Umaid Bhawan Palace

Umaid Bhavan Palace Jodhpur - Rajasthan

About the Umaid Bhavan Palace

The Umaid Bhavan Palace was built by Maharaja Umaid Singh during the period of 1929-34 when Jodhpur was struck with famine to provide food for work to a large number of suffering people. Located at the top of the Chittar hills, the palace is built of the Chittar sandstone. This has also earned it another name, that of Chittar Palace. The palace is a classic example of the Rajput architecture with extending balconies, large courtyards, huge terraces, blooming gardens and royal rooms. However, unlike the other palaces of Udaipur, this palace is devoid of the architectural finess.

The palace, which spreads over an area of 26 acres (including the one covered by lawns and gardens), is segregated into three distinctive part. The first one of the three parts is used by the royal family of Gaj Singh, grandson of Umaid Singh, for personal use while the second part has been converted into a museum. The third and the last part of the palace, today serves as a heritage hotel.

Umaid Bhavan Palace as a Heritage Hotel

This hotel belongs to the famous Taj Group of Hotels and provides its guests a chance to take a virtual walk down the royal era. The special aspect about the hotel is that some of the old retainers of the royal household themselves look after the needs and comfort of the guests. This is a unique experience that is hard to get in any other hotel. Also, every effort has been made in order to preserve the flavour of the grand royal residence despite making changes to fulfill the needs and taste of the modern tourists.

Facilities on Offer

The hotel offers 71 air conditioned rooms including Deluxe Rooms and Suites for the purpose of accommodation. Each room is beautifully decorated with original furnitures of the palace. The Maharani Suite, the Majaraja Suite, Regal Suite and Viceragal Suites have a royal charm that bewitches the guests in strictest of sense. The interiors, from pinkish to silvery are all completely regal and remind the opulence of age gone by even while offering all modern comforts.

The Maharani Suite was originally built for Umaid Singh's Maharani, Badan Kanwar and boasts of a commodious drawing room, dining room with attached kitchenette, a huge balcony providing glimpses of palace gardens, a dressing room with a wadrobe, and finally a bath carved out of a single piece of pink Italian marble. A mural of Goddess Kali dominates the entire suite.

Whilst the Maharani Suite exudes elegance par excellence, the Maharaja Suite is more robust in nature. There are murals of leopard, tigers, horses and popular Jodhpur sport of pig sticking. The sofas are covered with leopard skin and shelves filled with original artifacts of the palace. The highlight of the suite is the mirrored bar.

The Regal and the Viceregal Suites, once meant for catering to the royal dignitaries and guests, also reflect a royal beauty and charm, though the decorative themes and colour in each of them is different.
Dining at the Umaid Bhavan Palace Hotel is a real treat. The Marwar Hall of the Umaid Bhavan Palace is a perfect place to enjoy a variety of cuisine like Indian (specially Rajasthani) and Continental dishes. The Risala is a good alternative option to enjoy a delicious meal too. The walls of Risala are adorned with royal and martial portraits that highlights the victory of Jodhpur Lancers against the Turks at Haifa in 1918. The restaurant is open only during lunch and dinner time. The open vernadah of The Pillars provides a pleasant ambience wherein guests can have the pleasure of sipping in a light drink or enjoying light snacks while viewing some spectacular glimpses of the gardens, the city, the magnificent Mehrangarh Fort and not to forget the brilliant sun set. Cocktails, spirits, wines, beers and other beverages can also be enjoyed at the Trophy Bar where guests can sit at Elephant-foot stools with tiger skin cushions. Other decoration of the bar include large wild boar tusks, binoculars and a collection of fishing gear along with hunting, fishing and pig-sticking memorabilia.

For the entertainment of the guests, Hotel Umaid Bhavan Palace offers a number of recreational options. Guests can play a game of squash, billiards, croquet, tennis or badminton or take a splash in the water of the Zodaic, the underground swimming pool of the hotel. They can also feel refreshed walking in the sun drenched lawns or by taking exotic Kerala Ayurveda massage (at the edge of Thar Desert!). Rajasthani items can be picked up from the Shopping Arcade. The Umaid Bhavan Palace Museum with its commendable collection of antiques is worth seeing. Outside the palace hotel, village safaris and camel safaris to the sand dunes can also be organized.

Specially arranged theme lunch and dinner like the Baradari theme dinners, Flaming Torch dinners, Fountain courtyard dinnner, Mehrangarh Fort dinner (Daawat E Mehrangarh ) and Sundeck lunches under Maharajas' tent are truly a once in a lifetime experience for the guests. All these are organized along with Rajasthani music and dance performances which adds colour and enthusiasm to the entire experience.

Accessibility

The Hotel is 3 km from the Jodhpur Airport, 5 km from the Jodhpur Railway Station and 3 km from the main Bust Stand.