Datia Fort : Datia Palace is a historical palace located in Datia district of Madhya Pradesh, about 75 kilometers from Gwalior. Datia Palace is known for its special architecture. Datia, which was once a part of the Bundelkhand Empire, is considered to be from the Mahabharata period. During the Mahabharata period, Datia was known as the capital of King Dantavakra. This special Datia Palace of Datia, popular from historical and religious point of view, was built by Bundelkhand Raja Veer Singh Ju Dev. Datia Palace is also known as Satkhanda Palace. Datia Palace has seven parts. Datia Mahal is considered an example of the fusion of Mughal and Rajputi architecture.
दतिया महल | दतिया किला | Datia Mahal in Hindi Datia ka Kila
History – Datia Fort and Palace
Datia Mahal is known by many names like Satkhanda Mahal, Purana Mahal, Govind Mahal, Veer Singh Dev Mahal, Narsingh Mahal etc. 52 buildings were built by Raja Veer Singh of Bundelkhand, of which Datia Palace is the main one. This palace came into existence due to the friendship between Raja Veer Singh and Jahangir.
Jahangir of the Mughal Sultanate and Bundela king Veer Singh had become good friends. In those days, Jahangir’s struggle for the throne was going on and Raja Veer Singh was with him as Jahangir’s helper. With the aim of getting Jahangir the throne of Delhi, Raja Veer Singh had murdered Akbar’s special courtier Abul Fazal at the behest of Jahangir. This palace was also built by Raja Veer Singh to keep Jahangir safe. Although neither Jahangir ever spent time in this palace nor did the Bundela royal family live here, Datia Mahal became famous as a symbol of the friendship between Veer Singh and Jahangir.
Architecture – Datia Fort and Palace
Sir Admin Lutyens, who was a British architect, most of the buildings built by him are influenced by the architecture of Datia Palace.
Datia Fort – Construction Materials
Regarding the palace, it is believed that this palace stands without any support. Datia Mahal has been erected without any metal or wooden support. This palace is built entirely of stone and bricks. A mixture of pulses, jaggery and oil has been used as cement in the walls of the palace. There are 7 storeys in this fort, out of which two storeys are located below the ground, which can be called a basement, and their five The storey is above the ground. Datia Mahal is called Satkhanda Mahal because it is built in seven sections.
Datia Fort Rooms and Pillars
There is only one room on the fifth floor of the palace. The entire Datia city is visible from the roof of the palace. It took about 9 years to build this palace and about Rs 35 lakh was spent in building it. 440 rooms have been built inside the Datia Palace and along with the rooms, there are also many courtyards. The walls of the palace are decorated with very beautiful paintings which have been made with organic colors of flowers, leaves and vegetables.
Datia Palace displays Muslim and Rajputani styles. The palace presents an unmatched example of Rajputani style. There are Bari artefacts designs on the pillars in the palace which are diamond shaped shapes and add charm to the palace building.
Datia Fort – Paintings on Wall
The painting and carving work done at the entrance of the palace has been done very beautifully. The doors of the palace were decorated with pictures of Ganesha and horses which enhance the beauty of the entrance. While going to Datia Palace it seems as if we are in a maze.
The walls of the palace are carved with human figures depicting scenes from Bundeli dances. This dance is known as Rai dance which is a Bundelkhandi folk dance. In Rai dance, the dancers are seen dancing in a circle near white flowers.
Not only is the structure of Datia Palace special, but the huge courtyards, latticed windows and very beautiful artefacts of the palace attract the attention of the tourists coming here. A Dargah has also been built inside the Datia Palace complex. The main entrance of the palace faces the east and to the south of the palace is the Karan Sagar Lake which enhances its beauty. Ganesh Temple, Durga Temple and Dargah are the main attractions for tourists in Datia Palace.
Datia – Other Attractions
Apart from Datia Palace, there are some other famous attractions in Datia district. These include Baglamukhi Devi Temple, Dhumavati Mai Temple, Vankhandeshwar Temple of Lord Shiva during Mahabharata period. The temple of Goddess Pitambara Baglamukhi, Shri Siddheshwar Mahadev Temple and the white marble Jain temple at Sonagiri are located at village Kurthara, about 20 km from Datia city.
Datia Fort – Ticket price
Ticket Window: There is a ticket window arrangement to see the Datia Palace, in which the fort can be seen by taking a ticket of only Rs 25. About 3 to 4 hours is enough time to see Datia Palace. While visiting the fort, one must carry a torch with us as we can get confused seeing the paths of the fort.
How to reach Datia Fort
The nearest airport to Datia by air is Gwalior Airport in Madhya Pradesh, which is at a distance of about 75 kilometers from Datia. The journey from Gwalior to Datia can be easily covered by bus and taxi.
There is also a railway station in Datia which is a small station, hence most of the trains do not stop at this station but Jhansi and Gwalior railway stations can be easily reached by train. Both these stations are connected to all the major stations of the country directly or by connected trains. You can travel from Jhansi or Gwalior to Datia by private car or bus. There are direct buses from Jhansi to Datia every hour which will reach Datia in just one and a half hour.
If we talk about road then the journey is very easy. Tourists can reach here by traveling by car or bus. Datia is a small and busy city and hence there is not much accommodation available here.
Best time to visit Datia
The best season to visit Datia Palace is from October to March. During this period the weather here is pleasant. Datia is an attractive destination even during monsoon but the temperature here is very high during summer season.
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