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{{Infobox building
| name = Rajmahal
| image = Rajmahal Mehsana Gujarat India.jpg
| image_size =
| image_alt = 
| image_caption = Rajmahal from southwest corner
| map_type =
| map_alt =
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| map_dot_label =
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| relief =
| status =
| cancelled =
| topped_out =
| building_type = Palace
| architectural_style = [[Indo-Saracenic architecture]]
| classification =
| location =
| address = Near old bus station, Rajmahal road,
| location_city = [[Mehsana]]
| location_country = India
| coordinates = {{coord|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| altitude =
| current_tenants = Vacant
| namesake =
| groundbreaking_date =
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| completion_date = 1904
| opened_date =
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| renovation_date =
| closing_date = 2017
| demolition_date = 
| cost = {{INRConvert|443532|year=1904}}
| ren_cost =
| client = [[Sayajirao Gaekwad III]]
| owner = [[Gaekwad dynasty|Gaekwad family]]
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| diameter =
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| structural_system =
| material = Bricks, wood, mortar, stone
| size =
| floor_count = 3
| floor_area = {{convert|30322.64|sqft|m2}}
| elevator_count =
| grounds_area =
| architect = [[Frederick William Stevens]]
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| rooms = 130
| parking =
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|mapframe-zoom =14
|mapframe-marker= building
}}
'''Rajmahal''' is a palace in [[Mehsana]], [[Gujarat]], India. Built in 1904 by [[Sayajirao Gaekwad III]] of [[Baroda State]], it was used as the government office and later as the court until 2017. It has three floors and 130 rooms.

==History==
[[Gaekwad]]s conquered [[Vadodara|Baroda]] and established [[Baroda State]] in 1721. They expanded their rule in north Gujarat and established [[Patan, Gujarat|Patan]] as its administrative headquarters. Later the headquarters was moved to [[Kadi, Gujarat|Kadi]] and subsequently to Mehsana in 1902 when the city was connected by the [[Gaekwar's Baroda State Railway]] which was opened in 1887.<ref name=":0" />

As a public relief during the [[Indian famine of 1899–1900|famine of 1899–1900]],<ref name=":1" /> [[Sayajirao Gaekwad III]] built the palace, Rajmahal, in 1904 (Vikram Samvat 1956) at a cost of {{INRConvert|443532|year=1904}}. It was designed by the English architect [[Frederick William Stevens]].<ref name=":0"/><ref>{{Cite web|last=Aklekar|first=Rajendra B.|date=2017-04-22|title=A Sentimental Visit to Mumbai to See Her Great Grandfather's Magnificent Buildings|url=https://thewire.in/history/victoria-terminus-chatrapati-shivaji-terminus-mumbai-f-w-stevens|access-date=2020-11-06|website=The Wire|language=en|quote=court houses at Mehsana for the Gaekwads of Baroda.}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |no-tracking=yes |date=2003 |title= Journal of the Indian Institute of Architects|publisher=The Indian Institute of Architects |page=28 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=gqtUAAAAMAAJ&q=Frederick+William+Stevens+Mehsana|journal=Journal of the Indian Institute of Architects}} (Collection of Volume 68, Issue 1 - Volume 69, Issue 12)</ref> Intended for his son, Fatehsinhrao Gaekwad, who died shortly afterwards in 1908, the palace was then handed over to the municipal authorities.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Sergeant|first=Philip W.|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.276073|title=The Ruler of Baroda: An Account of the Life and Work of the Maharaja Gaekwar|publisher=John Murray|year=1928|location=Albemarle Street, London|pages=226–229}}</ref> In 1960, when Mehsana was made the district headquarters of [[Mehsana district]], the palace was rented by the Government as the Collector's Office. Later it was used as the district court until 2017.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=2020-09-17|title=હેરિટેજ ટુરિઝમ: સરકારની હેરિટેજ પૉલિસીની જાહેરાત, મહેસાણાના ઐતિહાસિક રાજમહેલને મ્યુઝિયમ બનાવવાની રજૂઆત રાજ્યકક્ષાએ પેન્ડિંગ|url=https://www.divyabhaskar.co.in/local/gujarat/mehsana/news/announcement-of-governments-heritage-policy-proposal-to-make-the-historic-palace-of-mehsana-a-museum-pending-at-state-level-127725530.html|access-date=2020-11-06|website=Divya Bhaskar|language=gu}}</ref><ref name="MSNNP">{{cite web|title=Mehsana Nagarpalika, Mehsana|url=http://mehsananagarpalika.com/mehsana.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161104173054/http://mehsananagarpalika.com/mehsana.html|archive-date=4 November 2016|access-date=1 February 2017|website=Mehsana Nagarpalika|language=gu}}</ref><ref name="GG1975">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JycbAAAAIAAJ|title=Gujarat State Gazetteers: Mehsana District|publisher=Directorate of Government Print., Stationery and Publications, [[Government of Gujarat]]|year=1975|editor=S. B. Rajyagor|series=Gujarat State Gazetteers|volume=5|pages=805|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170216021852/https://books.google.com/books?id=JycbAAAAIAAJ|archive-date=2017-02-16|url-status=live}}</ref> The palace is unused since and the Gaekwad family is under process in the court to take over its possession. There is a proposal to convert it in a heritage hotel as well as a museum.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|date=2018-06-05|title=સયાજીરાવ ગાયકવાડના પ્રપૌત્રે મહેસાણાના રાજમહેલની મુલાકાત લીધી|url=https://www.navgujaratsamay.com/the-grandson-of-sayajirao-gaekwad-visited-mehsana-s-palace/74256.html|access-date=2020-11-06|website=NavGujarat Samay|language=gu}}</ref><ref name=":1" />

==Architecture==
The palace is spread over an area of {{convert|30322.64|sqft|m2}}. It has three floors and 130 rooms in total; the ground floor with 70 rooms, the first floor with 55 rooms and the second floor with five rooms. The palace is crowned by one large onion-shaped dome, eight small onion-shaped domes and eight small pyramidal domes.<ref name=":1" />

There is a statue of Sayajirao Gaekwad III in the open square in front of the palace.<ref name=":2" />

== See also ==

* [[Boter Kothani Vav]]
* [[Para Lake]]
* [[Nagalpur Lake]]

==References==
{{commons category}}
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Palaces in Gujarat]]
[[Category:Royal residences in India]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Mehsana district]]
[[Category:Mehsana]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1904]]
[[Category:Houses completed in 1904]]
[[Category:Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture]]
[[Category:Baroda State]]

Rajmahal, Mehsana - Revision history

imported>Shyamsunder: added Category:Baroda State using HotCat