Jagatjit Palace in Kapurthala

An architectural brilliance and the result of great labor, the Jagatjit Palace stands proud and tall in Kapurthala as a great reminder of the architectural brilliance of the past years of glory and grandeur. Spread within a sprawling area of around 200 acres, the palace is modeled on the Palace of Versailles and the Fontainebleau. A lot of the architecture and style have been borrowed from these and thus the palace has an international feel and touch to it.

Origin of Jagatjit Palace in Kapurthala

The palace was built by Maharaja Jagatjit Singh for personal use. It served as a residential building for the Maharaja and when the Maharaja married the beautiful Anita Delgado, she too lived in this magnificent palace. The construction of this sprawling palace began in 1900 and the palace was completed in 1908. The total area of the palace is approximately 0.81 Sq Km and there is a lot of greenery around the grand palace. There were two main people who worked on the architecture of the palace. One was the Frenchman M Marcel who designed the amazing architecture of the palace, and the other one was the Indian Allah Ditta who ably assisted the French architect.

Details of Jagatjit Palace in Kapurthala

The beautiful palace took almost eight years to complete and is worth all the time that was taken to construct the palace. There are a lot of drawing features in the palace such as the Durbar Hall and various artifact collections.

The various figurines and marbles that have been used were all imported from countries like France and Italy. The marbles used in the fireplace were brought from Italy and the beautiful Lapiz lazuli pillars also belong to Italy. The building also borrows a great deal from the splendid French building, the Louvre. The Louvre’s impressions can be found in the palace’s Mansard roof that has oeil-de-boeuf windows and double slopes. The furniture of the palace which is a visual delight, were also imported from France and till date exhibit a sense of grandeur. The ceilings of the palace have been beautifully painted by French artists and the Plaster of Paris figurines is are another attractive feature of the palace.

Artifacts in Jagatjit Palace in Kapurthala

Another feature of Jagatjit Palace is the wide range of artifacts that one can find here. One of them is a mechanical clock that dates back to the 19th century. The clock measures the varying temperatures throughout the day and can showcase times of 12 Asian and European countries. It can also tell the different planetary positions. Adding on to the collection of artifacts is the pneumatic orchestra that has an automated tune player.

Visiting Jagatjit Palace

The Jagatjit Palace is a beautiful structure that is a real delight. However, since the building is now under the Defence Ministry and has been turned into a Sainik School the entry to the palace is not permitted for local public. But one can catch a glimpse of the building from the outside and is still worth a visit.

Accessibility to Jagatjit Palace in Kapurthala

The Jagatjit Palace is pretty close to Kapurthala Railway Station. It is just 1 km from the railway station and can be easily reached from there. One can also walk down to the palace from the railway station.

The Jagatjit Palace is a fine example of Indian Architecture and beautiful French Architecture. He marriage of both the styles of architecture has resulted in the coming up of this eye catching palace in Kapurthala. A must see place even it though it is only from the outside that one can see it.