Jai Vilas Palace, Gwalior – Timings, Entry Fee, History

Jai Vilas Palace Gwalior

Vital Information for Visitors

Address:

Jai Vilas Palace, Lashkar, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh

Open & Close:

Open on all days except Wednesday
10:00 AM to 05:00 PM

Entry Fees:

Indian - INR 100 pp
Foreigner – INR 600 pp

Duration:

2- 3 Hours

Significance :

World’s largest chandelier and carpet in the Durbar Hall

Jai Vilas Palace or Jai Vilas Mahal, unmatched in scale and splendour, was built by the king of Gwalior Jayajirao Scindia in 1874. It is one of the prime tourist attractions in Gwalior. The Maharaja of Gwalior was fascinated with the beauty of the Palace of Varsailles. The strong colonial British & European influence can easily be noticed in the architectural style of the palace. Its grandeur derives inspiration from Italian architectural tenets. Sir Michael Filose (Sardar Mokel Sahib), an esteemed architect, designed the magnificent Jai Vilas Palace. The palace is a three storey building. Every storey / floor is inspired by different European styles like the first floor is designed in Tuscan style, the second floor in Italian-Doric style and the third floor in Corinthian style. The prisoners in Gwalior Fort were put to work on the construction of the Jai Vilas Palace. It took the workers twelve years to weave the plush carpet in the Durbar Hall. The carpet in the Durbar Hall is one of the largest in the world. Every room of the palace has flooring of Italian marble. Persian carpets are essential décor to embellish all the rooms. These rooms are tastefully decorated with rare accessories brought from across the globe, especially Europe and China. The palace has more than 400 rooms. A large part of Jai Vilas Palace have been converted into a museum containing textiles, carpets, cars, silver train with cut-glass wagons, glass chandeliers, rare accessories, swords etc. Dhal of Rani Laxmi Bai can also be spotted here. Within the museum are Chitrangada Art Gallery & a library containing five thousand books. This museum is termed as the "Jiwajirao Scindia Museum". The museum was opened for the general public in 1964 AD. Jai Vilas Palace Museum attracts the tourist by its collections of ancient coins, swords and several other items of historical relevance. A part of the palace is still residence of the descendents of the royal family.

Though every pavilion, corridor and room is worth exploring but the Durbar Hall of the Jai Vilas Palace must be visited. The Durbar Hall for formal audience measures 15 meters by 85 meters with the roof over 12 meters high. The ceiling is painted in pale green and gold and the floor is covered with perhaps the largest one piece carpet woven in situ by the carpet makers in the world. This is the room about which Lady Dufferin, the then Vicereine exclaimed in 1 884, “The magnificent room in which we lost ourselves last night”. The two crystal chandeliers are reputed to be the largest in the world with the possible exception of the one on display in the Tsar’s winter palace outside Moscow. When the huge chandeliers were about to be installed, doubts were expressed whether the ceiling would bear the combined weight of about six tons. The European Sardar Mokel Sahib in charge of the construction and decoration of this palace was left with no option, but to carry out a practical demonstration. A wooden ramp was constructed from the ground level to the roof- top and a dozen elephants were prodded up and made to stomp on the roof top. If the roof could sustain this ordeal it could easily support the weight of the chandeliers! The larger of the chandeliers holds 248 lamps and when all the lamps in the hall are lit the effect is dramatic. As one writer has observed, it can be compared to “stepping into a petrified waterfall”.

Jai Vilas in Gwalior despite its opulence did not become the Maharaja Jayajirao Scindia’s favourite. It was more suited for a European prince than an oriental potentate. At present, the Scindia family resides in this palace. Though the palace is open for the tourists but, occasionally, at the time of private gathering of the royal family, the entry into the palace may be closed.