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Udaipur, Rajasthan: A museum within Udaipur's majestic 16th century City Palace has drafted a major conservation and restoration plan.
The museum, which registers a footfall of 650,000 tourists each year, is home to precious paintings, pictures and armoury belonging to the Sisodia Rajput royals. It is these that the Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation (MMCF)-Paul Getty Project seeks to preserve.
"In the 16th century, Mughal emperor Jahangir captured Udaipur in his desperate effort to crush Mewar, so the existence of antique explosives in unexplored areas of the palace complex needed investigation," Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, the erstwhile prince, said.
Hidden explosives
"My father, Arvind Singh Mewar, directed that as part of preliminary measures, a survey and search should be carried out with the latest explosives detection instruments to ensure that there were no remains of antique explosive devices," he said. His father is chairman and managing trustee of MMCF.
The City Palace, whose foundation was laid in 1959, is built in granite and marble. Located on a hillock, it is surrounded by crenellated fort walls.
A blend of Medieval European and Chinese architecture, the palace complex has several remarkable buildings, gardens and fountains. It houses two heritage hotels - Shiv Niwas Palace and Fateh Prakash Palace - besides the museum.
The museum itself comprises the Mardana Mahal and Zenana Mahal.
Mardana Mahal, originally for royal men, has Mor Chowk with unique glass mosaics of peacocks set in the walls and showing the seasons of summer, winter and monsoon. It also has Moti Mahal and Sheesh Mahal, which boasts of inlaid mirror work.
It also has Bhim Vilas with the stories of Hindu gods Radha-Krishna painted on the walls and a glass mosaic gallery and a panoramic city view.
Zenana Mahal, the queen's quarters to the south, has frescoes, wall paintings and an art gallery that boasts of a distinctive collection of Mewar paintings.
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