Chowmahalla Palace simply means four palaces, divided into the northern and southern courtyards.
Takht-e-Nishan - built in the Khilwat Mubarak building was the royal seat in the Asaf Jahi Dynasty and is the heart of this palace. The chandeliers are simply awesome. This royal hall might have been used for the ceremonies, meetings and stuff. Its fully made of marble. On either side of the hallway are two stair cases and various rooms that contain pictures of the members of the royal family. Most of those pictures mentioned are digital reprints. It is one disappointing element in this whole palace - we approach a photo and we find out its a reprint. However, some are originals too ! Almost all the royal photos have been taken by Raja Deen Dayal. He was the recognised court photographer of the VI th Nizam, Mahboob Ali Khan.
Climbing the stairway gives us the birds' eye view of the court hall, the mahal. With 19 chandeliers, the view gets even spectacular. On the top floor too, we can find some painted portraits of the family members all the way across the hall. And we have the furniture and crockery gallery. Nizams had an oriental eating style. The chaukis (tables) we just maginificent. I also found some crockery (almost many of them) imported from Europe. One company I found was Sphinx Ceramique Maestricht, based in Holland and another, Almaware, which is unknown too.
And climbing down the other staircase leads us to the royal dining hall. And then an exit door. From there we can see the Khilwat Clock (so called) located at the main gate(now closed). Its been running for over two centuries.
To the distance inside, there were more palaces and one of them showcased the saris of the Nizam era. Surprisingly, Nizam sarees did away with the concept of 'Pallu'. Google it know more.
Well, we also have the garage housing five Vintage Cars
Apart from these cars, we do have number of impressive horse drawn carriages from the Victorian era although much care hasn't been exercised in preserving them.
After all this, we make our way to where we have entered, to exit the palace.
On the way, its great to climb the Charminar, to ensure we are completely tired. :)
Great for a casual visit in Hyderabad.
Takht-e-Nishan - built in the Khilwat Mubarak building was the royal seat in the Asaf Jahi Dynasty and is the heart of this palace. The chandeliers are simply awesome. This royal hall might have been used for the ceremonies, meetings and stuff. Its fully made of marble. On either side of the hallway are two stair cases and various rooms that contain pictures of the members of the royal family. Most of those pictures mentioned are digital reprints. It is one disappointing element in this whole palace - we approach a photo and we find out its a reprint. However, some are originals too ! Almost all the royal photos have been taken by Raja Deen Dayal. He was the recognised court photographer of the VI th Nizam, Mahboob Ali Khan.
Climbing the stairway gives us the birds' eye view of the court hall, the mahal. With 19 chandeliers, the view gets even spectacular. On the top floor too, we can find some painted portraits of the family members all the way across the hall. And we have the furniture and crockery gallery. Nizams had an oriental eating style. The chaukis (tables) we just maginificent. I also found some crockery (almost many of them) imported from Europe. One company I found was Sphinx Ceramique Maestricht, based in Holland and another, Almaware, which is unknown too.
And climbing down the other staircase leads us to the royal dining hall. And then an exit door. From there we can see the Khilwat Clock (so called) located at the main gate(now closed). Its been running for over two centuries.
To the distance inside, there were more palaces and one of them showcased the saris of the Nizam era. Surprisingly, Nizam sarees did away with the concept of 'Pallu'. Google it know more.
Well, we also have the garage housing five Vintage Cars
- 1938 - Ford Tourer
- 1952 - Packard
- 200 Touring sedan
- 1947 - Buick Super Convertible coupé ( my personal favourite)
- 1912- Rolls Royce Silver Ghost.
Apart from these cars, we do have number of impressive horse drawn carriages from the Victorian era although much care hasn't been exercised in preserving them.
After all this, we make our way to where we have entered, to exit the palace.
On the way, its great to climb the Charminar, to ensure we are completely tired. :)
Great for a casual visit in Hyderabad.
