Aina Mahal

Highlights

• 'Palace of Mirrors') is an 18th-century palace that is located next to the Prag Mahal in Darbargadh, Bhuj, Kutch, Gujarat, India.
• The palace was built by Rao Lakhpatji of Kutch State around 1750.
• Lakhpatji's master craftsman Ram Singh Malam designed the palace in the local style and decorated it in the European style with glass, mirrors and tiles.
• The palace had two floors; the first floor contained the Audience Hall, the Pleasure Hall, the Hall of Mirrors and the State Apartments, and the second floor has the antechamber, Darbar (Court) Hall and Marriage Hall.
• The building has been converted into a museum which includes a "Europeanerie" collection that includes clocks, wares, mechanical toys, paintings and pictures.

Dress Code

Modest, respectful clothing is expected at this site.

History

• •The Aina Mahal was built by Rao Lakhpatji in around 1750.
• •The chief architect and designer of the palace was Ram Singh Malam, who lived in Europe for 18 years and mastered several European craft and architecture skills.
• •The construction cost 80 lakh (8 million) koris, or about ₹20 lakh (2 million); equivalent to three years of the state's revenue during that period.
• •In 1830, Englishwoman Mrs.
• •Postnas visited the palace and noted her impressions in her memoir Cutch (1839).

Architecture

• •The Aina Mahal is located near Prag Mahal.
• •It is a two-story mansion that is constructed with stones and decorated with stone carvings and wood fretwork.
• •The exterior is whitewashed.
• •It was designed in the local style and decorated in the European style.

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