Hazarduari Palace Museum, Murshidabad, West Bengal India

Hazarduary or hazarduari Palace in Murshidabad is 182 km. North of Kolkata, located on the southern bank of river Bhagirathi, a tributary of the river Ganges. And it is 11 km. from the District headquarter - Baharampur.

Most of India's best-known palaces are named after the cities or towns where they stand. This one is different – Murshidabad's Hazarduari Palace, is named after the number of doors it has. Therefore it's called “Hazarduari”, should strictly speaking be thousand (“hazar” being thousand, and “duar” being door). This, incidentally, is not the only reason to visit this stunning palace - if you wish you can spend your entire day counting each door, but do set aside a few hours to admire the amazing museum that is a part of the palace! The Hazarduari Palace in Murshidabad (West Bengal) was designed in 1837 by General Duncan McLeod of the Bengal Engineers for Murshidabad's Nawab Najim Humayun Jah. An imposing three-storied rectangular building, it lies amidst sprawling gardens (covering a total of 41 acres) and is a fairly unblemished example of Italian-style architecture. The palace consists of 8 galleries and 114 rooms, with a colonnaded façade, a domed tower, high windows, beautifully ornate pillars and more, all of it a befitting venue for the Nawab's durbar,which was held here.