Plinth and Coping from Nand Bhawan, Deeg Palace at Deeg, Bharatpur

Jeypore portfolio Part-1 Plate-22

Deeg (or Dig) is a town and fortress in the Bhartpur (Bharatpur) State of Rajputana, about 24 miles west of Mathura. Suraj Mall, the Raja of Bhartpur, who ruled A.D. 1757-1763, built the Garden Palaces here, of which the Nand-Bhawan is one, which are justly celebrated for their elegance of design. The beautiful cream coloured sandstone from quarries in the neighbourhood permits of perfection of workmanship, and affords scope for detail in carving.

The strong citadel with towering walls and bastions was erected slightly later in 1730 AD by Surajmal, the worthy son of Badansingh. About the same period according to certain writers the large charming tank called Rup Sagar was built by Rup Singh, the brother of Badan Singh. The beautiful garden retreat adorning this city is the most outstanding of the artistic accomplishments of Surajmal and serves to this day a glorious memorial to the celebrated hero of the Jat tribe. After the death of Surajmal, his son Jawahar Singh (1764 – 68 AD) completed certain palaces including the Suraj Bhawan and gave finishing touch to the gardens and fountains.

he Nand Bhavan is one of four main pavilions in the beautiful palace. The pavilions stand on each side of a square formal garden designed in the Persian-Mughal tradition of the char bagh. The garden is divided into four parterres by water channels filled with fountains running from each of the pavilions to an octagonal pool in the centre. The Nand Bhavan (c.1760) is built of yellow sandstone and lies on the northern edge of the garden. It is a single-storeyed, long, rectangular building raised on a terrace with a central hall. This view of the façade shows an arcade of seven arches beneath deep projecting double eaves or chajjas supported by carved brackets.

It is a spacious oblong hall raised on a terrace and enclosed by grand arcade of seven openings. The ceiling of the central portion of the hall is made of wood. Like other buildings it is also having a tank in front and well finished exterior.

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Part-1 Coping and Plinths

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