No doubt! Why Jodhpur is called the land of forts and palaces. In fact, I consider myself lucky to explore the palaces of the city. And out of all, I especially liked the Umaid Bhawan Palace. As far as the history of the palace is concern, it was built by Umaid Singh.

Jodhpur's royal residence, this splendid palace is considered the largest private residence in the world. Designed by Henry Vaughan Lanchester, it took 14 years to build and was completed in 1943, the last of India's great palaces. Another fact that astound me was that it around 3000 artisans worked to built the palace.

Ranvir, my guide, told me that Umaid Bhawan was built, as a famine relief project, that gave employment to people, for 16 years. Gosh! Only if had a residence like Umaid Bhawan! Another astonishing fact that I came to know was the Palace contains over 300 rooms. It has its own theater, eight dining rooms, and a banquet hall which seats three hundred people. A Ball Room had been built, catering to the Westernised royal lifestyle. As I surveyed the palace, I found that much of the interiors are in art deco style. In fact, Ranvir told me that it is said to be one of the finest surviving examples of art deco in the world. Deep within the palace is an indoor swimming pool, with a mosaic of zodiac symbols.

I also visited the part of the palace that is now run as a Heritage hotel. In fact, the palace also houses a museum and still serves as a residence of the royal family.