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Lalbagh Palace
Lalbagh Palace
Indore, India
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Other Projects by Abha Narain Lambah Associates
Lalbagh Palace
Indore, India
STATUS
Built
YEAR
2021
SIZE
10,000 sqft - 25,000 sqft
BUDGET
$100K - 500K
Lalbagh, the palace of the erstwhile Holkars rulers of central India, and reputed to be the finest interiors in princely India is an exemplar of an Indian palace modeled on European principles of design. It is one of the most significant princely palaces of the 19th – early 20th century and is particularly known for its period interiors, among the finest surviving historic interiors in India. Its French Baroque interiors and furnishings were frayed and in a state of deterioration, putting to risk, some of the most exquisite royal salons and throne rooms with original hand painted ceilings, gilded moldings, damask furnishings, Aubusson carpets, French furniture and chandeliers.
The Lalbagh palace was built over two stages of construction. The first phase was built as a garden home in the reign of Shivaji Rao Holkar (1886-1903) which is known as the "Old Kothi'. The second phase was built in the reign of Tukoji Rao Holkar III (1903-1926). Whereas the upper floors had private bedrooms and chambers, the public rooms on the ground floor served as the main salons, throne room, cabinet room, library, dining rooms and were as such, designed to receive visitors and entertain guests. The interiors of the palace are the finest French Baroque interiors surviving in Asia and the furniture and furnishings are evocative of the Louis XIV style, very different from the British inspired Neo Gothic or Edwardian classicism seen in most buildings in India from the period.
In the 1980’s the palace was handed over to the State government of Madhya Pradesh. In 1988, it was vested in the Directorate of Archaeology & Museums, Department of Culture, for setting up a Nehru Centre in the year of Nehru Centenary Celebrations, extending from 14th November, 1988 till 14th November, 1989. Since then, the palace faced the challenge of a very minimal budget allocation from the government resulting in dire need of conservation.
The palace serves as a Historic House museum with a huge visitation which allows visitors to delve into the lifestyle of the erstwhile royal Holkar family. While, much of the spatial quality of these spaces remain, they were greatly deteriorated in terms of their interior finishes, with frayed curtains, faded carpets and much of the original furnishings stripped off to expose bare walls and peeling plasters. Issues such as rampant leakages, ad hoc alterations and additions and loss of original furnishings greatly impacted the authenticity and historic ambience of these spaces and they were desperately in need of sensitive restoration. Furniture, upholstery and soft furnishings such as carpets and curtains on all period rooms had deteriorated in dire state of restoration.
In 2011, World monuments Fund (WMF) began working with the Madhya Pradesh Government to realise a project covering a selection of 40 sites across the state. Within this WMF would assist the state government to prepare conservation plans for the heritage conservation projects and monitor the implementation of those projects. The Madhya Pradesh Monument project (MPMP) was intended to serve as a model of sustainable management for conservation projects in the state. The Lalbagh palace was selected as the MPMP featured site with respect to its cultural significance and importance and realising a project giving impetus to the Restoration of period Interiors which had never been attempted by the Government prior to this project.
The project of Restoring the historic interiors of the Lalbagh palace was envisioned to be a prototype and first of its kind project in India with a focus on specialised and professionally informed interior restoration of period rooms of a historic palace guided by a deep commitment and sense of responsibility towards ensuring the material authenticity and design integrity of these fragile period interiors. This is also the first time in the country where the project has been realised focusing entirely on restoring historic interiors and setting an example of how to achieve the highest standards of workmanship and skill with the minute details of interior restoration of a French Renaissance interior.
An issue that has afflicted conservation in India is the absolute neglect of period interiors. Whereas government funding for conservation is already meagre, there is absolutely no support for interior restoration and especially period interiors as these are often seen as “not necessary” or “low priority”. Therefore, whatever funding is made available, is directed towards structural repair and to prevent collapse or leakages. The restoration of interiors, furniture, finishes in historic buildings does not get funding or support. Especially for government projects, even the Government Tendering system and Schedule of Rates do not account for interior restoration, whereas over the decades use of lime, structural restoration has become part of the public discourse and policy in conservation. Most historic interiors are thus subjected to neglect/ transformation/ modernization and interiors that survive are often repainted in oil paints, re-upholstered with no understanding of retaining the original weaves or materials and furniture and carpets, artwork and gildings often removed/replaced or left to decay.
