You remember the BBC detective serial “Sherlock Holmes“?
The sharpest of the minds, acted by Jeremy Brett, cracking the murder cases? 🕵️♂️
We will be touching briefly those times 📜
19th Century Lifestyle
When people were excessively dressed, men wore tall hats, usually had an overcoat, and a walking stick to match.
Women wore corsets and gowns.
Instead of cars, travelers used beautifully designed, horse drawn carriages, with oil maps, and had large springs for comfort, a two-door cabin with dual footsteps for easy entry and exit.
In Part 5, I call upon you to follow me to the stupendous collection of Royal horse carriages.
They will take you back hundred fifty years back 🏇
| In Part 1, we have seen the palace, its grounds, the ‘jharokas’ and its imposing structure overlooking the Gondal River 🏰 |
| Part 2 of the Naulakha Palace series, gave us a glimpse of the outstanding objects, the library and the Royal family’s love for ships and seas ⚓🤴 |
| In Part 3, you may have seen the Royal customs, unique objects and the Queen’s kitchen 🖼️ |
| In Part 4, you have seen the majestic collection of crockeries and chandeliers at the Royal Palace of Naulakha🍽️🔪 |
| The Part 6 will showcase the Royal collection of toys, that include the scaled models of trains, planes and classic cars 🚗🚂 |
Where’s Naulakha Palace?
through the lanes and slender roads towards the river Gondal.
Let’s quickly find out where is this Palace before we become a blur in our Royal quest.
Specially for the first-time readers who did not get a chance till now to visit the Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.
The Fiaker Stand house
parking garage specifically for horse-drawn carriages,
known as the “Fiaker stand”
Landau Carriages
a four-wheeled, featured a folding two-part roof, designed to
be fully enclosed or open. It was elegant, often used for ceremonial
and formal occasions; could carry four passengers facing each
other with the driver on top upfront
that drapes over the stagecoach body. Observe the
curved levers on the sides that arch upward as the soft top
is folded down. Enhanced springs contribute to a smoother
ride and increased passenger comfort
Brougham
is a light, four-wheeled from the 19th century Victorian age,
used by the middle class and aristocrats.
Enclosed with two doors with seating for two.
The front featured a driver’s box seat for the driver.
A glazed front window sported in the front
and padded doors for passenger comfort. The windows
were covered by a folding mesh for privacy.
Both, hard top and soft tops can be seen with rolling
canvases at Naulakha Palace, Gondal, Gujarat
Buggy
with simple design, built for two people, generally
drawn by one or two horses. Popular name is a roadster or a trap,
it can have two to four wheels. Same is still used by Amish in the USA
Cabriolet
a light two-wheeled carriage pulled by a single horse developed
in France, was used at Paris and London. Held two occupants,
one of which is the driver, and has a rear platform was modified
to hold extra people. Sherlock Homes preferred one for its agility
Horse, Carriage equipment
used for horse and the carriages control and management
displayed at Naulakha Palace Gondal
Wrap up, stagecoaches
We take a break, for a cup of coffee ☕ which we carried in our flask.
The Royal family of Gondal used these vehicles for diverse purposes, including ceremonial processions, hunting expeditions. Interestingly, these names were carried over to motor cars after horse drawn carriages became obsolete.
Part 6
The sun had tilted to the western horizon. We were about to enter the last section of our brilliant Naulakha Palace. This was my favorite. We had an hour left from 5 pm. In Part 6, you will see the Royal family’s collection of international toy collection of cars, planes and trains.
Hope you are enjoying the Palace tour with us 🏰😊
Inference
- Anyone who loves museums will really like the Palace relics
- Remember, not to use camera everywhere as restrictions to photograph apply within the palace
| Distance from Orchard Palace to the Naulakha Palace | 1.7 kms |
| Best time to visit | December through early March, avoid summers. Wear cotton clothes as Gujarat does not have any winters |
| Timings | 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM (Closed from 2.30 pm to 3 pm for lunch) Time Required: 4 hours Closed on Sunday |
| Parking | The Naulakha Palace has its own parking |
| Pocket pinch | Entry Fee: Indians – Orchard Palace Rs.150 when we went, perhaps Rs.200 now Camera – Rs.150 Mobile camera – Rs.100 Video Shooting charge: Rs.200 Palace Guide Cost – Rs.200 for 2 hours |
| Places to visit around | Shri Swaminarayan Mandir The Orchard Palace Shri Ramanath Dham |
SPITFIRE GAUTAM 