The Museum at Dungarpur

Dungarpur in southern Rajasthan is the little-known capital of the erstwhile eponymous princely state. Its name, Dungarpur, or “city of hills,” describes the town’s topography, comprised of picturesque hills covered with scrub and desert vegetation. There are several differing accounts of the founding of Dungarpur as a capital (also referred to as Giripur); however, it can be ascertained that it was established by the end of the thirteenth century.

The Dungarpur ruling family is believed to have been founded around A.D. 1197 by Rawal Samant Singh. Towards the end of the twelfth century, Samant Singh, the eldest son of the ruler of Mewar, was compelled to leave in favor of his younger brother, Kumar Singh. Samant Singh moved into the hilly area of Vagad and, within the next century, Samant Singh's successors controlled the entire province of Vagad, and his successors eventually enlarged the state.

Dungarpur’s collections are numerous and varied. Its historic treasures are concentrated in the old palace, called the Juna Mahal. A towering nine-story structure precariously perched at the summit of a hill, Juna Mahal has been continuously inhabited since the thirteenth century and is the site of spectacular painted, carved, and inlaid artwork on its walls. Its more modern treasures cluster around the Udai Bilas Palace, built on the shores of Gaib Sagar lake in the mid-nineteenth century by Maharawal Udai Singh II, among the most important of the state’s rulers. The highlights include rare photographs, textiles, photographic and cinematic equipment, paintings, and an exotic natural history collection. The Udai Bilas Palace Collection is one of great local significance that contributes greatly to visitors’ understanding and appreciation of the lifestyle and customs of the royal family of Dungarpur, and the spaces they inhabited.

The royal family of Dungarpur, which is the custodian of this rich and varied heritage, is currently focused on organizing and conserving the collections for display in a new museum. The collections have been documented, and the preliminary architectural documentation of Juna Mahal has been extensively used. Important collections are being professionally conserved, especially some remarkable nineteenth-century garments that have been preserved from the Juna Mahal premises.

The museum is based on the concept of the “Ajaibgarh” or “wonder house.” Originally a nineteenth-century term that reflected the awe and exoticism of museums and their collections to most of the Indian public, the new museum seeks instead to convey a sense of discovery and appreciation for the arts and heritage of Dungarpur. Given that the family remained in residence at the Juna Mahal until the turn of the twentieth century, it would be impossible to tell the story of Dungarpur and its heritage without Juna Mahal. The museum seeks to draw on and represent the collections as well as the cultural and lifestyle traditions that Juna Mahal encompassed. It is thus a key component of the museum display, and in the absence of funds for conserving and restoring the original spaces to allow safe access for the general public, it offers the most effective way of making the interiors and artwork accessible to large numbers of visitors. The trust is also seeking to disseminate the research on Juna Mahal, Udai Bilas Palace, and the collections between them by exploring the possibility of a publication with a respected art history publication based in India.