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| Shivavilas palace, Sandur, Karnataka. facebook.com |
Across India there are countless palaces of beauty and grandeur built by the Maharajahs of the Princely states that were part of the British empire. The majority of them had spent lots of money to embellish the interiors to entertain the rich and famous and also the higher-ups from the Raj. No ordinary rich persons in India could surpass Maharajahs they way they lived in grand style with the garage full of expensive imported cars. The Shivavilas located close to the world famous UNESCO monuments at Hampi palace was turned into a heritage hotel long ago. Located close to the mountains and surrounded by wooded areas, the fine unpolluted environment and the easy vibe of this beautiful place offer the guests plenty of opportunities to relax and be free from madding urban life.
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| Shivavilas Palace, Sandur civilsocietyonline.com |
Shivavilas Palace, belonging to the family of Maharajah of Sandur, Bellary district, Karnataka, is now converted into a heritage hotel. The Cambridge-educated scion of the ruling family M.Y. Ghorpade, handed over his territory to the Government of India in 1949 in response to integration of princely states and small Samasthanams. Sandur State was a small princely state of India during the British Raj, part of the Madras Presidency; its capital being the town of Sanduru. From 1731 until the accession to India, the princely state was ruled by Marathi Brahmin royals. In July 1818 it became a British protectorate. Once it was home to many animals like Indian gazelle, peacocks, panthers, deer, etc. Rich in iron and manganese ores the district of Sanduru has many wooded areas and mines. The mining operations near the Hindu temple are completely banned as the temples happen to be protected monuments - more than 1000 years old..
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| Sandur princely state (now karnataka), India. upload.wikimedia.org |
We owe a debt of gratitude to Sri late Vallabhai Patel whose courage, determination and pragmatic approach completed a tough job of integrating various small states. He was instrumental in integrating as many as roughly 562 princely states across India . Apart, he did not give room to balkanization of newly formed country and handled a tough situation with vision and dexterity.
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| integration of princely states after 1948. selfstudyhistory.com |
the crux of the problem was the wily British after independence in 1947 lost the right to continue either paramountcy or the subsidiary alliances, hence gave the rulers the choice between being independent or join the Indian Union.
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| Shivavilas palace, Sandur, Bellary dis. KA..agoda.com |
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| Shivavilas palace, Sandur, KA littlethingssnehal.blogspot.com |
Nestled in the midst of lush greenery on a vast plot of over 20 acres, the hotel offers a homely ambiance and plenty of opportunities to loosen yourself and be from mundane stuff. Among the spa, bhajan hall, temples, car museum, private lounge, play areas, etc., you can choose anything to relax. You can also go for a long stroll around the palace under the shadows of tall trees.
The advantage you have is it is close to Hampi and is 18.1 km from Vidyanagar Airport, 8.6 km from Yeshwant Nagar Railway Station and 1.8 km from KSRTC BUS Depot. Welcom Heritage Shivavilas Palace, Sandur is situated close to Hampi a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed as the Group of Monuments at Hampi.
Built in the 1900s, and restored in 1941 with meticulous care, this palace has been a heritage hotel since 2012 under the management of WelcomHeritage Hotel. A well-maintained driveway lined with trees leads to the red-domed majestic palace.
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| Vintage cars, Shivavilas palace, sandur .tripzuki.com/hotels |
It is a 2 story palace covering a total built-up area of 20000 sq.ft each. In the open yard there is a fine piece of a bronze statue of a lady with a lamp heralding a heart welcome to the guests. it was a gift from the Raja of Pudukottai Samasthanam, Tamil Nadu. The pillars, the corridors and the arches of the two floors of the palace overlook the courtyard. The first floor, the is an attractive one with residential section comprising 12 rooms and suites of which the most favorite one is Maharani Suite . Also impressive is the Maharajah suite.
The palace's GF has two temples, a billiards room with bar, and a ‘durbar hall, besides dinning area. Additional attractions are a small library with rare books, etc., and some over 100 years old, copies of National Geographic magazine. The Maharajah's garage includes mostly vintage cars a hunting Jeep, a Mercedes and a Dodge. The palace has enormous embellishment in many parts making the interiors more attractive. As to its architect, no information is available and the design is a blend of Indo European.
The local attraction here is the 1200 year old temple, a protected monument in the midst of a forest area dedicated to Kumaraswamy, son of God Shiva. The temples were built by the then ruling dynasty - Chalukyas.
”https://www.civilsocietyonline.com/travel/an-oasis-in-a-valley/
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