5/5 RAM P. 3 years ago on Google
probably
only
dogra
heritage
still
in
good
shape.
The
Amar
Mahal
Palace
is
a
palace
in
Jammu,
in
the
Indian
state
of
Jammu
and
Kashmir,
India,
which
has
now
been
converted
into
a
Museum.
It
was
built
in
the
nineteenth
century
for
Raja
Amar
Singh,
a
Dogra
king
by
a
French
architect
on
the
lines
of
a
French
Chateau.
The
palace
was
donated
to
the
Hari-Tara
charitable
trust
by
Dr.
Karan
Singh
for
use
as
a
museum.[1]
It
has
many
exhibits
including
a
golden
throne
weighing
120
kg,
Pahari
miniature
and
Kangra
miniature
paintings,
a
library
of
25,000
antique
books
and
many
rare
art
collections.[1][2][3]
The
palace
was
the
last
official
residence
of
the
Dogra
dynasty,
and
a
large
collection
of
portraits
of
the
royal
family
are
also
on
display
in
the
Museum.
Amar
Mahal
is
situated
on
the
right
bank
of
the
Tawi
River,
on
a
bend
of
the
river,
in
Jammu.
Jammu,
once
a
princely
city,
is
also
famous
for
forts,
palaces
and
temples.
The
Sivalik
Hills
or
ranges
to
the
north
of
the
Mahal,
on
the
left
bank
of
the
river,
provide
a
grand
view,
with
the
Tawi
River
flowing
in
between,
draining
the
valley.
It
is
well
located
adjoining
the
heritage
hotel
known
as
the
Hari
Niwas
Palace
Hotel,
in
the
heart
of
the
city,
on
the
road
to
Kashmir.
The
Amar
Mahal
Palace
was
planned
by
a
French
architect,
in
1862.
However,
it
was
not
built
until
the
1890s.
Maharani
Tara
Devi,
wife
of
the
late
Maharaja
Hari
Singh
(son
of
Raja
Amar
Singh)
lived
in
this
palace
till
her
death
in
1967.
Subsequently,
her
son
Karan
Singh
and
his
wife
Yasho
Rajya
Lakshmi
converted
the
palace
into
a
museum
to
house
rare
books
and
works
of
art,
with
the
objective
of
"Encouraging
artistic
talent,
to
establish
fine
arts
centre
and
to
collaborate
with
other
like
minded
institutions
for
promotion
of
Indian
arts".
For
this
purpose,
they
transferred
the
palace
property
to
a
trust
named
as
the
"Hari-Tara
Charitable
Trust".
Karan
Singh
voluntarily
surrendered
the
Privy
Purse
paid
to
him
by
the
Government
of
India
as
a
former
ruler
of
Jammu,
one
of
the
Princely
state
of
India,
and
used
the
funds
to
set
up
this
museum
named
in
memory
of
his
parents.
The
museum
was
inaugurated
by
the
Indira
Gandhi,
Prime
Minister
of
India,
on
13
April
1975.
To
promote
the
stated
objectives,
the
Trust
arranges
guided
tours,
book
readings,
lectures,
film
shows
and
hobby
classes
and
other
visitor
friendly
activities
in
the
Museum.
Scholarly
exchanges,
workshops
and
exhibitions
are
also
regular
features
held
by
the
Trust.[5][6]
The
Dogra-Pahari
paintings
displayed
in
the
museum
were
creation
of
the
second
half
of
the
18th
century
in
Jammu
and
Himachal
Pradesh
of
the
Kangra
school
of
art.
To
quote
the
words
of
Karan
Singh:
"The
whole
effect
is
to
transport
one
into
a
fascinating
miniature
world
with
its
own
aura
and
ethos."
The
palace
built
in
red
sandstone
with
red
bricks
is
in
a
picturesque
environment
on
a
hillock
overlooking
the
Tawi
river
valley.
Built
in
the
European
castle
style,
the
palace
has
sloping
roofs
with
turrets
and
tall
towers.[1]
When
built
during
the
reign
of
Raja
Amar
Singh,
it
was
the
tallest
building
in
Jammu.[8]
The
imposing
building
has
long
passages
on
three
sides,
which
are
covered
by
sloping
corrugated
tin
roofs.
The
passages
are
supported
on
columns
with
wooden
framework.
The
first
floor
of
the
palace
building
has
French
windows
with
connected
balcony.
The
top
floor
has
a
bay
window.
The
windows
also
depict
triangular
projections
in
classical
Greek
architectural
style,
which
are
fitted
over
ornate
false
columns.
Only
four
rooms
of
the
palace
are
open
depicting
Pahari
paintings
of
Mahabharata
epic
scenes
and
royal
memorabilia.
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