Hazarduari Palace

Murshidabad was the capital of Bengal under the Nawabs before the East India Company took control after Plassey in 1757, and Hazarduari was built in 1837 in Italianate style by a British architect for Nawab Nazim Humayun Jah. Its name means a thousand doors, and the count is close: around nine hundred are real and roughly a hundred are false, built into the walls so that anyone fleeing or intruding would be caught trying one that opened onto nothing. The building is now a museum holding the Nawabs' arms, portraits, palanquins, a large collection of paintings, and a mirror said to be positioned so the Nawab could see the door behind him.

History

The palace, once known as the Bara Kothi, was built in the 19th century in Neoclassical style to designs by Colonel Duncan McLeod, within the Kila Nizamat at Murshidabad. Its name means "the one with a thousand doors", a hundred of them false, made so that any thief would be confused trying to escape; with the Nizamat Imambara it has been a Monument of National Importance since 1977 (Wikipedia, Hazarduari Palace).

What you'll find

• The false doors - roughly a hundred doors that open onto nothing.
• The armoury - the Nawabs' weapons including Siraj-ud-Daulah's material.
• The durbar hall - the audience room with its chandelier.
• The Imambara - the large ceremonial building opposite the palace.

When to go

October to March; Bengal summers are severe. The museum closes on Fridays. Muharram brings ceremonies at the Imambara opposite.

Practical notes

Photography inside is prohibited entirely and bags are deposited. Murshidabad is a long trip from Kolkata with limited accommodation. Several other monuments in the town are ruined and unlabelled.

Nearby

Katra Masjid and the Nawabs' tombs lie nearby; Kolkata is south.

Key facts