Jahaz Mahal

The lake that sprang up at Hauz-i-Shamsi was such a nice place that a palace was built there:  Jahaz Mahal, which means "boat palace".

Maybe the royal folks took their boats out on the lake, but it was for sure a nice getaway on a hot Delhi day.

These days it's not a lot more than an old brick building beside a weedy pond.
The garden beside it is a favorite of cricket players.
The guards in the palace--protecting it from vandals, I guess--spend their time yelling at the boys who climb into the moat to retrieve their cricket balls.

There are a few hints as to what might have been palace grandeur 600 years ago--blue tiled chatris, carved red sandstone pillars, echoing arches.

I wanted to go up to the second story and see the view over the lake and neighborhood.
"It's locked, do you have the key?" I asked one of the hovering guards.
"Yes, it's locked.  Yes, I have the key," he replied.
"You have the key?" I asked again.
"Yes," he reached into his pocket to prove it, happy to show me.
"Can we go up the stairs?"
"But this is not allowed," he answered.
"Oh."
We both looked sad at this news.

Again, I have to go back when there are no cricket players around try again.
There are so many places that are not closed off to visitors that it's surprising when a door is actually closed and locked.  And often it's a door I want to open.

Ah irony.
Maybe like this fake arched window, there's really nothing on the other side to see.
But when I'm exploring the ruins of an old palace, I like to see as much as I can for myself.

The Palace of Mysore

The Mysore Palace will be a hundred years old next year--2012.

With the bright painted colors and the thousands of lights--it sure is an original.

It's a mix of architectural styles--Hindu, Muslim, Rajput, even Gothic.

It's most noticeable Gothic influences were the vaulted ceilings inside.
Inside.
Where they don't let you take pictures.

There are some very beautiful things inside.
Such as the peacocks in the stained glass ceiling.
The octagon shaped marriage pavilion.
And the brightly colored columns in the public durbar hall.

But you know what the palace authorities have done that--sort of--makes up for not being able to take pictures?
They've put together a pretty spectacular virtual tour that really does show you what it's like to walk through the palace. You can even change the camera angle to look up at the ceilings, just as I like to do in real life.

The palace was built after the old one burned down. The builders did their best to make this one fire proof--and a hundred years later it's still here. That's pretty good considering all the electrical circuits running through the building.

Electricity was a new thing in 1912, so the royal family was pretty modern to move into their new palace with everything ready to be lit up.

And not just lighting up the inside for practical purposes--there are over 96000 lights on the palace. It was constructed this way as part of the original design, not an after thought.

And they are not little twinkle lights, either, but regular 15 watt bulbs.
Electricity in 1912 was a fairly new and extravagant thing. I can't imagine what it must have cost then.

Even now the electricity bill must be out-of-this world high.

But it's really pretty.