Home > Travel > Cities of India > Suraj Bhawan
Suraj Bhawan
Suraj Bhawan, built by Suraj Mal, is the most extensive and grand mansion of the Deeg palace complex.

Share this Article:

Suraj Bhawan is one of the pavilions of 18th century Deeg Palace or Deeg Bhawans, which is popularly known as Water palaces or Jal Mahal. Suraj Bhawan has been named after Suraj Mal of Jat Dynasty, who was the ruler of Bharatpur district of Rajasthan. He built the Bhawans of the Deeg palace. Suraj Bhawan is one of the most attractive buildings, which has been made of marble and the architectural treatment of this pavilion bears some similarities with the Mughal architectural pattern. The construction of Suraj Bhawan was started by Suraj Mal, but after his death it was completed by his son Jawahar Singh. This building is made of marble from Makrana, Rajasthan.

Structure of Suraj Bhawan
The building of Suraj Bhawan consists of a single storey and is devised as a square of 26.80 meters with a leveled roof. The marble slabs that have been used here belong to more than one royal building of the Mughals, because the slabs employed in the walls do not always match in size and texture. Generally, this building is supposed to have the marble slabs of the royal school for the princesses in the Red Fort, Delhi, which probably was one of the many victims of Jawahar`s fury. In addition to this, the Jats have also used some fresh marble slabs which did not belong to any previous edifice. It is possibly due to the death of Jawahar Singh, for which the encasement of the structure remained unfinished. The idea to cover it with white marble most probably was an after-thought for, certain pavements, its pedestal, major segment of the western face and a huge number of roof space and brackets are still in sandstone. In order to give them the resemblance of marble, with the exception of the pedestal, they have been covered with a superior mixture of lime plaster.

Architecture of Suraj Bhawan
Each face of Suraj Bhawan has a verandah with five openings and rooms nearby at the corner which have dome like ceiling ornamented with a single lotus similar to many Mughal buildings. The floor of every verandah is studded with a central tank containing jets to serve as an entity of beauty for the structure as well as for its dwellers. The main room of the building is lighted through windows and recesses of the corridors and this mitigates the monotony of the walls to a large extent. The curved ceilings of the corridors which are supported by semi-circular arches are an interesting feature of the Suraj Bhawan.

The interior arrangements of the Suraj Bhawan are more like an exhibition area than a place of residence. This provision was mainly designed for the ladies to use it as a place for respite and leisure. The sandstone structure with a verandah and side-compartments on the east of this mansion has perhaps been put up to safeguard its architectural effect. The grace of the Suraj Bhawan is enhanced by tanks and gardens on either side, assisted by the features of Deeg architecture.

Other Bhawans of Deeg Palace
Apart from Suraj Bhawan, Deeg Palace includes some other Bhawans in it and they are Gopal Bhawan, Hardev Bhawan, Kishan Bhawan, Kesava Bhavan, Nand Bhawan, Singh Pol etc.


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.