Published on - 21-Sep-2018
When passing through the Gwalior-Jhansi railway line, one can witness the east facing Palace of Datia built on a high plinth. Designed in the form of a Swastik, the 7-storeyed palace is entirely made of stone and brick and without ant cement or steel. This is not the only fact that categorizes the building so unique. The palace of Datia is famously known as the Bir Singh Deo palace, after its founder, is quite significant in the history of architecture as it one of the few palaces in central India which presents a spectacular amalgamation of Mughal and Hindu architecture, which in turn defies the fact this amalgam was an invention of the British architects. The palace was also admired by Sir Edwin Lutyens, who in his own words, referred the palace as “one of the most interesting buildings architecturally in the whole world.” The sophisticated and ambitious Bundela king Bir Singh Deo was one of the most prolific patronages of architecture of his time.
Bir Singh Deo, seventh of the eight sons born to third Orcha ruler, had a thin possibility to secure Orcha gaddi, against his elder brother Ram Shah. Ram Shah had a strong alliance with the Mughals under Akbar’s Empire. On the August 12, on the command of Jahangir, Bir Singh Deo assassinated Akbar’s Chief Minister, who might have hindered Jahangir’s chance of attaining the Mughal Throne. However, after being chased by the Mughal forces for three years, Bir Singh Deo was never caught and eventually was rewarded with Orcha’s Throne by Jahangir once he became the Mughal Emperor. Bir Singh Deo during his reign in Orcha enjoyed the position as one of Jahangir’s most trusted confidants. With the tremendous power, he also gathered an enormous amount of wealth by supplying Foot-soldiers to the Mughal Emperor. Large sums of this wealth were invested in extensive architectural programmes, due to which he is still considered as the only Rajput king to be so noticeably associated with architectural patronage. Besides palaces, the Orcha king heavily endorsed prominent temples, ghats, Dharmshalas, kunjs etc. His two premier palaces the Jahangir Mahal at Orcha and the Govind Mahal at Datia exhibits distinct architectural style developed under the Bundela reign. The Jahangir palace was built in honor of his benefactor and Mughal king Jahangir to celebrate and mark their affinity, although there is no mention in Mughal archives or Jahangir’s diaries about his visit to Orcha. Bir Singh’s style was a colorful mix of Vernacular and Cosmopolitan architectural elements. The term vernacular refers to the local arts developed within the kingdom of Orcha since its conception. Cosmopolitan on the other hand refers to the style adapted from the Mughals and art inspired from the Vaishnav Bhakti movements from the 15th century.
What made Bir Singh Deo’s reign a paradigm of distinct architectural monuments. There are several factors that must be studied. Firstly, with greater wealth, Bir Singh Deo also possessed a modern outlook due to his vital connections with the Mughals. When he started building he had access to better builders, artisans, and craftsmen. With rich materials and heavy money, he was able to create a series of rich and distinct monuments. Secondly, his reign was more peaceful compared to his predecessors, which gave him ample time to focus his resources in the building. Thirdly, by the time Bir Singh Deo took over Orcha, there already existed a rich and diverse architectural vocabulary developed under the rule of Akbar, which allowed him to expand these architectural forms with the introduction of local elements.
The Jahangir palace is built on a high ground on a high plinth to dominate its surroundings. The two out of seven storeys are underground, which holds a number of underground, weather-proof chambers. The central dome is topped with lotus petal shaped shikhara- a typical style of Bundela Architecture. Beside this, cusped arches, particularly of the keyhole-shaped, were also used in Bundela architecture of that time and are also present in the decoration of the palace’s main spaces. Other architectural details also present here reflect motifs from the reign of Shahjahan, including carvings of flowers and vessels, broad cusped arches etc.
