Gajapati Palace, Paralakhemundi

Gajapati Palace in Paralakhemundi, Gajapati district, was built as the permanent home of the Gajapati rulers of the Paralakhemundi Estate, of the Eastern Ganga dynasty. Jagannath Gajapati Narayan Deo III had it built between 1835 and 1843 at a cost of about 500,000 rupees, to designs by the British architect Robert Fellowes Chisholm. The idea of a separate state for Odia speakers took root in its precincts, and it is now under the protection of INTACH.

The three-storey building mixes Indo-Saracenic revival with Byzantine and other European features. Two reclining lion statues flank the Singhadwar, the main gate, and an ornate iron gate stands between two tall round minarets. The main attraction is the Durbar Hall, with gilt-decorated walls and wooden trellis work, between the Raja Mahal and Rani Mahal, two wings that mirror each other. A secret passage, believed to have hidden the royal family during attacks, and the Gantaghar, a strong-room also used as an armoury, add further interest.