Whereas detailed in-depth research on period rooms is more commonly seen in Europe and England, this is rather uncommon in India and for European interiors, the expertise is often believed to vest with western experts. The World Monuments Fund decided to go with an all-Indian team of conservation architects and conservators for this project. They did bring in from New York interior design experts Michael Devonshire and Richard Pieper for a peer review to vet the project method, practices and team expertise before work began.
The partnership with WMF and Madhya Pradesh Government was aimed at having the WMF bring in expertise and take on responsibility of funding the specialized restoration of the ground floor period rooms whereas the MP Government would take on and fund the remaining works of the upper floors and building shell that were more acceptable under government funding. Both components of work were agreed to be in adherence of the larger vision entailed in the Detailed Conservation Plan for the building prepared by the WMF conservation architectural firm of Abha Narain Lambah Associates, for a holistic project approach.
The project was thus divided into 3 parts.
a) The Conservation Planning undertaken by Abha Narain Lambah Associates for World Monuments Fund that documented, investigated, assessed and prepared a Comprehensive Conservation Plan for the building shell, interiors and gardens holistically and provided the larger vision, conservation specifications, conservation strategy and tender documents for the entire project and all component parts. This included a thorough investigation of the structural stability through NDT and non invasive testing by Shashank Mehendale structural engineers as well as detailed investigations on paint samples, pigments, interior finishes by A Heritage Lab.
b) Component A: Whereas the conservation planning was prepared through the contribution of World Monuments Fund, the most immediate aspects of the project to ensure that the structural stability of the building was ensured was undertaken with monitoring by the WMF team of conservation architects Abha Narain Lambah Associates but actual works, material and labour were funded through the Madhya Pradesh government. This included the components of the conservation of the building shell, structural conservation, addressal of roofs and waterproofing as part of Phase 1. For this the tender documents were prepared by Abha Narain Lambah Associates and contractors appointed by Madhya Pradesh Government and supervised by the Department of Archaeology and project architect. This formed the first part of works of urgent structural repairs and investigations, ensuring that the ground floor period interiors were not structurally vulnerable. This was the first part of the work taken up, before the Component B to ensure that the Period Interiors on the ground floor were not at any risk.
c) Component B: Funded through Public-Private-NGO partnership: The specialized Restoration of the Period Rooms by World Monuments Fund as part of its partnership contribution under the MoU. This was to ensure that aspects of interior conservation which are otherwise not part of most government projects do not get ignored or forsaken. By restoring the Pilot rooms of the grand halls, salons and public spaces that were the finest specimens of French Baroque interiors in India, the WMF team would set a benchmark and processes for interior restoration that would help guide and serve as a template for later works to be done by Madhya Pradesh Government. This therefore became the pilot that enabled a capacity building for the Department of Archaeology who could then learn through this project, how to apply the techniques and processes for the other parts of the palace, and other sites across the state. World Monuments Fund appointed conservation architects Abha Narain Lambah Associates for planning, supervising and monitoring the project and this received financial support by Indigo airlines through Corporate Social Responsibility funding of IndigoReach Foundation.
d) Component C: funded by Madhya Pradesh Government: This entails the remaining works of exterior restoration, façades, restoration of the upper rooms and remaining works for the building and gardens. For this, the funds are to be provided by Madhya Pradesh Government in a phase wise as per the Comprehensive Conservation Plan prepared by Abha Narain Lambah Associates for World Monuments Fund. Since the emergency repairs and structural stabilization is already included in component A, this Component C covers the remaining aspects of the larger project that could continue in a phase wise manner as and when funds were made available by MP Government and supervised by the Archaeology Department of the MP Government.
The restoration of the period rooms thus marks the key aspect of this project that helps create a pilot and a model that sets the benchmarks for restoration of historic interiors in government owned buildings. It sets an example of bringing acknowledgement and awareness of historic interiors as well as to create capacity building and set into place, necessary processes and practices for the preservation of period interiors.
