Deeg Water Palace, Bharatpur, Rajasthan India

The place is now known for its famous water palaces, gardens and fountains. The famous old fortress of Deeg, which contributed substantially in the making of the Jat Principality, is now in shambles. Its formidable cannons now lie abandoned in the forlorn for. Deeg was the first capital of the newly carved out Jat State, when Badan Singh was proclaimed its ruler in 1722. the royal palace, built by Badan Singh, on the southern side of the garden is now called as Purana Mahal or the old palace. Deeg, because of its strategic location and proximity to Mathura and Agra was vulnerable to repeated attacks by invaders. In 1730, the Crown Prince Surajmal is reported to have erected the strong fortress with towering walls, bastions, a deep moat & high ramparts about 20 feed wide, in the southern portion of the town. Although Surajmal shifted his capital to Bharatpur, his liking for Deeg did not diminish. He built elegant Bhawans clustered around a garden complex, with fountains in the front & enormous water bodies in the rear. The entire complex of palaces & gardens is a marvel of engineering skill.

The building to the north is called the Nand Bhawan. The main building on the west is called Gopal Bhaan and is the largest of all Palaces. On either side of the Gopal Bhawan are two smaller buildings, called the Sawan and Bhadon Bhawans. These buildings including the Gopal Bhawan command a view of the western tank and gardens beyond it. These three palaces, although single storey in the front, have in addition two more floors at the bank. One of the storeys of these palaces is either partially or wholly submerged in water throughout the year. On the southern side of the quadrangle are two palaces facing north. Once of them, Suraj Bhawan, is built entirely of marble and is tastefully ornamented with stones of different colours. The other palace, built of grey sandstone, is called the Kishan Bhawan. On the roof of this palace is a large water reservoir which feeds the fountains spread all over the garden. The reservoir was filled with water from two large wells.