Inside Indian royal Maharaja Padmanabh Singh’s opulent home in Jaipur’s City Palace – now available to rent on Airbnb
Princess Diana and Oprah Winfrey once stayed in the Rajasthani royal residence, and now you can book the same lavish butler-serviced Gudliya Suite on Airbnb – or if your budget won’t allow it, take a tour of the City Palace’s historic halls
Parts of his palatial residence are a museum, open to visitors who flock to see its historic artefacts, intricate carvings and paintings, but for the wealthier visitor, there is even a suite of rooms available on Airbnb, with the proceeds going to help support local rural women.
Here’s a look around the polo-loving, fashion-don, ramp-model prince’s home. Welcome to the City Palace, Jaipur.
The palace basics
The City Palace was part of a huge project to lay out a new city by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, who laid its foundation stone in 1727. Called Jaipur, it is now often referred to as the Pink City on account of the colour of much of the stone used.
The palace itself is a mixture of Rajput and Mughal architecture with the palace’s temples and other buildings built around several courtyards. There are three gates, two of them providing access to visitors today, while the current members of the royal family have exclusive use of the Tripolia gate.
The palace’s widespread use of inlaid ornamentation, mirrors and murals showcase the artistic traditions of Jaipur while displaying a significant part of the royal family’s heritage.
Mubarak Mahal