Period Rooms give the most palpable sense of place and history as visitors get to experience the life style of the period through the spaces, setting, colours, fabrics, furnishings, furniture placement and accessories. The period rooms were carefully researched before implementation and teams of historians, conservation architects and conservators accurately established the original setting, historical associations, archival images, placement of furniture and accessories, texture, colour and patterns of finishes and furnishings and developed a well-defined plan for recreating each historic room.
Interior components worthy of preservation in a project such as this included the building's plan (sequence of spaces and circulation patterns), the building's spaces (rooms and volumes), individual architectural features, and the various finishes and materials that make up the walls, floors, and ceilings. The conservation team undertook laborious archival research which formed the basis of the Conservation Masterplan so as to be able to understand the historic layering to the building and its interiors as well as establish the authenticity of materials before the implementation works were initiated. They undertook extensive detailed mapping of the building, documented its elements, such as the provenance of the hardware and furniture, prepared detailed drawings, inventories and recorded the data for each room. Art conservators conducted material tests, paint analysis to establish the colour range, petrography test, chemical testing to confirm the material palette used in the historic building originally. With the background of this detailed investigation, the team worked to carefully restoring the cornices, furniture pieces, carpets, tapestries, ceiling murals etc to restore the period rooms.
The interior restoration work commenced on site in December 2019 along with the team of trained and skilled art conservators. Documentation was diligently undertaken pre-during and post intervention. The interior restoration work included restoring the historic finishes, floorings, painted ceilings, lath ceilings and panels, wall finishes, doors, hardware, chandeliers, Aubusson carpets, historic furniture, artwork, decorative plasterwork along with restoration and careful replication true to design, weave, colour and material of fabric for historic curtains, upholstery which were painstakingly reproduced to closely match the originals. The conservation team stationed a fulltime architect at Indore to supervise the interior restoration works.
The global Covid 19 pandemic in 2020 resulted in a complete lockdown for nearly 6 months from March 2020. This was soon followed by another outbreak in 2021, the Palace was shut and after permission was granted, work commenced on Site from 17 June 2021. The team mobilized at site once again. Over a period of 2 years by 2022, the five period rooms of the Crown Hall, Sitting room, Western Dining room, the Study, the Council room along with the Indian Dining Room were restored.
Material authenticity was paramount in this project. When the team opened up the decayed pieces of furniture, they found the filling of coconut fibre and old springs which were restored using the same materials. With research early on in the project along with the expertise on historic interiors, the team could categorize the furniture stylistically along with the help of archival photographs to create the original furniture setting in the period rooms. Centuries old damask jacquard fabrics were recreated on looms to replicate to the greatest detail, each aspect of the historic fabric. Each room had a different design and pattern and custom cotton silk blends which were so tested were carefully replicated after thorough testing, replicated exactly to the thread count and colour matching to the original design and texture, stitched to adorn the historic interiors as they once were, with the original trims, tassles and tie backs.
The total cost for the Conservation Planning and Interior Restoration of the 7 period rooms amounted to Rs. 39. 6 million. The project began in January 2020 and was shut for 1.2 years from April 2020 to June 2021 due to the pandemic. Post the lock-down it was completed in 8 months in February 2022. In November 2022, Architectural Digest editors from across the globe joined forces to celebrate projects as Works of Wonder (WoW) and released a list of the most pathbreaking architectural 20 projects internationally. The Restoration of the period rooms of Lalbagh Palace won a spot on the First AD WoW List, standing proudly as the lone conservation project among other large new construction projects by leading international architects.
B: Description of the cultural heritage property
The description of the cultural heritage property should include:
- Historical background of the property
Lalbagh, the palace of the erstwhile Holkars rulers of central India, and reputed to be the finest interiors in princely India is an exemplar of an Indian palace modeled on European principles of design. It is one of the most significant princely palaces of the 19th – early 20th century and is particularly known for its period interiors, among the finest surviving historic interiors in India. Its French Baroque interiors and furnishings were frayed and in a state of deterioration, putting to risk, some of the most exquisite royal salons and throne rooms with original hand painted ceilings, gilded moldings, damask furnishings, Aubusson carpets, French inspired furniture and chandeliers.
