Begum Samru's Palace / Bhagirath
Palace
Location:Begum Samru's Palace
can be reached by taking the road just before the Kumar Cinema Hall on
the main Chandni Chowk Road when coming from the direction of Red Fort.
Famous as: Bhagirath Palace
Time to Visit: Open on all
days
Preferred Timings: sunrise
to sunset
Admission Fees: Free and
open to all
Photography charges: nil
How to Reach:Tourists can
either take local buses from various points within the city to reach this
structure located in South Delhi, or they can hire auto-rickshaws and taxis
or metro rail.
Nearest Railway Station:
Old Delhi Railway Station
Nearest Metro Station:Delhi
Main
Functional Metro Station:
Delhi Main
Nearest International Airport:
Indira Gandhi International Airport
Time required for sightseeing:1
hour
Begum Samru's Palace can
be reached by taking the road just before the Kumar Cinema Hall on the
main Chandni Chowk Road when coming from the direction of Red Fort. Popularly
known as the Bhagirath Palace and North India's biggest electrical goods
wholesale market, Begum Samru's Palace is located just behind a Hindu shrine
surrounded by trees.
Now a very busy commercial
place, it is difficult for a visitor to imagine the building in its original
grandeur with a lovely sprawling garden stretching till Chandni Chowk,
when it was owned by an witty Kashmiri Muslim woman, Begum Samru. Born
in 1753, Begum Samru proudly lived in this large white mansion that was
considered one of the grandest houses in Delhi with massive columns and
large rooms. She commanded great respect in the city as Mughal Emperor
Shah Alam could call upon her trained private army when in need..
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Soon, she married an English
mercenary soldier from Luxembourg who was holder of the fief of Sardana
in Meerut District. His name was Walter Reinhard whom his friends lovingly
called 'Sombre' because of his long brooding face and thus the title 'Samru'
was derived and became locally popular. A good administrator, the Begum
held the fief after Reinhard's death and converted herself to Christianity
for strategic and personal reasons in Agra, in 1781. Her new name became
Joanna but she was still popular as Begum Samru in the area. Begum Samru
was also famous in the European social circle for throwing lavish social
gatherings at her residence, in the early 19th century, before her death
in 1836.
The building is also the
same place where the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah was brought as a
captive after the 1857 war. He was later sent to Rangoon in exile |
Bhagirath Palace
Said to be Asia’s largest
market for electrical goods, it is also known for medical equipment and
allopathic medicines. Locals know this as Chooriwali ki Haveli (The Bangle
Seller’s Palace). This was originally the mansion of Begum Sumroo, a Kashmiri
nautch girl with the most accomplished band of dancers in her troupe. The
story of her life would actually make a sensational film – a drama of almost
epic scale. This bewitching seductress was not only an accomplished dancer
and singer but a shrewd businesswoman who knew precisely when to grab an
opportunity. She converted to Christianity and married two mercenary European
adventurers in succession and it was thanks to them that she ultimately
became ‘Begum’ of a principality at Sardhana, near Meerut.
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