The City Palace Preface

Baadi Mahal:

Baadi Mahal is formally known as Shiv Prasanna Amar Vilas was built by Maharana Amar Singh II (r. 1698 - 1710 CE).The site possibly existed as a natural garden on a ridge in the 16th century.

Baadi Mahal or the Garden Palace on the fourth floor of the Palace is a marvel. It is on the top of the hill 'Rana Magri' and is the highest point of the Palace. There are no rooms below this garden. The construction is done of local marble carved pillars and veranda on both the east and west side. It was used for arranging royal banquets on Holi, Diwali, Dusshera, birthday of the royal family members, in honour of visiting dignitaries and other festive ceremonies.

The unique geographical location of this garden courtyard and planning marks it as an open space of exceptional significance. It features a beautiful central garden with flowering shrubs, trees, water basin, fountain and arched pavilions, providing a quiet, shaded spot to rest during the tour of the museum. The Baadi Mahal at the highest point with its garden, towers and terraces, presents a majestic and panoramic view of the town and Lake Pichola. Any visitor is taken by pleasant surprise to find a well-grown garden with large trees at the middle of the Palace and at such a height. The courtyard is mainly used as a relaxing space in the museum itinerary.

Baadi Mahal is effectively at 'ground level', a fact that finds reflection in the occurrence of about 10-12 matured trees in its courtyard like The Manek Chowk and The Mor Chowk. Baadi Mahal is well represented through many contemporary paintings.

Baadi Mahal was envisaged as one complete symmetrical structure and all architectural spaces belong to one period, the early 18th century Mewar Persian style propagated by Maharana Amar Singh. It is a unique architectural masterpiece not only because of its carvings and unusual architectural style but also because of its strategic location on the hilltop. It is a structure of the highest significance value in the Palace.

The Palace at present comprises of three wings around a central courtyard, though evidences of construction of a fourth wing on the south side are observed as ground markings. However, in the south east corner there are couple of rooms, named Meru Mandir, which were built by Maharana Jagat Singh I, between 1635 - 1640 CE.

Subsequently Yash Mandir was built on top of it by Maharana Jai Singh in 1680 -1698, and hence the dome of Meru Mandir was covered by this new structure. Although the palace appears to be on the upper-most floor of the surrounding complex, it is actually built upon a hillock - a 60 feet high natural rock formation. The hillock is encased on all sides by high retaining walls with one storied palace structure right on top. From the latticed windows there are magnificent views of the city to the east, and Lake Pichola with Lake Palace on the western side. It has got 104 carved marble pillars and is essentially a pleasure garden on the highest level. Each column of the colonnade surrounding the court is different in architectural style in terms of the carving pattern on shaft, base and capital. The elaborate carvings of these columns display excellent artistry and craftsmanship. The cusped brackets as well as the domes of the chatris in Baadi Mahal uniquely representative of the Mewar - Persian blend of architecture reaching its peak period.

Baadi Mahal was envisaged as one complete symmetrical structure and all architectural spaces belong to one period, the early 18th century Mewar Persian style propagated by Maharana Amar Singh II. It is a unique architectural masterpiece not only because of its carvings and unusual architectural style but also because of its strategic location on the hilltop. It is a structure of the highest significance value in the Palace.

In the middle is a small pool, surrounded by square flower beds, designed after char - bagh (four plots) Mughal styles. In the north is a colonnaded Dari Khana like a Baradari with a cistern of one single block of marble. On the Holi festival, coloured powder was thrown in the cistern for playful mirth, participated by the Maharana and the nobles. The ceiling is made up of marble tiles, which shows the indigenous artisanship of the local artisans and one marvels as to how they must have managed to fix the tiles.

It appears to be a favourite private palace space of Maharana and associated with various socio-religious activities. The central garden and vegetation changed in the 18th and 19th century as seen evident in various paintings. The central garden vegetation changed in the 18th and 19th century and restored partly in the 21st century with the addition of landscape furniture like benches. The unique geographical location of this garden courtyard with its Mughal style garden planning marks it as an open space of exceptional significance.