Monsoon Palace

Monsoon Palace
View of Sajjan Garh Palace on hill top
Monsoon Palace of Udaipur on the hill top
Monsoon Palace is located in Rajasthan
Monsoon Palace
Location within Rajasthan
Monsoon Palace is located in India
Monsoon Palace
Monsoon Palace (India)
General information
Architectural styleRajput Architecture
Town or cityUdaipur
CountryIndia
Coordinates24°35′38″N 73°38′20″E / 24.594°N 73.639°E / 24.594; 73.639
Construction started1884
CompletedNineteenth century
ClientMewar dynasty
OwnerGovernment of India
Technical details
Structural systemMarble and masonry
Design and construction
Architect(s)Maharana Sajjan Singh
Front entrance of monsoon palace
Front entrance

The Monsoon Palace, also known as the Sajjan Garh Palace, is a hilltop palatial residence in the city of Udaipur, Rajasthan in India, overlooking the Fateh Sagar Lake. It is named Sajjangarh after Maharana Sajjan Singh (1874–1884) of the Mewar dynasty, whom it was built for in 1884. The palace offers a panoramic view of the city's lakes, palaces and surrounding countryside. It was built chiefly to watch the monsoon clouds; hence, appropriately, it is popularly known as Monsoon Palace. It is said that the Maharana built it at the top of the hill to get a view of his ancestral home, Chittorgarh. Previously owned by the Mewar royal family, it is now under the control of the Forest Department of the Government of Rajasthan and has recently been opened to the public. The palace provides a beautiful view of the sunset.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]

Its builder, Maharana Sajjan Singh, originally planned to make it a five-storey astronomical centre. The plan was cancelled with Maharana Sajjan Singh's premature death. It was then turned into a monsoon palace and hunting lodge.[8]

High in the Aravalli Hills, just outside Udaipur, the palace is illuminated in the evenings, giving a golden orange glow (see image in the infobox).[9] The palace appeared in the 1983 James Bond film Octopussy as the residence of Kamal Khan (Portrayed by Louis Jourdan), an exiled Afghan prince.

  1. ^ "Sajjangarh". Rajasthan Tourism. Archived from the original on 29 October 2009. Retrieved 13 November 2009.
  2. ^ "Udaipur". Rajasthan Tourism. Archived from the original on 14 November 2009. Retrieved 13 November 2009.
  3. ^ "Monsoon Palace (Sajjan Garh)". Archived from the original on 15 May 2009. Retrieved 13 November 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. ^ Bindloss, Joe; Sarina Singh (2007). India. Lonely Planet. p. 221. ISBN 9781741043082. Monsoon Palace. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  5. ^ Stott, David (2007). Footprint Rajasthan. Footprint Travel Guides. p. 194. ISBN 9781906098070. Archived from the original on 19 December 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2009. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  6. ^ "Sajjangarh". Eteranl Mewar. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 14 November 2009.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Singh was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Monsoon Palace AKA Sajjangarh Fort, Udaipur - Rajasthan Tourism". tourism.rajasthan.gov.in. Archived from the original on 16 November 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  9. ^ "Sajjan Garh". Archived from the original on 6 October 2009. Retrieved 14 November 2009.