The project entails the holistic conservation and restoration of the Lalbagh palace, which was built by the Holkar dynasty, amongst the most powerful Maratha rulers of India. The architecture reflects the contemporary vogue among Indian royalty representing European influenced architecture with an amalgamation of various styles. The site is especially significant for its Period Interiors - heavily inspired by Baroque design, style and predilection it is among the finest surviving historic palace interiors in India.
The Lalbagh is a vast, sprawling property spread in almost 72 acres of land, in the heart of Indore city. Planning for the Lalbagh Palace site was commenced in the reign of King Tukoji Rao II (1844-1886 CE) who prepared a plan for a palace at Lalbagh for his elder prince. His successor Shivaji Rao Holkar (1886-1902) constructed the main Lalbagh palace as a small garden house in 1890s. It was however, Tukoji Rao lll (1902-1925 CE), who gave the palace and the garden their final shape. He extended the palace, decorated it with Italian Marble, and furnished it in the western style with help of Messrs Warring and Gillows of London, Martyn and Co. of Cheltenham and Mr. Bernard Triggs, the Architect. The furniture was procured from the Calcutta based cabinetmakers C. Lazarus & Co.
- Articulation of the property’s overall cultural significance and heritage values such as historical, social, cultural, architectural and other values (please see guidelines for explanation)
Built at a time when most Indian buildings of the period were following the more British predilection towards Victorian Gothic or Edwardian Neo Classicism Neo Gothic, the architecture of Lalbagh is a celebration of the French Baroque,. The Lalbagh Palace has among the most spectacular period interiors among the palaces of the erstwhile rulers of princely stages in the country. While the construction phases of the palace reflect two distinct period of construction, the palace finds itself fitted with the most elegant interior finishes, as well as furniture and is one of the rare examples of surviving period interiors in India.
Furnished beautifully by Tukoji Rao III when he extended the palace, Lalbagh boasts of the most stunning French Baroque style interiors with an interplay of Carrara marble, and spring loaded wooden floors, layered with Aubusson carpets, and a textured tonality reflected in the use of material, choice of furniture and depiction of art. Although the architectural nuances seem influenced by French design aesthetics, the compositions draw attention to clarity and restraint, respect for details with a mix of classical erudition, renaissance feel and complexity making it unique to the context of Lalbagh Palace.
The Lalbagh palace was built over two stages of construction. The first phase was built as a garden home in the reign of Shivaji Rao Holkar (1886-1903) which is known as the "Old Kothi'. The second phase was built in the reign of Tukoji Rao Holkar III (1903-1926). Whereas the upper floors had private bedrooms and chambers, the public rooms on the ground floor served as the main salons, throne room, cabinet room, library, dining rooms and were as such, designed to receive visitors and entertain guests. The interiors of the palace are the finest French Baroque interiors surviving in Asia and the furniture and furnishings are evocative of the Louis XIV style, very different from the British inspired Neo Gothic or Edwardian classicism seen in most buildings in India from the period.
In the 1980’s the palace was handed over to the State government of Madhya Pradesh. In 1988, it was vested in the Directorate of Archaeology & Museums, Department of Culture, for setting up a Nehru Centre in the year of Nehru Centenary Celebrations, extending from 14th November, 1988 till 14th November, 1989. Since then, the palace faced the challenge of a very minimal budget allocation from the government resulting in dire need of conservation.
The palace serves as a Historic House museum with a huge visitation which allows visitors to delve into the lifestyle of the erstwhile royal Holkar family. While, much of the spatial quality of these spaces remain, they were greatly deteriorated in terms of their interior finishes, with frayed curtains, faded carpets and much of the original furnishings stripped off to expose bare walls and peeling plasters. Issues such as rampant leakages, ad hoc alterations and additions and loss of original furnishings greatly impacted the authenticity and historic ambience of these spaces and they were desperately in need of sensitive restoration. Furniture, upholstery and soft furnishings such as carpets and curtains on all period rooms had deteriorated in dire state of restoration.
