Mubarak Mandi is the soul of Dogra people & the epicentre of Jammu and India’s modern history.
It is a fact that if you want to squash a voice, you erase their history & self-esteem. Mubarak Mandi under previous governments has been a victim of loot, pillage & arson.
The Mubarak Mandi Palace complex holds 300 yrs of Dogra history within itself. With over 20 palaces built over 200 years starting at 1710 it is unlike any other. From here the Dogra rulers reigned over their sprawling kingdom.
For over 200 years, they ruled over an area that stretched from the Pir Panjal mountain range in the north, the plains of Punjab to the South to Ladakh & Tibet in the east.
In Rajdarshani written by 19th century historian Ganeshdas Badenra, it was Raja Hari Dev’s grandson Raja Dhruv Dev (1707-1733) who moved his residence from the old palace in the Purani Mandi area of Jammu, to Mubarak Mandi a more spectacular location overlooking the Tawi river.
Dogra Maharaja Ranbir Singh of Jammu & Kashmir, 1856-1885, renovated & enlarged the Mubarak Mandi palace in 1874. He added administrative offices around the palace was enlarged substantially, dwarfing even the royal residences
Maharaj Pratap Singh (1885-1925) too built several buildings here, the most prominent being the Rani Charak Palace in 1913, which he built for his favourite Queen, Rani Charaki.
Mubarak Mandi had a covered area of more than 4 lakh sq ft, with buildings like the Darbar Hall, the Sheesh Mahal, the Pink Palace, Royal Courts buildings, Gol Ghar, Nawa Mahal, Hawa Mahal, Toshkhana and the Rani Charaki Palaces.
The workmanship brings out the best of Rajasthani, Mughal and European styles, a melting pot of influences where Gothic arches coexist with Mewari jharokhas.
One of the more modern addition to this Palace Complex was a lift/elevator on the behest of one of the Queens.
Today only one part of the complex is open to the public – the Dogra Art Museum that has 800-odd rare paintings from different schools like Kangra, Basohli and Jammu.
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