Jai Vilas Palace in Gwalior

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The Jai Vilas Palace in Gwalior is actually located at the town called Lashkar, which is few kilometers away from Gwalior. This palace is located to the south of the Gwalior fort. The city of Lashkar was founded by Daulat Rao Scindia in order to establish a military base.

Jai Vilas Palace in Gwalior was built by Lt.Col. Sir Michael Filose. The structure is similar to a conventional Mediterranean resort. Though the palace is made up of sand stone this gleaming white palace resembles a glistening marble structure. The entire building is built in resemblance to an Italian palazzo. It was constructed between the years 1872-74 in order to honour the visit of the 'Prince of Wales'. The following are some accounts regarding the construction of the fort.

Jai Vilas Palace in Gwalior
  • Out of all the rooms, 35 of them are now part of the Scindia Museum. The Scindia Museum has preserved some exquisite historical art and artifacts recovered from various parts of the world.
  • There is a spectacular crystal staircase that goes winding upto the magnificent Durbar Hall.
  • The ceiling of the hall is arched and is decorated with beautiful gold leaf carvings.
  • The ceilings hold 2 of world's beautiful chandeliers, weighing over 3 tons and with the capacity of holding 248 candles. The chandeliers are gilded with around 56 kilograms of gold. History accounts that to test the toughness of the structure, 10 elephants were made to climb upto the top with the help of a 2 km long ramp.
  • The carpet spread out on the floor of the hall is the largest carpet in whole of Asia. The carpet was made by the prisoners imprisoned in Gwalior jail.

  • The hall is also staffed with articles made up of Belgium cut glass and furniture of crystal.
  • You will also get to see collection of tiger hides that reflects the adventurous royal hunting sessions.
  • Exotic pieces like the Rolls Royce and German bubble car can also be seen.
  • There is also an interesting statue depicting Leda making love with Zeus, who is in disguise of a swan to beget the world renowned beauty, the Helen of Troy.
  • Another very fascinating feature of the Jai Vilas palace in Gwalior is the replica of a train that moves round to distribute edibles like brandy, dry fruits and cigars. The moment any object is lifted up from it, the train stops as the pressure on the track gets reduced.
Jai Vilas Palace


If somebody visits Gwalior, the Jai Vilas palace is a must see destination. The palace is open for public view from 9:30 to 5 pm and is closed only on Mondays.