Laxmi Niwas Palace

August 9, 2021

So how does it feel like living in a real Palace? I was intrigued by this question, and it became even more pertinent after a chance visit to the Laxmi Nivas Palace dinner on a cold winter night.

So once my stay at Narendra Bhawan got over, I decided to extend my stay in city and moved to this heritage hotel, which was once the home to the King of Bikaner. The last few days in the city had been magical for me, I could feel Bikaner become my muse while I painted her naked beauty through the canvas of my pictures (read: Rampuria havelis of Bikaner). The transition was smooth, as I was already in love with the place and spending the last few days in a palace seemed like a fitting end this is desert sojourn.

The fact that King George V and Queen Mary of Great Britain had been here, among a host of many other kings and queens, made this stay even more interesting. This is what their reporter had to say about the their stay here.

“The Laxmi Niwas Palace is the most perfect modern building in the Indo-Saracenic style in India – an entirely graceful pile of carved red sandstone, nobly proportioned and harmonising entirely with its environment. Their Royal Highnesses have not been more splendidly housed since they landed in Bombay”.

I had a ground floor room, which opened on one side to the central courtyard and on the other side to the front lawn. I could enter and exit the hotel without even going through the lobby – made me feel like a celebrity with quite a bit of privacy.

What I loved at Laxmi Niwas Palace

The room was surprisingly simple for a place, but it had its own charm. The ceiling was hand painted with local motifs, and they had remained unchanged from the time the palace was inaugurated in the early 20th century during the reign of Maharaja Ganga Singhji. The bathroom was huge, almost as big as the bedroom, and looked straight out of a European mansion.

The most interesting part of the palace is the central courtyard, which is also the hub of all activities. You ca eat all your meals here, sit in the winter sun and warm yourself up, and in the evening enjoy the cultural dance performances, which take place everyday. All the restaurants, bar, as well as the billiards room are around the courtyard.

Sunset on terrace

On the left edge of the courtyard is another relic from the past – a lift from a bygone era, which still runs and takes you up on the second floor. There are mirrors as well as seats, just like the royal old days – absolutely charming.

hlnp_user August 9, 2021

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