The full story of the world’s grandest art deco palace of the 1940s

The magnificence and scale of Jodhpur’s Umaid Bhawan, with its 347 rooms and elaborate gardens, its seemingly endless corridors and, for the 1940s, very modern comforts, make it one of the most enviable of royal residences anywhere in the world.
Strikingly Art Deco in style, Umaid Bhawan also abides by the architectural guidelines formulated by the temple-mountain palaces of ancient South-East Asian god-kings. The authors, while meticulously tracing the origins of Henry Vaughan Lanchester’s design, reveal its quintessential cultural sincerity. The architect’s assured familiarity with Hindu ritual and symbolism was incorporated into his plan; in stark contrast, the more famous Edwin Lutyens, who disdained all things Indian, had to be coerced into including indigenous elements in the design for New Delhi’s Viceroy’s House.
Aman Nath has made of this most sumptuous of palaces a most sumptuous book. Not even Buckingham Palace, which could well have been the model Umaid Bhawan set out to surpass, has inspired so rich a canvas. Its 172 pages encompass rare archival material, over 300 colour photographs as well as nine stunning panoramic gatefolds.

Aman Nath has a Masters degree in history. Engaged in the restoration of historical properties now run as the heritage chain of Neemrana ‘non-hotel’ Hotels, Nath has also been actively involved with India’s contemporary art since the 1970s. He is the author of several books including Jaipur, The Last Destination, Dome Over India: Rashtrapati Bhavan and Horizons: The Tata-India Century.

Fred R Holmes, held in thrall by Hindu temples, has made repeated tours of South Asia. His academic background in history and art includes post-MA study in Hindu and Buddhist thought and aesthetics at the Institute of Asian Studies.

Ann Newton Holmes was born with an itch to travel. Research for a historical novel introduced her to Jodhpur, and she fell in love with the city. At present she is coordinating a series of anthologies for a national women’s organization and rewriting her novel, Eye of the Peacock.