The palace is located atop a hill in the Gadhio Hills and overlooks both the town of Wankaner and the Machchhu River.[3] The palace estate covers an area of 225 acres (91 ha) and has on its grounds the erstwhile British Residency, several bungalows, a garage housing a collection of vintage cars and buggies and a stable for Kathiawari horses.[4][5]
History
Construction of the palace began in 1907 and its foundation stone was laid by the Jamsaheb of Nawanagar, Ranjitsinhji, after whom the palace is named.[6][7] Ranjitsinhji was a close friend of the Maharana of Wankaner, Amarsinhji Banesinhji, who is thought to have designed the building.[8][9][10][7][3] It served as the residence of the royal family of Wankaner until 2012. The building suffered much damage in the Gujarat earthquake of 2001.[11]
Architecture
The palace was designed by the Maharana of Wankaner and is a mix of several styles of architecture including the Venetian-Gothic, Italianate, Mughal and Rajput styles.[12] The three-storeyed building features a Venetian-Gothic façade, carved jharokha balconies which are a feature of Rajput palaces, gothic arches and Doric columns and Franco-Italian windowpanes. There is an Italianate marble fountain in the front garden.[12][13] The sandstone of which the palace is built was sourced from quarries in Wankaner State.[14] The palace also has a clock tower topped with an onion dome which suffered extensive damage in the 2001 earthquake.
Much of the decor and furnishings of the palace was imported from Europe.[15] Its interiors are richly decorated and feature Italian marble flooring, Burma teak furniture and chandeliers from Murano and Belgium.[16] The walls of the palace are adorned with what is claimed to be the largest collection of hunting trophies in India.[17][18] An area of the palace was turned into a museum and the palace garage houses a collection of vintage cars.[19][20][21][22]
Recent history
The 2013 Hindi film Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola and Grand Masti was shot at the Ranjit Vilas Palace as was the 2023 film Gaslight.[23][24][25][26] In 2018, thieves broke into the palace and made away with loot worth Rs 3.4 million including silver chairs, a marble gold-plated Victorian clock and a silver replica of the Wankaner House in Mumbai.[27][28]
^Kinch, Laura; Sawday, Alistair (2006). India. Alastair Sawday Publications. p. 121. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
