Home > Travel > Cities of India > Padam Palace or Rampur Palace
Padam Palace or Rampur Palace
Padam Palace or Rampur Palace is one of the tourist attractions in Himachal Pradesh.

Share this Article:

Padam Palace or Rampur Palace, Himachal PradeshPadam Palace, better known as Rampur palace is one of the most well maintained palaces of Himachal Pradesh. Padam Palace is a huge, with well laid out gardens, rich wealth of trees and the ambiance of serenity around. The most fascinating aspect of the Padam Palace is its neatness and the architectural variety.

Padam Palace has both the European design and the Indian impact in architecture. The structure of Padam Palace is wooden and the galleries, the stylish conical roof and the white painted eaves that look like pearls hanging from the roof arc typically colonial. The front door pof Padam Palace is white and the Belgium glass work is beautiful. Inside, Padam Palace has unmatched glasswork, stained glass windows of different colours and fine woodwork.

Padam Palace was built in 1917 during the time of Raja Padam Dev Singh and is rightly called Padam Palace, which is better known as Rampur Palace. Padam Palace houses a rich library.

Resting in a nest-shaped valley on the left bank of the Sutlej River is Rampur`s Padam Palace, 125-km from Shimla. The township of Rampur came up because of its strategic location on the old Hindustan-Tibet trade route. Padam Palace was accessible and not snowbound. From the humble origins of being a trading point to becoming the winter capital of the powerful erstwhile Bushair state is the background under which the palace was built.

Raja Padam Singh, a builder of stature in his own principality, assigned the task of building the palace to his chief engineer, Bir Chand Shukla. The Padam Palace was built in six years (1919-1925). Named after the king, the building witnessed the merger of Bushair State with the Indian union.

Reflecting the glorious past of the princely state of Bushair, the Padam Palace is an outstanding example of the taste, style and architecture of the former hill states and it is a tribute to local craftsmen who toiled to carve out its beauty.

The two-storey royal mansion is done in wood and stone, with a slanting tin roof with spiral projections. There is a big lawn, which was used for festivities and public functions. At one end of the lawn is Macchkandi, a masterpiece in woodwork, which was used for seating the royal family during the festivities. The Macchkandi was designed by Gurjit Singh Fishta and the woodwork done by the father-and-son team of Gurmail Singh and Gurdev Singh.

Stones for the building were quarried at Khaneri and the wood was brought down from the jungles of Munish and Dhamreda. Black gram paste was used for cementing the stone blocks. The stone arches of the lower floor and woodwork of the upper storey mark a striking contrast. The tipper storey wooden screen has floral and figurine designs so as to partially admit light without exposing those inside.

The building of Padam Palace houses halls where royal functions were held. The apartments of the royal family members were located in the building as well as in the palace complex. Portraits of the royal lineage adorn the walls of the hall and the ceiling has some exquisite woodcarvings, which are tastefully painted and polished.

Padam Palace is a silent spectator of bygone days, has been well maintained and continues to be a private property. The heritage of Himachal Pradesh is stamped on Padam Palace.


Share this Article:

Related Articles

More Articles in Cities of India


Ancient North Indian Cities
Ancient North Indian Cities were developed in the early era that is from the time of Mahabharata, and after the decline of Hindu kings in Northern parts. Some have become desolated and some became the archaeological ruins.
Ancient South Indian Cities
Ancient South Indian Cities witness the rise and fall of many empires from the early era.
Ancient Cities of North West India
Ancient Cities of North West India show the Rajput culture from the early phase, but in medieval era it showed the prominence after having a good relation with Mughals.
Ancient West Indian Cities
Ancient West Indian Cities are now completely in ruins, because of the heavy earthquake in some of the regions.
Holy Cities of North West India
Holy Cities of North West India are grown up in the midst of dry and thorny desert lands with Rajputana art and architecture.
Holy Cities of North India
Holy Cities of North India are having the rich history of Hinduism and the entire civilization was grown up with the hands of beliefs, rituals and the evolution of religion.
Holy Cities of South India
Holy Cities of South India gives the detailed cultural formation of Dravidians from the early era, which later developed to the world by the Pallavas and the Cholas.
Holy Cities of Central India
Holy Cities of Central India have the excellence of art and architecture in temples in the early era.
Holy Cities of East India
Holy Cities of East India refer the places of religious importance. Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and Buddhism are widely spread.
Holy Cities of West India
Holy Cities in West India were established by the rulers of Rajputs and the Satvahana Dynasty and the medieval rulers of Junagadh.
Cities of West Uttar Pradesh
Cities of West Uttar Pradesh include Meerut, Bulandshahr, Ghaziabad, Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Bareilly, Rampur, Agra, Aligarh, Mathura and many others. It comprises the western parts of Uttar Pradesh.
Architecture of Ladakh
Architecture of Ladakh is very typically Buddhist due to the strong influence of the religion here. The architecture is in keeping with the geography and climate of the region.
Architecture Of Madurai
Architecture of Madurai reflects the Hindu architectural pattern as is seen in the lakes, temples and palaces.
Port Cities of South India
Port Cities of South India are developed from the early phase of colonial era when the Portuguese and the French traders came to India
Vaishali Ancient City
Vaishali was an ancient prosperous metropolis, which was probably the first republic of the world.
Kudra City
Kudra, the city in Kaimaur District where agriculture is the prime occupation and in this city there is present Asia’s largest seed cold storage.
Thuraiyur in Tamilnadu
Thuraiyur is a municipality town where the inhabitants are mostly dependent on agriculture and handloom industries.
Dharapuram - Tiruppur
Dharapuram is a town located in Tiruppur district in Tamil Nadu. It is said that the Pandavas resided here in the town.
River Ghats in Haridwar
There are several river ghats in Haridwar, which are considered as popular spots among tourists.
Mataundh - Banda District
Mataundh is a prominent `panchayat town` situated in Banda district of Uttar Pradesh.