Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum.

Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum.

Went to see the Museum of Rashtrapati Bhavan. Entry is from gate number 30 of Rashtrapati Bhavan Estate.

Gate Number 30 Presidents estate.

The entry gate for Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum. 

On either side of the gates, iconic lampshades designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, made in red sandstone are installed in well-maintained flower beds  in complexily laid pathways. They look pretty good.

Iconic lampshades designed by Sir Edwin Lutyenson the right side of 

gate number 30.

Rashtrapati Bhavan is the home of the President of India. The Largest democracy in the world. As a home, in its grandure, vast scale, area of its estate, its beautifully laid and maintained gardens Rashtrapati Bhavan will be the envy and put to shame royal places of erstwhile Indian Royalties. It is as good as, if not bertteand the Royal Palaces of Europian and British royalty.

Like all those Royal places of erstwhile Indian Royalties, Royal Palaces of Europian and British royalty and White House, home of thePresident Of US Of A, Rashtrapati Bhavan is also open to public. 

After properly booking visitors are taken on conducted tours of Rashtrapati Bhavan. 

Conducted tour for Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum is included in "Circuit - 2" of visiting programmes. Circuit - 2, The Museum circuit includes three buildings, namely,

1. The Clock Tower,

2. The Garages; and 

3. The Stables.

   The Clock Tower. 

This renovated heritage building was inaugurated by Shri Pranab Mukherjee President of India on 25 July 2015.

Previously, it was used as the Post Office of Rashtrapati Bhavan and also as residential quarters. 

Now the clock Tower is supposed to serve as reception for the Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum Complex (RBMC).

When we went for the visit of RBMC, Clock tower was closed. A room near the entry gate served as reception for RBMC.

Note Additional information is given in the caption of the photo in the album.

The Garages.  

 

 

This heritage building earlier housed the garages of the Presidential Estate. When it was decided to build a Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum Complex, (RBMC) it took almost two years of hard work and planning by the Museum Advisor and his staff to complete the work. The renovated "The Garages" complex of the museum was inaugurated on 25 July 2016. 

The Garage houses artefacts, documents of historical significance, Historical background and information about the construction and building of The residence for the Viceroy of India, Viceroy's House as it was then called.

The Garage has three floors, Ground Floor, Upper Basement and Lower Basement.      

An incomplete blog will complete later.

Hoshang Shah tomb, Mandav / Mandu.

Hoshang Shah tomb
I have paraphrased the information given at the Mandu Tourism, Sarmaya, British Library, Wikipedia and ASI websites and added my thoughts about the Hoshang Shah tomb at Mandu.
This has been done with the aim of not only giving historical information but also making it more interesting to read. (I hope 😊)

Hoshang Shah Ghouri(Ghori) was the Second Sultan of the Malwa Sultanate. He succeeded his father who had proclaimed independence from Feroze Shah Tughlaq, Sultan of Delhi who had sent him to Mandu as a governor.
The tomb is a magnificent square edifice topped with a huge and impressive dome built on a high square plinth.  

Hoshang Shah Tomb.

All built-in white marble. This is supposed to be the oldest and the first building built in white marble. It is considered one of the most refined examples of Afghan architecture. It is said that Mughal emperor Shah Jahan was inspired by Hoshang Shah’s tomb to build The Taj Mahal.

Photo courtesy Mandutourism.

We approached the tomb by a paved pathway bordered by a hedge of small neatly trimmed hedge plants. The path is laid on a well-maintained lawn. By this path, we reached the rear portion of the tomb. 

This side had Three arched openings, the central one slightly bigger with smaller arched openings on either side. All the three arches were snuggly fitted with intricately carved marble screens.

All the three arches were snuggly fitted with intricately carved marble screens.

We had to walk around the square-shaped high plinth on which the tomb has been built to reach the entry gate.

Photo courtesy Wikimedia commons.

There is a wide stone stairway to access the gate of the tomb. Central huge and impressive arched gateway with two arched openings gives entry to the tomb which is topped with a magnificent huge dome.
The big central Arch housing the arched gate has carvings of lotus flowers which are also repeated on the arched doorway.
Each side arched opening is fitted with a screen made of marble with beautifully carved geometric designs. Each screen has six square and two angular panels. That between a total of 16 screen panels, not a single design is repeated speaks very highly of the knowledge and mathematical knowledge of those artisans.
Under the dome, there is the main sarcophagus of Hoshang Shah which is carved in the form of a casket with receding bands and with a mihrab moulded at the top. There are other graves also below the dome, three of which are in marble.
As per our guide, Hoshang Shah was buried in Hoshangabad in MP, and his real tomb is built there. Could not find anything to support this statement on google.
After spending about an hour at this beautiful structure we bid it farewell,

The Archaeological Survey Of India has been doing a wonderful job of restoring historical monuments. Just to emphasise the point I have also included a photo of Hoshang shah’s Tomb taken in 1882 by Lala Deen Dayal. The photograph courtesy British Library online gallery is from an album containing architectural and landscape studies of various sites in Central India. The majority of the photographs were taken by Deen Dayal while on tour with Sir Lepel Griffin (1838-1908), who served as Resident at Indore and Agent to the Governor-General of Central India between 1881 and 1888
.

Hoshang Shah Tomb 1882.

Roopmati Pavilion.

 Roopmati Pavilion. 

Rani Roopmati Pavilion which is also alternately called Roopmati Palace is located on a precipice at a height of 365 meters/1200 feet. From this commanding height, it overlooks the Nimar plains for miles all around.

It can be reached by a motorable blacktop serpentine winding road with a lot of hairpin bends. As per instruction from ASI, tourists are not permitted to take cars up to the top. After parking the cars at the parking lot at the bottom of the hill one has to walk up to Rani Roopmati Place. A shortcut in a staircase of 3 to 4 feet long stones sticking out a wall is also available. Physically challenged people should not take this shortcut.

Road to Roopmati Palace. The railing and top flight of the shortcut staircase are visible at the left bottom of the photo.

Roopmati Pavillion on a hill top.

Due to its location at a commanding height original purpose of some structures must have been built as an observation post and used for that purpose for a very very long time.
It is said that Rani Roopmati was a devote worshipper of River Narmada and had her meals only after having a 'darshan' of river Narmada. 

As per the legend and intermingled history cum folklore, King Baj Bahadur built this pavilion for his lady love Rani Roopmati. She came here and from its commanding height had a darshan of the Narmada River.

Rani Roopmati Palace is built of red sandstone and has domed chambers at either end of the terrace.   

Arched dalans/ chambers and an inbuilt water storage tank give some idea about the architecture and water harvesting technique of that time.

Water harvesting - water storage tank.

A garden with a lawn has been made by the side of  Roopmati Palace. It is a nice place for a picnic. 

We did climb to the top of the Roopmati Pavilion. The panoramic view from its commanding height of 2000 feet higher than the surrounding Nemar plains is really awesome. Saw shining water from lots of water bodies made for irrigation purposes but no view, not even a glimpse of the Narmada River.