In 2011, World monuments Fund (WMF) began working with the Madhya Pradesh Government to realise a project covering a selection of 40 sites across the state. Within this WMF would assist the state government to prepare conservation plans for the heritage conservation projects and monitor the implementation of those projects. The Madhya Pradesh Monument project (MPMP) was intended to serve as a model of sustainable management for conservation projects in the state. The Lalbagh palace was selected as the MPMP featured site with respect to its cultural significance and importance and realising a project giving impetus to the Restoration of period Interiors which had never been attempted by the Government prior to this project.
The project of Restoring the historic interiors of the Lalbagh palace was envisioned to be a prototype and first of its kind project in India with a focus on specialised and professionally informed interior restoration of period rooms of a historic palace guided by a deep commitment and sense of responsibility towards ensuring the material authenticity and design integrity of these fragile period interiors. This is also the first time in the country where the project has been realised focusing entirely on restoring historic interiors and setting an example of how to achieve the highest standards of workmanship and skill with the minute details of interior restoration of a French Renaissance interior.
An issue that has afflicted conservation in India is the absolute neglect of period interiors. Whereas government funding for conservation is already meagre, there is absolutely no support for interior restoration and especially period interiors as these are often seen as “not necessary” or “low priority”. Therefore, whatever funding is made available, is directed towards structural repair and to prevent collapse or leakages. The restoration of interiors, furniture, finishes in historic buildings does not get funding or support. Especially for government projects, even the Government Tendering system and Schedule of Rates do not account for interior restoration, whereas over the decades use of lime, structural restoration has become part of the public discourse and policy in conservation. Most historic interiors are thus subjected to neglect/ transformation/ modernization and interiors that survive are often repainted in oil paints, re-upholstered with no understanding of retaining the original weaves or materials and furniture and carpets, artwork and gildings often removed/replaced or left to decay.
Whereas detailed in-depth research on period rooms is more commonly seen in Europe and England, this is rather uncommon in India and for European interiors, the expertise is often believed to vest with western experts. The World Monuments Fund decided to go with an all-Indian team of conservation architects and conservators for this project. They did bring in from New York interior design experts Michael Devonshire and Richard Pieper for a peer review to vet the project method, practices and team expertise before work began.
The partnership with WMF and Madhya Pradesh Government was aimed at having the WMF bring in expertise and take on responsibility of funding the specialized restoration of the ground floor period rooms whereas the MP Government would take on and fund the remaining works of the upper floors and building shell that were more acceptable under government funding. Both components of work were agreed to be in adherence of the larger vision entailed in the Detailed Conservation Plan for the building prepared by the WMF conservation architectural firm of Abha Narain Lambah Associates, for a holistic project approach.
The project was thus divided into 3 parts.
a) The Conservation Planning undertaken by Abha Narain Lambah Associates for World Monuments Fund that documented, investigated, assessed and prepared a Comprehensive Conservation Plan for the building shell, interiors and gardens holistically and provided the larger vision, conservation specifications, conservation strategy and tender documents for the entire project and all component parts. This included a thorough investigation of the structural stability through NDT and non invasive testing by Shashank Mehendale structural engineers as well as detailed investigations on paint samples, pigments, interior finishes by A Heritage Lab.
b) Component A: Whereas the conservation planning was prepared through the contribution of World Monuments Fund, the most immediate aspects of the project to ensure that the structural stability of the building was ensured was undertaken with monitoring by the WMF team of conservation architects Abha Narain Lambah Associates but actual works, material and labour were funded through the Madhya Pradesh government. This included the components of the conservation of the building shell, structural conservation, addressal of roofs and waterproofing as part of Phase 1. For this the tender documents were prepared by Abha Narain Lambah Associates and contractors appointed by Madhya Pradesh Government and supervised by the Department of Archaeology and project architect. This formed the first part of works of urgent structural repairs and investigations, ensuring that the ground floor period interiors were not structurally vulnerable. This was the first part of the work taken up, before the Component B to ensure that the Period Interiors on the ground floor were not at any risk.