The Jahangir Mahal complex contains three prominent elements namely- untkhana, Anand Mandal Bagh and hammam. The untkhana, which is a place for assembly is a single-storeyed rectangular building with vaulted ceilings. The hammam on the other side was also single-storeyed designed as per the standards of bathing structures during the era of Akbar. The Anand Mandal Bagh, as the name suggests was the garden laid out in a grid-like pattern. It was quite different from the Mughal charbagh concept as it lacked a principal axis. The mostly paved garden had soiled filled octagonal planters containing trees. Jahangir palace presents an enhanced version of a typical Bundela palace style by adding a layer of intricate, complex and luxuriate spaces. The elevations of the massive 5 storey building read like a stepped pyramid transforming into a domed-tower like structure. The thoughtful and rhythmic placement ornamented chhajjas, chhatris, and trellis at various levels beautifully integrate with the rest of the building. Architect Raj Rewal refers to the futuristic design approach of the internal courtyards of the palace by describing how efficiently it exhibits the principle of micro-climate, free from heat and dust. The courtyards that are protected by external walls act as light and air well and also render it as a vibrant space by casting changing patterns of light throughout the day.
The Jahangir palace also features the overhang, red sandstone, jaali enclosed corridors that run throughout the exterior of the building on the second and third floor. This kind of enclosed corridor at the exterior has been rarely seen at early Bundela Palaces. While breaking the monotony of the smooth exterior wall, these balconies also provide a rhythmic texture to the façade by the shadows cast by many supporting brackets. The variety of themes and murals painted in the Jahangir Palace take inspiration from several time periods in history like Mauryan and Mughals sources etc. For example, the motif of Waterfowl present in the palace was considered auspicious in the Mauryan period in early 3rd BC. On the other hand, the depictions of flora, fauna and vessel motifs were inspired from the Jahangiri decorations.
It has been highlighted earlier, that during the reign of Bir Sing Deo, the Bundela achieved paramount of territorial estates and distinct cultural expression. It is quite evident that Bir Singh Deo’s affinity with the Mughal Emperor Jahangir facilitated the large accumulation of wealth in the Bundelas. This scale of capital was generously spent on lavish architectural projects throughout the region including various palaces and temples, apparently categorized Bir Singh Deo as one of the highest architectural patrons of Hindustan. His architecture was marked by formal complexity, soaring scale of buildings, and the supreme degree of ornamentation and highest level of sophistication. His buildings presented beautiful spectacular fusions of Mughal and earlier Rajput design with vernacular traditions of palace buildings. In the realm of murals, this juxtaposition was also noticeable as the artists who were working for the courts like Bundi, Amber and Orcha were simultaneously engaged in Mughal art. This collaboration resulted in derivatives of indigenous painting styles established in Sultanate period.
Govind Mahal at Datia is located on an elevated plinth; it is one of the most noticeable palatine structures in the time of Raja Bir Singh Deo. Govind Mahal rises out of a vast landscape as a lotus grows out of the water. This citadel holds resemblance with a stepped pyramid having rendered with domes and central tower. This design makes Govind Mahal more striking among other Hindustani fortresses. Out of seven stories, two stories are below the ground level; these were using as private places, weather-proof space or militarily importance. Surrounding the courtyard, there stand three stories which were used as elite chambers and apartments. Rest of the two stories presumably belong to Bir Singh Deo and these five stories above the ground are situated at the center of palace chowk.
The palace is square in shape and symmetrical also. It offers different views when is seen from different directions. From the east, it seems tall, squared block and punctuated by domes, chhatris and corner bastions. From the north and west the structure seems more horizontal and less block-like. From the west only 4 stories are visible as hills slopes upwards here. Seen from different directions the stepped pyramidal profile, culminating tower and corner bastions accentuate greater visual prominence.
Like the Jahangir Mahal in Orchha, Datia Palace allows space for a neighboring citadel and huge interconnected tanks to the south and west of the palace. Water tank in the west direction of the palace which is called Lala ka Talab is a huge water tank situated in the west direction of the mahal helps to cool air which flows from the west.
The builders used Jahangir Mahal, Orchha as the model while they were designing the Datia Palace. Similar floor plans, the location, and form of eight domed towers, the hanging external towers and battered bastions are the elements which were borrowed from Jahangir Mahal. Yet, Govind Mahal maintains a great sense of fineness and visual restraint which make it more imposing than Orchha Palace. From its eastern facade, one can get a view of five stories while in the case of Orchha there are three stories visible.