The Palace was built by Rao Vijayraj Ji in the year 1929 and has been maintained very well by the government of Gujarat. The palace has been so famous that many of the Bollywood movies have been shot here. The architecture of the Palace resembles that of the Rajput style while it has been built out of red sandstone. The architecture of the palace has a dome in the center while on the ends of the palace the domes resemble that of Bengal style, the corners are adorned with the bastions alongwith the colorful windows of glass. The patio that is on the upper level gives a wonderful view of the nearby places and the tomb of the king can also be viewed from here. The palace is located at a distance of 7 km from the main city. The timings to visit the palace is 9 to 1 in the morning while 3 to 6 in evening. The cost of the ticket to visit the palace is normal charges of Rs.20 while to do photography one has to pay Rs.50 and if a private vehicle is to take in the palace one has to spend an extra Rs.10.

History

The construction of the palace happened in the rule of Maharao Shri Khengarji III who was the known to be the Maharao of Kutch. This palace was mainly constructed to be the resort used during the summer season by Maharao’s son Yuvraj Shri Vijayraiji and his kingdom. The palace has been named after the Yuvraj and hence is called Vijaya Vilas Palace. The palace constructions begin in the year 1920 and the construction was completed in 1929. The palace has been constructed using the red sandstone. The architecture of the Palace resembles that of the Rajput style and the design of the palace is very similar to Orchha and Datia. The palace has a dome in its center that stands on the strong pillars and on the sides of the palace is the Bengal style domes with the colored window glasses, the decorated and carved jalis, and the curved mainstays are also very attractive that stand in the corner of the palace. The Palace is surrounded by the green and lush gardens that are fed by the water that flows from different water channels and in the center stands a fountain made from the marble stone. The Chhatri of Vijayraj ji is alo housed in the palace complex. He died in the year 1948.

Architecture

The Vijaya Vilas Palace is bounded by the beautiful landscapes and the fully decorated gardens. The gardens have rich flora and fauna and the garden is watered using the various channels of water and the garden also has marvelous fountains that have the boundaries made out of marble. The Palace has the rich architecture that resembles the Rajput styles. The architecture of the palace is very similar to that of Orcha and Datia palaces. The remarkable architecture of the Vijay Vilas Palace displays the dome at the center that stands on the support of the surrounding pillars, the windows have colorful glasses that adds to the beautification of the palace, the carvings and engravings on the walls and windows of the palace makes the palace even more notable, the fortresses on the corners are also significant and the noticeable factor is the prolonged entryway. The cool breeze that flows on the private beach attached to the palace is one of the major attractions for the visitors coming to this place. The visitors enjoy their stay in the tents that are put up on the beach. The scenic beauty of the beach sooths eyes of the visitors.

Present Status

The private beach of the Vijay Vilas Palace provides a comfortable stay in the tented accommodation since the cool breeze flows near the beach. This palace has been shot in many of the Bollywood movies and is one of the major tourist attractions for the people visiting state of Gujarat. The scenes of the famous Bollywood movie Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam has been shot at various places in the Vijaya Vilas Palace. In the current time the palace has been occupied by the Royal family of the Cutch. This palace was during the previous years was used a destination as a summer resort. The palace got destroyed during the earthquake that happened in the state of Gujarat in the year 2001. The other palace that got destructed in this earthquake was the Prag Mahal. The palace now also has a museum in its complex.

How to Reach Bhavnagar

The city has been well connected to the nearby places via roads and trains. The airport in the city is also well connected to the major airports in the country. The rail line in the city is also connected well via the rail lines of other places in the country.

By Air

The city of Bhavnagar has its own domestic airport where the flights from nearby places ply to this airport. Majorly flights operated by Kingfisher and Jet Airways run here.

By Bus

The city can be visited by taking a bus. Both the luxury and non-luxury buses run on the route. Fare of the air-conditioned and non-air conditioned buses run while the fare of air-conditioned buses is quite high than the other types of buses.