c) Component B: Funded through Public-Private-NGO partnership: The specialized Restoration of the Period Rooms by World Monuments Fund as part of its partnership contribution under the MoU. This was to ensure that aspects of interior conservation which are otherwise not part of most government projects do not get ignored or forsaken. By restoring the Pilot rooms of the grand halls, salons and public spaces that were the finest specimens of French Baroque interiors in India, the WMF team would set a benchmark and processes for interior restoration that would help guide and serve as a template for later works to be done by Madhya Pradesh Government. This therefore became the pilot that enabled a capacity building for the Department of Archaeology who could then learn through this project, how to apply the techniques and processes for the other parts of the palace, and other sites across the state. World Monuments Fund appointed conservation architects Abha Narain Lambah Associates for planning, supervising and monitoring the project and this received financial support by Indigo airlines through Corporate Social Responsibility funding of IndigoReach Foundation.
d) Component C: funded by Madhya Pradesh Government: This entails the remaining works of exterior restoration, façades, restoration of the upper rooms and remaining works for the building and gardens. For this, the funds are to be provided by Madhya Pradesh Government in a phase wise as per the Comprehensive Conservation Plan prepared by Abha Narain Lambah Associates for World Monuments Fund. Since the emergency repairs and structural stabilization is already included in component A, this Component C covers the remaining aspects of the larger project that could continue in a phase wise manner as and when funds were made available by MP Government and supervised by the Archaeology Department of the MP Government.
The restoration of the period rooms thus marks the key aspect of this project that helps create a pilot and a model that sets the benchmarks for restoration of historic interiors in government owned buildings. It sets an example of bringing acknowledgement and awareness of historic interiors as well as to create capacity building and set into place, necessary processes and practices for the preservation of period interiors.
Period Rooms give the most palpable sense of place and history as visitors get to experience the life style of the period through the spaces, setting, colours, fabrics, furnishings, furniture placement and accessories. The period rooms were carefully researched before implementation and teams of historians, conservation architects and conservators accurately established the original setting, historical associations, archival images, placement of furniture and accessories, texture, colour and patterns of finishes and furnishings and developed a well-defined plan for recreating each historic room.
Interior components worthy of preservation in a project such as this included the building's plan (sequence of spaces and circulation patterns), the building's spaces (rooms and volumes), individual architectural features, and the various finishes and materials that make up the walls, floors, and ceilings. The conservation team undertook laborious archival research which formed the basis of the Conservation Masterplan so as to be able to understand the historic layering to the building and its interiors as well as establish the authenticity of materials before the implementation works were initiated. They undertook extensive detailed mapping of the building, documented its elements, such as the provenance of the hardware and furniture, prepared detailed drawings, inventories and recorded the data for each room. Art conservators conducted material tests, paint analysis to establish the colour range, petrography test, chemical testing to confirm the material palette used in the historic building originally. With the background of this detailed investigation, the team worked to carefully restoring the cornices, furniture pieces, carpets, tapestries, ceiling murals etc to restore the period rooms.
The interior restoration work commenced on site in December 2019 along with the team of trained and skilled art conservators. Documentation was diligently undertaken pre-during and post intervention. The interior restoration work included restoring the historic finishes, floorings, painted ceilings, lath ceilings and panels, wall finishes, doors, hardware, chandeliers, Aubusson carpets, historic furniture, artwork, decorative plasterwork along with restoration and careful replication true to design, weave, colour and material of fabric for historic curtains, upholstery which were painstakingly reproduced to closely match the originals. The conservation team stationed a fulltime architect at Indore to supervise the interior restoration works.
The global Covid 19 pandemic in 2020 resulted in a complete lockdown for nearly 6 months from March 2020. This was soon followed by another outbreak in 2021, the Palace was shut and after permission was granted, work commenced on Site from 17 June 2021. The team mobilized at site once again. Over a period of 2 years by 2022, the five period rooms of the Crown Hall, Sitting room, Western Dining room, the Study, the Council room along with the Indian Dining Room were restored.
