West Bengal has a prominent place in the history of politics. Though I am not much inclined towards the political history of places, yet I admire the anecdotes and stories attached to various architectural and historical monuments. Murshidabad which is known as the last capital city of the independent Bengal before the British Rule, also holds a lot of cultural and political heritage of West Bengal.
Situated beside the river Bhagirathi, the iconinc Hazarduari Palace was designed by General Duncan McLeod and built by Mir Jafar and his family in the year 1837 . As the name is self explanatory, the architectural delight has a total number of 1000 doors among which 100 doors are fake and made as an illusion to confuse the then invaders from any attack.
My visit to Murshidabad was not a planned trip as I was there in Behrampore to attend a family function. However, I was able to take a sneak peek from the busy schedule and decided to visit the Hazarduari Palace along with my Brother in-Law. The sight of the palace while entering the adjoining lanes of the monument boundary is very enticing. It invokes an interest to explore the structure and reminds me of the European Architecture with tall pillars supporting the structure on a high pedestal.
I visited the monument in the month of June which is absolutely NOT the best time to visit. The climate remains humid and extreme hot. My visiting hours were also during the afternoon which again is not recommended. Try to visit early morning or in the evening for getting a soothing experience of visiting the campus and the monument. If seasons are to be considered then Spring and Winter seasons are the best to enjoy.
Apart from the Palace which is listed among the monuments of National Importance by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI), there are many other monumnets present inside the campus such as the Nizamat Imambara (Congregation Hall), Madina Mosque, Bacchewali Tope (Cannon) and a Clock Tower. Due to the extensive heat , I chose just to see the exterior of these monuments and not exploring the campus in detail. Instead, We decided to visit the inside of the palace which is now turned into a museum.
The entrance stairway of the palace is North Facing and you can witness the fake doors along with the original ones there itself. The entire property is maintained by the ASI and you need to buy tickets before entering inside the museum. I prefer to take the services of the tourist guide in any historical place i visit. The guides narrates the history of the place so beautifully that one can picturise the set of events in his/her mind. I also hired a guide which explained the history behind the palace and its events. However, to my disappointment, it was later told that the guides are only allowed inside the campus till the entrance of the palace and not inside it. I was expecting that I may get the anecdotes and other long lost information about the antiques situated inside the palace but the guide had to leave us at the palace entrance only.
The entry inside the palace is from a portico which is present below the staircases. The palace is segregated into 20 different galleries which houses beautiful armours, royal exhibits, antiques, artworks, woodworks, ivoryworks, ceramic items and the second largest chandelier in the world placed in the Durbar Hall (The largest being present in the Buckingham Palace). The chandelier was gifted by Queen Victoria to the then nawab. A miniature replica of the palace is also very attractive which is also placed in the Durbar Hall.
Also, there are vintage cars are at display and one section of the palace exhibits the stuffed wild animals which were hunted during the rule of the Nawabs. I personally liked the Ceramic Vases being one of the most beautiful vases I have ever seen and the ivory exhibits especially an intricately designed palanquin.
Overall, my short visit to this place was enjoyable (inspite being too hot and humid) and I explored the entire museum in 2 hours. You can easily plan a half day itinerary for this palace and museum. Photography is prohibited inside the museum which I believe is a fair decision considering the presence of the photography obsessed crowd nowadays. The palace campus is a good place for photography however, you wont get good shots of the palace as the tourist foot fall is huge during the peak hours. The Palace is closed on Friday.
Please do share your experience if you also have visited this place. Thanks for reading !
Good informatio 🤞
Good 👍