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About Akhand Chandi Palace

admin — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 11:27:16 +0000

The Akhand Chandi Palace in Chamba should be seen as soon as possible. Its intricate wooden carvings, glass work, painted walls; the specially commissioned ceiling is deteriorating because there are no funds to restore them. Raja Umed Singh built this palace as a place for himself and his family to live in somewhere around the middle of the 18th century. Later kings like Raja Sham Singh, Capt. Marshall and Raja Bhuri made their own modifications to the beautiful palace. Much later, the palace was sold to the government. Stand at this monument to flamboyant good taste and you are treated to a magnificent view of the Chamba Valley, Chaugan, Laxmi Narayan Temple, Sui Mata Temple, Chamunda Devi Temple, Rang Mahal, Hari Raj Temple and Bansi Gopal Temple. Definitely not a sight to be missed on your visit to Chamba Valley.

Rang Mahal | Rang Mahal History

admin — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 11:22:03 +0000

One of the largest monuments, Rang Mahal is located in Surara Mohalla. The foundation of Rang Mahal was laid by Raja Umed Sing (1748-1764). The super structure of RangMahal, which is in brick belongs to a later date with its southern portion built around 1860 by Raj Sri Singh. The architecture of Rang Mahal is an amalgam of Mughal and British styles. This palace was the residence for a branch of the ruling family. Its fort like looks justify its use as royal granary and treasury which is on its western side. Once the palace must have hummed with activity of busy servant and the frolics of the royal blood but now under the aegis of Handicrafts Department of the State Government, most of the rooms of this palace are being used as work-shops for making shoes, chapples and rumals. A number of decorative and colorful wall painting have been removed and taken to National Museum of Delhi. Some of the wall paintings and richly painted doors of the palace can be seen preserved in the Bhuri Singh Museum of Chamba.

Chamunda Devi Temple History

admin — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 11:15:23 +0000

It is commandingly located on the spur of Shah Madar range of hills, opposite to the Chamba town. It was built by Raja Umed Singh (dated between 1748 and 1764 AD). It is the only wooden temple with gabled roof (single storied) in Chamba, while all others in the town are said to be stone temples built in the north Indian Nagara architectural style. In the past, access to the temple was through a stone paved steep path laid with 378 steps, but it is now approached by a motorable road (3 kilometres (3,000 m). The temple, a trabeated structure, built on a high raised plinth, buttressed on all four sides, has a rectangular layout on the outside. The details of the temple structure are: Outer layout – 9.22 metres (30.2 ft)x6 metres (20 ft), inner square sanctum – 3.55 metres (11.6 ft)x3.55 metres (11.6 ft) with a parikrama path (circumambulatory path) of 1.67 metres (5.5 ft) all round it. There is a mandap in the foreground of the temple of5.1 metres (17 ft)x6 metres (20 ft) size with an agni-kund or fire pit in the centre and a gable roof covered with slates. The mandapa has lovely carvings in wood in its multi paneled ceiling and depicts carvings of human figures on the pillars and brackets. Votive bells provided in the mandap entrance, dated April 2, 1762, has a Nagari inscription, which records it as the offering from Pandit Vidhadhara to goddess Chamunda deified in the temple; this date has been inferred as the date when the temple was consecrated.