Material authenticity was paramount in this project. When the team opened up the decayed pieces of furniture, they found the filling of coconut fibre and old springs which were restored using the same materials. With research early on in the project along with the expertise on historic interiors, the team could categorize the furniture stylistically along with the help of archival photographs to create the original furniture setting in the period rooms. Centuries old damask jacquard fabrics were recreated on looms to replicate to the greatest detail, each aspect of the historic fabric. Each room had a different design and pattern and custom cotton silk blends which were so tested were carefully replicated after thorough testing, replicated exactly to the thread count and colour matching to the original design and texture, stitched to adorn the historic interiors as they once were, with the original trims, tassles and tie backs.
The total cost for the Conservation Planning and Interior Restoration of the 7 period rooms amounted to Rs. 39. 6 million. The project began in January 2020 and was shut for 1.2 years from April 2020 to June 2021 due to the pandemic. Post the lock-down it was completed in 8 months in February 2022. In November 2022, Architectural Digest editors from across the globe joined forces to celebrate projects as Works of Wonder (WoW) and released a list of the most pathbreaking architectural 20 projects internationally. The Restoration of the period rooms of Lalbagh Palace won a spot on the First AD WoW List, standing proudly as the lone conservation project among other large new construction projects by leading international architects.
B: Description of the cultural heritage property
The description of the cultural heritage property should include:
- Historical background of the property
Lalbagh, the palace of the erstwhile Holkars rulers of central India, and reputed to be the finest interiors in princely India is an exemplar of an Indian palace modeled on European principles of design. It is one of the most significant princely palaces of the 19th – early 20th century and is particularly known for its period interiors, among the finest surviving historic interiors in India. Its French Baroque interiors and furnishings were frayed and in a state of deterioration, putting to risk, some of the most exquisite royal salons and throne rooms with original hand painted ceilings, gilded moldings, damask furnishings, Aubusson carpets, French inspired furniture and chandeliers.
The project entails the holistic conservation and restoration of the Lalbagh palace, which was built by the Holkar dynasty, amongst the most powerful Maratha rulers of India. The architecture reflects the contemporary vogue among Indian royalty representing European influenced architecture with an amalgamation of various styles. The site is especially significant for its Period Interiors - heavily inspired by Baroque design, style and predilection it is among the finest surviving historic palace interiors in India.
The Lalbagh is a vast, sprawling property spread in almost 72 acres of land, in the heart of Indore city. Planning for the Lalbagh Palace site was commenced in the reign of King Tukoji Rao II (1844-1886 CE) who prepared a plan for a palace at Lalbagh for his elder prince. His successor Shivaji Rao Holkar (1886-1902) constructed the main Lalbagh palace as a small garden house in 1890s. It was however, Tukoji Rao lll (1902-1925 CE), who gave the palace and the garden their final shape. He extended the palace, decorated it with Italian Marble, and furnished it in the western style with help of Messrs Warring and Gillows of London, Martyn and Co. of Cheltenham and Mr. Bernard Triggs, the Architect. The furniture was procured from the Calcutta based cabinetmakers C. Lazarus & Co.
- Articulation of the property’s overall cultural significance and heritage values such as historical, social, cultural, architectural and other values (please see guidelines for explanation)
Built at a time when most Indian buildings of the period were following the more British predilection towards Victorian Gothic or Edwardian Neo Classicism Neo Gothic, the architecture of Lalbagh is a celebration of the French Baroque,. The Lalbagh Palace has among the most spectacular period interiors among the palaces of the erstwhile rulers of princely stages in the country. While the construction phases of the palace reflect two distinct period of construction, the palace finds itself fitted with the most elegant interior finishes, as well as furniture and is one of the rare examples of surviving period interiors in India.
Furnished beautifully by Tukoji Rao III when he extended the palace, Lalbagh boasts of the most stunning French Baroque style interiors with an interplay of Carrara marble, and spring loaded wooden floors, layered with Aubusson carpets, and a textured tonality reflected in the use of material, choice of furniture and depiction of art. Although the architectural nuances seem influenced by French design aesthetics, the compositions draw attention to clarity and restraint, respect for details with a mix of classical erudition, renaissance feel and complexity making it unique to the context of Lalbagh Palace.
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