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The
Lallgarh Place defies the bleak and rugged
reality of the harsh Thar Desert around
Bikaner.
The renowned architect, Sir Swinton Jacob,
was commissioned for the proposed residence
of the young ruler, Maharaja Ganga Singh.
Initially, the palace was proposed to be
finished within a lakh of rupees and further
reductions in cost were suggested to be made
by substituting stucco for carved stone.
But the moment Maharaja Ganga Singh got
personally involved in the building
exercise, all cost cutting was banished. The
Palace began in 1896 and by the time the
first quadrant, Lakshmi Niwas was completed
in 1902, cost had already zoomed to ten lakh
rupees. The idea of using cheap stucco was
replaced with the finest and most intricate
stone carving of all the modern palaces in
India. The princely abode welcomed
Lord Curzon as its first important guest.
Maharaja Ganga Singh named his new residence
in honour of his father, Maharaja Lall
Singh.Lallgarh Palace was the most
completely integrated example of Indo-Saracenic
architecture, and as some hold, the most
perfectly realised of Sir Samuel Jacob's
creations. The sheer poetry in sandstone was
further extended for the Maharaja's son,
Sadul Singh, and grandson, Karni Singh..
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