Princely Palaces In New Delhi

In the years after the Delhi Durbar of 1911, the princely states of India were alloted lots to establish their royal residences in the newly emerging imperial capital of India, Lutyens Delhi. The larger and more influential of them built theirs in and around India Gate. Sumanta K. Bhowmick’s Princely Palaces in New Delhi tells their story. A coffee table book filled with old photographs, letters, maps and plans, the book focuses on the seven main palaces of the states of Hyderabad, Baroda, Bikaner, Jaipur, Pa­tiala, Darbhanga and Travancore, and touches on the others scattered around the city. Called Princes’ Park before Independence, the halls and chambers of these huge palaces were the scenes of parties, weddings and statecraft in the years leading up to Independence. The book charts these meticulously, as well as the gradual transformation of some, like Jaipur House, to institutions like the National Gal­lery of Modern Art. The book is a fascinating ramble through history by a dedicated Delhi-lover.