The City Palace And Museum

The City Palace was built in 1793 A.D. by Raja Bakhtawar Singh. It represents an intermingling of Rajput and Mughal styles. It has graceful marble pavilions set on lotus flower bases in the central courtyard.

Once, this palace was part of the Maharaja's ornate lifestyle and housed, among other things, a drinking cup cut out of a single emerald in its treasury and a mammoth, double storeyed four-elephant carriage in its stables. However, the palaces have since been converted into the district collectorate, and its hall and chambers have been turned into government offices.

Museum

The City Palace Museum has a wonderful collection of exhibits of the personal wealth of the Maharajas of Alwar and some rare manuscripts including an illustrated Mahabharata on a 200 foot long scroll. Other prized pieces here are illustrated manuscripts of Gulistan, Shahnama, and on material Emperor Babur’s life. There are also some fine Ragamala paintings and miniatures from the Alwar, Bundi and Mughal School. It has an armory section, which has some historic swords belonging to the likes of Sultan Muhammad Ghori, Emperor Akbar and Aurangzeb.