Navlakha Palace

The Navlakha Palace is an Indian royal Brahmin palace in Rajnagar, Bihar, near Madhubani. It is famously known as Rajnagar Palace or Navlakha Palace. Maharaja Rameshwar Singh of Darbhanga designed and built the palace. It was established between 1884 and 1929 by Rameshwar Singh to act as Darbhanga Raj’s main administrative centre. This compound is 1,500 acres in size (610 ha). It consists of 11 temples to deities and also various forts and palaces. Unfortunately, it was severely damaged in the 1934 Bihar-Nepal earthquake and was never restored.

The Palace’s Description:

In the palace’s gasauni ghar, you’ll find the oldest-known Madhubani painting. Durga Bhawan is located near the palace’s entrance. A pond may be found in front of the Durga Bhawan. To the north of the pond is a temple sacred to the goddess Kali. A seven-storey tower dominates the Navlakha palace’s central area. In a building with three courtyards on the Durga Bhawan’s western side. The Bari Maharani’s two-story white palace is north of the palace. Several paintings of Deity Tripura Sundari decorate another shrine in the palace devoted to the goddess.

History:

This Palace was built by Rameshwar Maharaja Singh, a Darbhanga resident. Although this palace had been severely damaged in the 1934 earthquake, it had not been rebuilt. Today, this palace is in ruins. The only painting that has been around for a long time is a Madhubani that was done in 1919 for the wedding of Lakshmi Shrimati Daiji, the daughter of the Rameshwar Maharaja Singh. However, there are few written records and images of the Navlakha Palace. Prof. Umanath Jha said that the Navlakha Palace was on the eastern bank of the Kamla River. The Durga Bhawan is a building located to the north of the main palace campus entrance. There’s a large pond in the southern section of the palace, facing east. The marble temple of Goddess Kali, located in the city’s northern section, is a popular destination for many visitors.

Architecture:

This temple, the most important component of this structure, was created in a large hall with a two-story-high ceiling and a built-in wide hall. Its hall is designed for music recitals and dancing performances. The seven-story-high towers constitute the majority of the building’s central section. It still has a Durga temple, but there are components of it that have fallen to the ground. Durga Bhawan has three courtyards on the west side of the building, which is considered the ladies’ area. There is a two-story white Elder Queen palace on its northern end.

Bihar’s Rajnagar Palace:

Rajnagar is a rural block in Bihar’s Mithila area, located around 15 kilometres northeast of the busy town centre of Madhubani and in the Mithila region. Rajnagar has approximately 60 villages with a population of 2.5 lakh people. It is well-connected to the rest of the country via the national highway and railway networks.

The majority of the households rely on agriculture for their income, although certain minor industries, like those dependent on Madhubani paintings, provide other sources of income. The photographic splendour of green plains, wide mango orchids, large ponds adorned with lotus leaves, communities with painted buildings, famous Madhubani artisans, certain fish delicacies, and a nearly century-old ruined city of the Darbhanga-Raj empire attracts tourists. Rajnagar is well-known for the Raj Palace ruins.

The Navlakha Palace Ruins:

Although in ruins, the Navlakha Palace in Rajnagar is worth visiting for its architectural splendour. The palace, constructed by Maharaja Rameshwar Singh, was almost destroyed in 1934 by an earthquake. The palace complex consists of gardens and ponds, temples, and several other attractions.

This museum is on the first floor, and the ceilings and doors are very beautiful. The interior exhibits feature objects gathered by the Maharaja, such as toy cars, photographs, a collection of books, and trophies.

Historical Information:

Beautiful structure, well-maintained rooms, intricate carvings, and the earliest Mithila artwork make this a historic landmark. The palace’s entrance surrounds a courtyard. There are four arches, each on a hand-carved stone elephant. In addition, there are many museums on the premises, such as a doll museum, a horse carriage museum, a tea museum, and so on.

• Maharaja Rameshwar Singh built this nineteenth-century palace.
• It was a luxurious palace, equipped with fountains, gardens, ponds, and beautiful temples.
• The palace was nearly destroyed by an earthquake in the area in 1934.
• Although no further restorations have been carried out, the palace remains a magnificent example of old Indian architecture.
• The royal complex covers more than 1,500 acres.
• It has 11 temples dedicated to different Gods and Goddesses that Maharajas used to worship.
• The hand-carved elephants that support the four beautiful arches of the temple are one of the temple’s most distinguishing features.
• The palace also has the world’s oldest Mithila artwork, commissioned in 1919 for the Maharaja’s daughter’s wedding ceremony.

Conclusion

In Rajnagar town, near the Kamala River and Madhubani, the royal Brahmin palace is known as Navlakha Palace (also called Naulakha Palace) situated. This palace was constructed in the 17th century A.D. by Maharaja Rameshwar Singh of Darbhanga. It is also referred to as the Rajnagar palace complex, and it is one of the most famous tourist destinations in Mithila. The earthquake in 1934 severely damaged this palace, and it was never rebuilt. The Navlakha Palace has few written or photographic records. Umantha Jha recounted the Navlakha Palace in his book “Bital din Aa Bisral log” from his childhood memories.