INDIALINE
Complete India Travel Guide

Rambagh Palace

Rambagh Palace - Jaipur

About the Rambagh Palace

The Rambagh Palace was originally constructed in the year 1835 as a school for a young Ram Singh after his father, Sawai Jai Singh III died under mysterious circumstances. Initially, according to Rajput customs, Ram Singh, who was then just 15 months old, stayed inside in the Zenana, away from the influence of British. However, later, the experienced elders of Rajput clan felt that the young prince needed to move out of the Zenana in order to gain proper education. This laid the foundation of the Rambagh Palace. The garden in which the palace was built belonged to Kesar Badaran, the governess of Sawai Ram Singh and was also named after her. When, she died leaving behind no heir, her property was taken over by the state. Ram Singh had a soft corner for this garden and hence made it his hunting lodge, rest house and an official guesthouse. Ram Singh's son, Madho Singh added more rooms to this palace.

Later, history repeated itself, when Man Singh died in 1922 leaving behind an adopted son, Sawai Man Singh II. As before, Man Singh's guardian Sir James Roberts decided that the young prince had to be trained properly away from the Zenana. Hence, Rambagh Palace again became a school, and very much like his predecessor, Man Singh too developed a liking for this palace. His fondness for this palace led him to declare it a royal palace. He spent quiet a lot of money to renovate and ornate and give it a befitting appearance of a royal palace. The palace gardens were once rated amongst the best in the world and the palace itself became the only one of its type having a polo ground attached to it.

After independence, being the ruler of the largest city of Rajasthan, Man Singh was appointed as Rajpramukh or Head of State of the Union of Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, and Bikaner for life and Rambagh palace became his official royal residence. However, things changed dramatically in 1956 when the scrapped his post to reduce the burden on official treasury. It was this sudden development that forced Man Singh to convert his home into a heritage hotel.

Rambagh Palace as a Heritage Hotel

Today, Rambagh Palace is one of the best heritage hotels in Jaipur. The Palace Hotel, sprawling in an area of 47 acres, is a terrific palace to stay at. Guests can easily slip back into an earlier era when kings and queens, in their exquisite ensemble, majestically drifted past the richly decorated palace halls and colourful gardens. The entire ambience of the palace hotel, the look, decor and the treatment offered, is completely adorable and mesmerizing.

The management of the hotel was taken over by the Taj Group in the year 1972.

Facilities on Offer

The Rambagh Palace Hotel offers 90 rooms including Luxury Suites, Historical Suites, Royal Suites and Grand Royal Suites for the purpose of accommodation. The royal rooms like the Prince's suite, Maharaja suites and the Maharani suite were earlier meant for the personal use of the royal family. The wide use of rich fabrics and silk drapes in the rooms remind guests of the colourful art and royalty of Rajasthan. Infact the Grand Royal Suites is truly a place to enjoy unlimited luxury. It has a large lounge overlooking the Rambagh Gardens that extends on to a terrace. Additionally, the suite also offers a royal dining room and a master bedroom with a dressing area. Even the Luxury Rooms exudes a wealth of colour and texture in its interior decor. The rooms at the hotel either provide a look into the courtyard with fountains or beautiful gardens. All the rooms are not only elegantly decorated with different traditional themes but are also equipped with modern facilities. Staying in the Rambagh Palace Hotel is like reliving the royal era in a more refined and modern way. The Historical and the Royal Suites have the services of a Personal Butler for the guests who can help them in planning their trip.

Dining at the Rambagh Palace Hotel means meals and refreshment that tickles the taste buds to the maximum extent. The Suvarna Mahal, the original dining room of the palace, remains open throughout the day and serves its guests delicious breakfast, lunch and dinner. The beauty of this restaurant is extremely awe inspiring. The hall is built in the French style and has a huge crystal chandeliers hanging from its ceiling to give it a royal look. Another restaurant by the name of Neel Mahal exudes a bluish charm and provides relishing light meals, snacks and refreshments. There is also the Steam which boasts of possessing the city's only wood fired pizza oven and a unique Mediterranean -Arabesque food bar. This place comes alive in the night (from 7 in the evening till early morning) when DJ's play the happening music forcing you to shake a leg on the dance floor. Between the period of October to April, every evening is a delightful treat for your gustatory senses with the Barbeque Exotica providing tasty grilled food. The Polo Bar has a stock of quality drinks for the guests including classic and contemporary cocktails, whiskies and single malts, wines, homemade iced teas, lemonades and ginger ales. The bar itself is decorated with polo memorabilia and trophies.

The recreational facilities at the Rambagh Palace Hotel is as regal as the accommodation and dining. Exotic steam bath & massages, a round in the swimming pool and jogging track, a game of tennis and squash, high spirited folk dance performances and puppet shows, theme parties and banquets in a special venue called Panghat - all are meant to convey the regality of yesteryears to the modern guests craving for that beautiful life. A special game of Polo can be arranged on request in the palace hotel.

Accessibility

The hotel lies at a distance of 11 km from the Sanganer Airport. The Railway Station and the Sindhi Camp Bus Stand are both 4 km away.