Datia Palace

En un regard

Le château en bref

Set on a rocky eminence above the town of Datia, in northern Madhya Pradesh, Bir Singh Deo's palace ranks among the masterpieces of Bundela architecture. Begun in 1614 by Bir Singh Deo, ruler of Orchha and ally of the Emperor Jahangir, it rises on a square plan, flanked at the corners by octagonal towers. Its superimposed storeys are marked by bands of stone jali screens, and the summit is crowned with chhatris bearing ribbed domes. Remarkably, the building was constructed of stone and brick, without timber or iron. The carved ceilings and the mural paintings in the Bundela style, depicting horsemen, deities and floral motifs, survive in several chambers. Never really inhabited, the palace overlooks a large lake to the south. Protected by the Archaeological Survey of India since 1953, it is now open to visitors.