LALGARH PALACE

To mark the beginning of his reign and the renewal he wished to bring to his kingdom, maharaja Ganga Singh decided to build this immense red sandstone palace in 1900. He entrusted its realization to the famous British architect Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob. The Lalgarh (or Red Fort) still serves as the residence of the current ruler, Ravi Raj Singh, and his family. Part of this vast mansion has been converted into a luxury hotel, while another part houses the Maharajah Sardul Singh Museum. Its somewhat old-fashioned presentation immerses the visitor in the stuffy atmosphere of the early 20th century. The Hindu princes competed in refinement with the English nobility. The museum is said to have more than 30,000 photographs evoking this sumptuous period, the receptions, the visits of the crowned heads and the inevitable tiger hunting parties. You will notice in particular a photo of Georges Clémenceau, taken during these social events. The nickname of the former President of the French Council, "the Tiger", amused the Maharaja Ganga Singh. He had also bought a figurine representing the politician with the body of a tiger.

Amongst a whole jumble of objects that belonged to the royal family, you will notice the plough with which Ganga Singh made the first furrow of the canal bearing his name and irrigating the north of the region. The huge pewter jar, weighing more than 100 kg and displayed in the gallery, was used to collect taxes in the countryside.