Kusum Vilas Palace

About The Place: Spread across 40 acres, the Kusum Vilas Palace, built in the 1920s, has retained the grand architecture of that era. A large porch, arcaded facade and balanced architectural treatment of the 5-storied central wing and its elegant dome lends a certain indefinable majesty to this royal residence. The beautiful surroundings boast of multiple courtyards, an elaborate marble fountain and exquisitely sculpted statues of Italian workmanship.

The royal family of the Chhotaudepur kingdom had commissioned the palace to serve as the residence for the families of the Royal Maharawals, who were masters of Chotta Udaipur from 1762 to 1947. With the end of British rule and India’s Independence, the princely states were dissolved and the Kusum Vilas Palace in Gujarat state came under the state tourist department — where it was eventually converted into a heritage hotel. The interiors of the palace retain some of the family’s original furniture, as also the old British elevator with its ornate cage. The steps in front of the palace lead off to a reception area richly adorned with intricate filigree work on stone. The inside of the main drawing room is filled with exotic furniture from the Louis XIV-era along with several other Indian and European luxuries.

Kusum Vilas Palace is a picturesque and historically significant tourist destination in Gujarat. Within the palace complex is Prem Bhavan, which accommodates visiting travellers. History buffs will delight in its architectural style and historic nuances.

Nearby Explore the delightful Baroda Museum and the Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum. The Lakshmi Vilas Palace with its own little railway line and antiques is four times the size of Buckingham Palace and far more lavish. Other sites worth visiting are the EME temple, a modern marvel honouring other faiths besides Hinduism in its unique geodesic architecture, the well-maintained Tapovan Temple, and the unusual Kuber Bhandari Temple at the Triveni Sangam of Narmada.

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