“Existence is a series of footnotes to a vast, obscure, unfinished masterpiece.”
Vladimir Nabokov
Amar Mahal and more, Jammu City (Part-4), Jammu & Kashmir, India
Hindu architecture dominated the Mubarak Mandi palace complex. And you may recall (from the last blog post) some elements of English Baroque, and Islamic. Jammu offers you more styles! A replica of a French Chateau influenced by Queen Anne architecture, Amar Mahal (Palace) is now a library and a museum.
The beginnings
Raja Amar Singh, one of the four sons from the five wives of Maharaja Ranbir Singh, was the brother of Maharaja Pratap Singh and father of Maharaja Hari Singh. During Pratap Singh’s reign, he was General, Commander-in-Chief of Jammu & Kashmir State Forces and Prime Minister of J&K State.
An amateur architect with an eclectic taste, Amar Mahal personifies his modern outlook. A French architect designed it in 1862. But the construction didn’t happen until the 1890s when Raja Amar Singh commissioned it for his personal use. His early death in1905 didn’t let him enjoy the Palais Magnifique, although it remained his queen Tara Devi’s residence until 1967.
The setting
Set on the banks of Tawi with Trikuta mountains as the backdrop, Amar Mahal on the Manda hills looks like a coral ensconced in jade. The red sandstone building with matching bricks stands tall in a well-manicured garden and a small mango orchard. More like a rust-red cube with a pointy top. A statue of Maharaja Gulab Singh, in warrior pose, stands sentinel in the gardens.
Adjacent to it, is the famed Hari Niwas Palace, an art deco structure. The last king of Jammu and Kashmir, Hari Singh resided here during his 22 years (1925-1947 AD) reign. It was converted into a heritage hotel in 1990.
The Coral Cube
With one turreted tower, the palace has many small slanted roofs in slate giving it a French chateau look. It is a rectangular two-story structure, with a basement.
The first and second floors have French-style bay windows towards the front, the top-floor has one spectacular balcony. The second-floor windows have triangular gables supported by Greco-Roman style columns. This makes the facade look structurally aesthetic.
All sides of the house open out to lawns through enclosed passageways. Carved arches enhance the grace of the lower floor. These are supported by pillars decorated with floral designs and stone inlay work. Another Greco-Roman style feature is the brickwork pedestal on which the wooden framework of the arches rests.
The lower ground was instituted as a museum in 1975 by Dr. Karan Singh, a scion of the erstwhile Dogra dynasty. It is a treasure-trove of Kangra and the Pahari form of paintings and other royal memorabilia. The top two floors hold around 25000 ancient books and rare manuscripts.
The City of Temples
Recap to the first episode on Bahu Fort in the series, I had spoken about Jammu’s status as a ‘City of Temples’. Apart from the most visited Vaishno Devi Shrine in nearby Katra, Jammu boasts of Raghunath Temple, Mahamaya Temple, Baawe Waali Mata Temple, and the unique Ranbireshwar Temple.
Named after Maharaja Ranbir Singh, the 75 m tall temple depicts the Nagara style of architecture. The construction began in 1863 AD and was consecrated in 1878 AD. What stands apart at the Ranbireshwar Temple, are the many Sphatik (Crystal or Quartz) Shivalinga. These range from 15 to 38 inches.
The striking feature here is, however, the seven and a half feet Narmadeshwar Linga brought from the banks of Narmada in Omkareshwar. Galleries have more than 125,000 Banalinga (natural stone found on the beds of Narmada river) embedded on stone slabs, and large statues of Shiva and Parvati, Ganesha and Kartikeya.
And this concludes the four-part Jammu city series. Past the Silver Jubilee episode, I will be taking you along a journey of discovery next week onwards.
