The Palace Of Allusions

As we live and breathe in the crosshairs of wars, did you know that there's a palace in Indore inspired by the place where the treaty of Versailles was signed, which brought World War I to an uneasy end? And beneath this palace lies a 400-metre long secret tunnel, but it was no hidden passage for spies. Instead, it catered to the royal banquet back in its time.The Lalbagh Palace housed the Holkar dynasty and it served as a centre of political meetings, diplomatic receptions and evening gatherings attended by guests from princely states and the British administration. The secret tunnel was made for the express purpose of carrying food from a street away to the palace so the royal walls may not feel or suffer the heat or tolls of cooking."The palace had extensive wooden interiors and valuable artefacts, so cooking inside the building was avoided," said Ashutosh Mahashabde, assistant curator, Lalbagh Palace. Today the tunnel has been sealed and the Saraswati river that once flowed beside the palace has almost disappeared from the city's landscape.Lalbagh was heavily influenced by the Renaissance movement. Renaissance translates to rebirth and as we speak, the palace is undergoing a rebirth again. And at the heart of the conservation efforts are artisans like Ekhlaq Ahmad, a carpet weaver who understands the importance and consequences of unravelling historical threads. The 62-year-old hails from Bhadohi in UP, a town globally known for its carpet weaving tradition.Inside Lalbagh's Darbar Hall, which is the first and grandest space here, Ahmad sat cross-legged, carefully repairing carpets that are nearly eighty years old, when he spoke to TOI. His hands continued to move across the threads, repairing tiny holes caused by insects even as he spoke. "These carpets are very delicate. Every damaged thread must be repaired carefully so that the original design remains intact," Ahmad said.Ahmad arrived in Indore with his two sons Bilal Ahmad and Jalal Ahmad. "This craft has been in our family for four generations," he said. More than fifty carpets inside Lalbagh are undergoing restoration. The process involves dusting, washing, drying and painstakingly repairing damaged sections thread by thread.Bilal Ahmad, who assists his father, said restoring the carpets feels like working with history. "These carpets were made decades ago. When we repair them we try to preserve the original weaving style." And retaining the original essence is what the project is aiming for as well.After leaving the palace in neglect for years, in November 2023, the state archaeology department initiated a large conservation project in collaboration with the tourism department and the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts.Mahashabde, said the restoration effort focuses on conserving original elements rather than replacing them. "The idea is to retain the original character while ensuring structural stability," he said.Not just Ekhlaq, the project has brought together experts and artisans from across the country. Teams from Delhi, Pune, Bhadohi, Panipat and Banaras have been working inside the palace on antique chairs, woodwork, paintings and fabrics.The construction of the palace had begun in 1849 during the reign of Maharaja Tukoji Rao II Holkar and was completed in the early twentieth century. Now, the palace reflects the ruins and legacy of the Holkar dynasty that ruled Indore for nearly two centuries. Mahashabde said Lalbagh Palace also stands out architecturally in the region. "It is the only palace in central India that is fully inspired by European architecture. Another interesting aspect is its orientation. The palace has been constructed in the north-south direction, which is unusual compared to many other royal residences of that period," he said.Officials say a major portion of the conservation work is expected to be completed before the upcoming Simhastha festival.Today, Lalbagh Palace receives nearly one thousand visitors every day. But the palace offers more than architectural beauty. It allows visitors to imagine the life that once unfolded here: The music that once echoed in the ballroom, the formal gatherings in the Darbar Hall and the elaborate preparations behind royal banquets.