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Showing posts from August, 2011

Mubarak Mandi Palace, Jammu and Kashmir

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Jammu , the capital city of Jammu and Kashmir state of India, is considered as the city of temples. Apart from the famous temples, the city also has some palaces. Mubarak Mandi Palace is one of the palaces which is also considered as an important tourist site in Jammu city. Mubarak Mandi Palace is around 150 years old. It was the erstwhile palace of Dogra kings of Jammu . The architecture of the palace is a mix of Rajasthani , Mughal and European styles. The palace structure has many buildings used as Government offices today. The pink hall in the palace is now used as a museum. The museum of Mubarak Mandi palace has two floors full of paintings of royal families and various armour such as bow, guns, canons and swords. Old vessels, ornaments, artifacts and old coins from Jammu kings are also displayed in the museum. The museum also has few stone statues and inscriptions. Some modern paintings depicting Hindu mythology and kings are also present in this palace museum.

Amar Mahal Palace - Jammu and Kashmir

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Amar Mahal Palace is one of the important tourist sites in Jammu city of India. This palace, built in European castle style, was planned by a French architect in 1862 CE. However, it was built only after around 30 years for the Dogra king Raja Amar Singh. This palace was converted as a museum in 1975 CE. Amar Mahal Palace, built in red sandstone with red bricks, has sloping roofs with turrets and tall towers. When it was built in the 19th century CE, it was the tallest building in the entire city of Jammu. Only four rooms in the entire palace are kept opened for displaying exhibits to the public. One room has full of beautiful paintings depicting the mythological story of the king Nala. There is another room in which the ten incarnations of Vishnu (Dasavatar) are depicted using modern arts. Amar Mahal Palace also houses some unusual modern paintings. Some of the paintings of the notable artists such as M.F.Hussain are also displayed in the museum. The highlight of the museum

Ranbireshwar Temple, Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu , the capital city of Jammu and Kashmir state of India, is called as 'the city of temples' . The major tourist attraction in Jammu city is its popular temples such as Raghunathji temple. Ranbireshwar temple, located near the new secretariat , is one of the important temples as well as a popular tourist site in Jammu . Ranbireshwar is a temple dedicated for Lord Shiva. As it was built by the king of Jammu Maharaja Ranbir Singh in 1883 CE, the deity of the temple is named as Ranbireshwar . The statue of Maharaja Ranbir Singh is found in this huge temple complex. The main temple can be reached by climbing several steps as it is located at high altitude. The idol of Nandi  is located facing the main temple near the statue of Ranbir Singh . The sanctum sanctorum of the temple has the huge idol of Ranbireshwar (Shiv Linga ). This 7.5 feet high Shiv Linga is made up of black marble stone. This magnificent idol of Shiv Linga is flanked by ten small siz