Once you enter the Royal Durbar Hall inside the Jai Vilas Palace Museum in Gwalior one can see Red Belgian chandelier at the entrance which weighs 1000 kgs and has 100 bulbs. There is also two huge Belgian chandeliers each of which is 3500 kgs 250 bulbs. These were purchased in Paris and assembled here. It is said that ten elephants stood on the roof of the Durbar Hall to check if the ceiling could take the load. You see one the two chandeliers. The ceiling and walls are very well designed with some intricate work with its Ceilings made out of 560kgs of melted gold. Also displayed are Persian carpets, cutglass and crystal ornaments, Chinese, Japanese and European art and bric-a-brac, Malabar and Madurai woodwork, a mechanical silver train which was used as drinks trolley and the gold painted Durbar Hall.

The Jai Vilas Mahal or The Jai Vilas Palace is one of India's most grandiose nineteenth-century palaces was built in 1875 by H. H. Maharaja Jayaji Rao Scindia (Shinde), the Maharaja of Gwalior and to this day remains the residence of the former royal Maratha family -- The Scindias (Shindes). Apart from being the residential palace of the royal family of Scindia, a part of the palace has been converted to a museum for the public. One can catch a glimpse of the royal living in the museum. In 1875, Maharaja Jayaji Rao Scindia dispatched his friend Colonel Michael Filose on a grand tour of Europe to seek inspiration. Filose returned with a vast shipment of furniture, fabric, paintings, tapestries and cut glass, together with the blueprints for a building that borrowed heavily from Buckingham Palace, Versailles, and Greek ruins and Italian-Baroque stately homes. The result is a blend of Doric, Tuscan and Corinthian architecture

One can witness the eye catching treasures in the museum which includes a silver toy train used by His Highness Jayaji Rao Scindia to dispense brandy and cigars after dinner, a glass cradle from Italy used for the baby Krishna on each Janmashtami, silver dinner services and swords that were once worn by Emperors Aurangzeb and Shah Jahan. The museum offers an unparalleled glimpse into the rich culture and lifestyle of princely India and royalty of the powerful Maratha Dynasty. Jai Vilas Palace is open on six days of week from 10.00 AM to 5.00 PM. It is closed on Wednesday. It is open on Diwali Festival day but closed on Bhai Dooj i.e. two days after Diwali. For Indians the cost of ticket is Rs 60 and a child is charged full.

Source: Wikipedia

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