Samode Palace

Samode Palace stands in the town of Samode in Jaipur district and is about 475 years old. Samode was granted to Gopal Singhji, one of 12 sons of a Kachhwaha ruler, as a feudal holding under Amber and Jaipur, and it was already a wealthy town at the time. The estate passed down the generations and was restored in 1757 to the Nathawat clan, who carried the hereditary title Rawal Saheb or Maha Rawal.

It started out in the 16th century as a Rajput fort and was rebuilt as a palace in the early 19th century by the nobleman Rawal Berisal, in a mix of Rajput and Mughal styles. Highlights are the Sheesh Mahal on the south side, lined with mirror tiles, and the Durbar Hall, used for ceremonies and painted with frescoes around 250 years old. Mughal gardens surround the building, and its rooms are furnished with carved couches and four-poster beds.