Ranjit Vilas Palace (Wankaner)

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Coordinates: 22°36′34″N 70°56′11″E / 22.60944°N 70.93639°E / 22.60944; 70.93639
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The Ranjit Vilas Palace, Wankaner

Ranjit Vilas Palace is the principal palace and, until 2012, the residence of the royal family of the princely state of Wankaner in what is now the Indian state of Gujarat.[1][2]

Location[edit]

The palace is located atop a hill in the Gadhio Hills and overlooks both the town of Wankaner and the Machchhu River.[3] The palace estate covers an area of 225 acres (91 ha) and has on its grounds the erstwhile British Residency, several bungalows, a garage housing a collection of vintage cars and buggies and a stable for Kathiawari horses.[4][5]

History[edit]

Construction of the palace began in 1907 and its foundation stone was laid by the Jamsaheb of Nawanagar, Ranjitsinhji, after whom the palace is named.[6][7] Ranjitsinhji was a close friend of the Maharana of Wankaner, Amarsinhji Banesinhji, who is thought to have designed the building.[8][9][10][7][3] It served as the residence of the royal family of Wankaner until 2012. The building suffered much damage in the Gujarat earthquake of 2001.[11]

Architecture[edit]

The palace was designed by the Maharana of Wankaner and is a mix of several styles of architecture including the Venetian-Gothic, Italianate, Mughal and Rajput styles.[12] The three-storeyed building features a Venetian-Gothic façade, carved jharokha balconies which are a feature of Rajput palaces, gothic arches and Doric columns and Franco-Italian windowpanes. There is an Italianate marble fountain in the front garden.[12][13] The sandstone of which the palace is built was sourced from quarries in Wankaner State.[14] The palace also has a clock tower topped with an onion dome which suffered extensive damage in the 2001 earthquake.

Much of the decor and furnishings of the palace was imported from Europe.[15] Its interiors are richly decorated and feature Italian marble flooring, Burma teak furniture and chandeliers from Murano and Belgium.[16] The walls of the palace are adorned with what is claimed to be the largest collection of hunting trophies in India.[17][18] An area of the palace was turned into a museum and the palace garage houses a collection of vintage cars.[19][20][21][22]

Recent history[edit]

The 2013 Hindi film Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola and Grand Masti was shot at the Ranjit Vilas Palace as was the 2023 film Gaslight.[23][24][25][26] In 2018, thieves broke into the palace and made away with loot worth Rs 3.4 million including silver chairs, a marble gold-plated Victorian clock and a silver replica of the Wankaner House in Mumbai.[27][28]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Ranjit Villas Palace, India". lonelyplanet.com. Lonely Planet. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  2. ^ Rupani, Bob (2005). Driving Holidays in India. Rupani Media. p. 187. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  3. ^ a b Mahurkar, Uday (30 April 2007). "Maharana Pratapsinh Jhala: The grand old man of Indian royality celebrates his 100th birthday". India Today. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  4. ^ "Royal Oasis Wankaner". gujrattourism. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  5. ^ Ahmed, Saad (27 August 2017). "The Palatial Wonderland: On the bend of the Machhu river in Wankaner, two palaces take you to a rich royal past". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  6. ^ Ranjitsinh, M. K. (10 May 2017). A Life with Wildlife: From Princely India to the Present. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-93-5264-423-0. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  7. ^ a b Mahurkar, Uday (9 October 2000). "An old maharaja reminisces about Gandhiji and gentleman cricketers". India Today. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  8. ^ Raulet, Sylvie; Garde, Anne (1997). Maharajas' Palaces: European Style in Imperial India. P. Wilson. p. 214. ISBN 978-0-85667-482-2. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  9. ^ Gallagher, John (2006). India: A Photographic Journey. Barnes & Noble. p. 139. ISBN 978-0-7607-7335-2. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  10. ^ Lopez, Annabel; Collaco, Bevinda (2004). The Guide to the Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent. Architecture Autonomous. p. 295. ISBN 978-4-88706-141-5. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  11. ^ Ahmed, Saad (27 August 2017). "The Palatial Wonderland: On the bend of the Machhu river in Wankaner, two palaces take you to a rich royal past". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  12. ^ a b Mulchandani, Anil (22 May 2008). "Royal retreats". India Today. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  13. ^ Blasi, Abigail; Noble, Isabella; Benanav, Michael; Brown, Lindsay; Elliott, Mark; Harding, Paul; Kaminski, Anna; Mahapatra, Anirban; Mayhew, Bradley; Noble, John; Raub, Kevin; Singh, Sarina; Stewart, Iain (1 October 2017). Lonely Planet India. Lonely Planet. ISBN 978-1-78701-199-1. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  14. ^ "રાજમહેલ:એક સદીથી અમર મિત્રતાનું પ્રતીક એવા વાંકાનેરના 'રણજીત વિલાસ પેલેસ'ને હરિયાળો લિબાસ". Divya Bhaskar. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  15. ^ McGowan, A. (20 July 2009). Crafting the Nation in Colonial India. Springer. p. 125. ISBN 978-0-230-62323-1. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  16. ^ Mulchandani, Anil (22 May 2008). "Royal retreats". India Today. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  17. ^ Ahmed, Saad (27 August 2017). "The Palatial Wonderland: On the bend of the Machhu river in Wankaner, two palaces take you to a rich royal past". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  18. ^ Guides, Rough (3 October 2016). The Rough Guide to India (Travel Guide eBook). Rough Guides UK. ISBN 978-0-241-29539-7. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  19. ^ Kinch, Laura; Sawday, Alistair (2006). India. Alastair Sawday Publications. p. 121. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  20. ^ Chaturvedi, Devika (13 March 2012). "Best getaway options around Gujarat". India Today. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  21. ^ "રાજમહેલ:એક સદીથી અમર મિત્રતાનું પ્રતીક એવા વાંકાનેરના 'રણજીત વિલાસ પેલેસ'ને હરિયાળો લિબાસ". Divya Bhaskar. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  22. ^ "Incredible India: Wankaner". incredibleindia.org. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  23. ^ "'Gaslight' Was Shot In 36 Days In Gujarat, Reveals Director". Outlook India. 15 March 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  24. ^ "Vishal Bharadwaj in Wankaner to shoot his new film". The Times of India. 1 March 2012. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  25. ^ "Filming Location Matching "Ranjit Vilas Palace, Wankaner, Rajkot, Gujarat, India" (Sorted by Popularity Ascending)". IMDb. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  26. ^ "Greenlighting Gujarat". Verve Magazine. 26 February 2014. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  27. ^ "Thieves break into Ranjit Vilas Palace in Gujarat's Morbi, swipe silverware worth Rs 8 lakh". The Indian Express. 20 July 2018. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  28. ^ "પેલેસમાંથી એન્ટિક વસ્તુઓની ચોરી, વાંકાનેરના યુવરાજે જાહેર કર્યું 5 લાખનું ઇનામ". Zee News Gujarati. 22 July 2018. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.

External links[edit]

22°36′34″N 70°56′11″E / 22.60944°N 70.93639°E / 22.60944; 70.93639

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