which shows the influence of Pahari Schools. These painting are depicting scenes from the Bhagwata, The Mahabharata and Ramyana. You can also see some paintings depicting the court and battle scenes of Raja Sucheet singh.The Sheesh Mahal has some impeccable fine glass work that is organised in various lithographs, designs and patterns. It exhibits strong Rajasthan and Mughal architectural influences which is reflected in the essence of art, culture and tradition of this region. The walls of this palace is adorned with European style wall paintings which is the most striking feature of this palace. There are also Mural paintings decorated on the walls of Shish Mahal. These paintings are seen arranged in panels illustrating scenes of Raginis, Nayikas, and Krishna-Leela apart from hunting escapade and court scenes.
Just next to Sheesh Mahal is the decorative walls of Rang Mahal also known as ‘Palace of Colors’. The walls of Rang Mahal which adjoins the Shish Mahal are also embellished with mirrors and Paintings in panels.
Additional Information about Ramnagar Palace
You need to pay INR 5.00 per head as entrance fee to view this palace which is, applicable for all citizens of India and tourist from SAARC Countries which includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Myanmmar and Thailand tourist also need to pay this minimal fee, however all other Nationalities have to pay US $2.00 or INR 100.00 per head, whichever is applicable. Children up to the age of 15 years old can enjoy free entry.This palace is an extraordinary piece of beauty and you must visit this palace if you are planning a trip to Jammu and Kashmir.