Type: Monument - Palace
Province: Punjab
District: Bahawalpur
Period: Historic
Relative Chronology: 1857 - 1947 CE
Description: It is located inside the Bahawalgarh Palaces Complex, Bahawalpur Cantonment area in Tehsil Bahawalpur. Darbar Mahalwas built in 1905 by Nawab Bahawal Khan V, as his residence and originally conceived as the Bahawal Garh and later named as the Bahawalgarh Palace Complex. Apart from the residence of the Nawab, it used to hold courtly events and government offices of the princely state of Bahawalpur. It was initially named Mubarak Mahal. The palace sits in a 75 acre garden. The entire palace complex was leased to the armed forces beginning in 1966,and houses government and military offices. It is not open to the general public. It is built in a style which combines local, Arabic, and European influences. The exterior has intricate carvings, fretwork, and stucco work. Each side of the building features a large entranceway and jharokabalconies.The buildings third floor is a Mughal-stylechattriroof with each of its corners having a highly-stylized octagonal turret with Sikh-style domes. Darbar Mahal is one of the masterpieces of that era, standing tall as testimony to the sagacity and prosperity of the Abbasi rulers. Scholars believe that the architecture style of Darbar Mahal cleverly blended both local and foreign influence, particularly that of Delhi, Mughal, Sikh and even Europe. It was built out of red bricks. The building contains 4 domes that are connected to each other via short corridors. The structure is an elegant blend of red and white; with white dominating the roofline and windows, while the exterior walls are red. The architectural theme of Ancient Arab and Indian traditions is consistent throughout the building, with a spacious building adorned with more than 80 windows that have been styled in the old Islamic traditions of the 14th century. The interior of the Darbar Mahal is one that exudes elegance and class; the walls have been given a unique light golden colour that is eye-catching and gives the rooms a feeling of robustness and space. There are valuable paintings on the walls too, traditional ornaments and swords, apart from the portraits of some imminent members of the Nawab family throughout the building. The interior has been adorned with fabulous furniture, which is among the premium and finest local variety, and the carpets are equally rich and spectacular. Velvet curtains hang on the doors and have been given a lush maroon colour, which ties in well with the surrounding walls, and adds to the effect of royalty. The archways have been garnished with ceramic tiles that glitter under the light of expensive chandeliers and further increase the majestic of the Mahal. All of walls are made up of marble and the roofs are made up of mosaic. The large lamps placed in the palace have increased its majesty. There is big gallery with the main hall which was used as an art gallery but now displays some rare pictures of the former rulers of the State of Bahawalpur. The palace is made with white marble and the dome structure resembles the worship place of Sikhs, depicting the religious tolerance of the Nawab. Darbar Mahal is not open to public. One has to take special permission to see this jewel.
Latitude: 29.397222222
Longitude: 71.699722222
Ownership: Private
Legal Status: Not Protected
Title of Publication: Miscellaneous
Published In: Miscellaneous
Year of Publication: Miscellaneous
Bibliography/Reference: Miscellaneous
