A PALACE IN INDIA.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 4939, 20 January 1877, Page 2 (Supplement)

A PALACE IN INDIA.

“Tho f-Rowing,” says the Times of India, “is a description of Scindiah’s new palace at Gwalior in which he entertained the Prince of Wales v.h -n H.R. H. vi ited central India ; Tlie-e is no doubt that the Maliarajab’s new palace a-i-l grounds at Gwalior are tho handsomest of their kind i:i In-fin. The Prince and suite pr-m-uiue- d ibis opinion, and in al: i-robaliiliiV Gwalior will in time attract fijit-t-ers" in much the same way as Delhi, Lu.-koow, an I Agr-i Tho building has been er. cu d in I h-o bach, and his been named ,1m iii-iiir-bb-.vaii, or abode of the Illustrious. The palace alone c-over.s an area of 121,771 squire f ft exelii i-’c of the inner i-quire. uhli'li is 321 jj t. by 321 ft. The pak-c • is d-uilile-I-storii-d tliroughnii*, and in sene place • has three or four stories. Its h-g ic-t parts measure lOfiit. from the gmuu-1 Ino fir-t story is of Tuse.iii, the sec aid Italian I one, aid the third GorinMiian arc-hifeetinv. The interior of the D.irbu ball m-asures 07ft. Sin. in length, 53ft. in width, mid -lift, in height. Its roof is a obed with solid stone slabs, t-a- li measuring 21 it. i i leug h, which enabled the architect to make the ribs so prominent. T hey mu from one end of the hill to the olher, and rest at each end on double Gnri -thian columns, which form a c-ilomimle all round tiie interior of the ha 1. The rasV-#- m igu fiuenriy painted and the whole liaQ F lavishly g W-.-il. I'pw -rds of 3,000,000 gold leaves we-ie used f-r thii work. The wide have been al.-u -at bidden by gigantic mirrors, and the huge chandeliers which ban ; in the ivntre are the large-t ever imported. This stair- a-e is cut relv of g!a-s and marld , and is handsome in the extreme. In addition to tile large l-i.bv chandelier which lungs h-tween the vi ii.gi of the staircase, stituuttes and other ohjets de vertu adorn the room, which is ronftd with stone slabs, each 30ft. in length 'The room on tho opposite side is roofed in the same way. 'the two rooms which flank the Durbiir-hall are furnished superbly. One is the banquet-hall, and the other contains the costly g'-ld and jewelled throne and campy, and the portraits of her Majesty the Queen and the Prince and Princess of Wales. This room is a sort of anteroom to the l.'urharhall. Another room contains a life-sized oil painting of H. H. Scindiah, and has some very costly fittings. All the apartments are beautifully carpeted. Tho palace itself cost a little above II lakhs of rupees, but the garden walls, iron railings (all cast in Gwalior), the garden furniture, glass staircase, and chandeliers, have cost nearly 9 lakhs more. The area of the garden and palace park is above one square mile. The grounds are tastefully arranged, and the water runs here in a .stream, falls like a crashing cataract there, and springs up in a hundred places in lively fountains. The water which feeds tho garde a streams comes down iua canal for a distance of 15 miles.”