Gulab Bhavan

The Gulab Bhavan showcases a refined fusion of European and Dogra design vernacular. The two-storey palace features locally quarried stone masonry, complemented by an elegant colonnaded verandah overlooking Dal Lake,^[3] and integrates structural motifs reminiscent of European palaces, such as pilasters and corniced window surrounds while retaining distinctly Indian spatial planning and proportions. The palace’s exterior is marked by symmetry and balance, with its rectangular massing further articulated by dominant verandahs and terraces that blur the boundary between indoor and outdoor realms.^[4]

Its interior boasted finely executed plasterwork, wood paneling, and detailed cornices, reflecting the craftsmanship of Dogra-era artisans under the oversight of Engineer Janki Nath Madan. Later enhancements by Maharaja Hari Singh maintained the building's coherent architectural character adding subtle decorative elements and landscape framing to preserve both its aesthetic continuity and visual prominence as a lakeside royal residence.^[5] The durbar hall, holds the India's first earthquake-proof systems. The main hall, or durbar hall, features one of the earliest earthquake-resistant systems in the Indian subcontinent from the twentieth century. It is adorned with a 2,000-square-foot carpet woven by Iranian craftsmen once imprisoned in Kashmir. It was so well-preserved that it appears freshly removed from the loom.^[6]

• https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/travel/hotels/Gulab-Bhawan/ps51719137.cms