Padam Palace, also known as Rampur Palace, is situated in Rampur, Himachal Pradesh. Built in the year 1917 by Raja Padam Dev Singh, it is one of the main attractions of the area. The white coloured front door of this palace has a Belgium-glasswork, which is one of the most beautiful aspects of the palace.
The construction of this palace uses wood heavily. It is designed to make way for interesting spaces such as porticos and galleries. It has a typically colonial design with conical roof, which looks stunning and meant for snow to fall off. It also sports white painted eaves, which add to the colonial-look of the place.
The interiors of this palace are even more beautiful with great glasswork designed using different colours and incredible woodwork. However, this is the private residence of Shri Virbhadra Singh and one requires permission to visit it. There is also a rich library inside. Portraits of royal family members adorn the walls of this palace.
Situated on the left-bank of Sutlej River, Padam Palace is 125 km away from Shimla. It was once the winter capital of Bushair, when India was a land of princely states. Padam Palace is well maintained and contains a unique blend of Indian impact and European style in its architecture. The ambience of the place is calm and the palace has a big garden with many spaces for gardens, orchards and greenery. Foundation stone of Padam Palace was laid in 1919 but it took 6 years to build it. It was completed in 1925 under the supervision of Bir Chand Shukla, who was also the Chief Engineer responsible for building this palace.
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Padam Palace boasts of exemplary craftsmanship and architectural design. It is a double-storied building made of wood, which was brought from Munish and Dhamreda forests. Instead of cement, black gram was used between stone blocks to hold them together. There is a wooden screen adorned with exquisite floral work and figurines, which makes it even more beautiful. While the upper floor is carved with woodwork, the lower floor has stone arches to make it an interesting contrast. The roof of the building is made of tin and has beautiful spiral projections. Royal functions are held in the Hall of the palace. During celebrations, the royals are seated at one end of a sprawling lawn in front of the palace. This place is known as Macchkandi, which is known for its exquisite but intelligent woodwork. It was designed by Gurjit Singh Fishta.Private buses as well as buses of the State Government are available on a daily basis to travel from Shimla to Rampur. One can also travel by taxi or hire private vehicles to save time as it takes nearly 3 hours to travel from Shimla to Rampur by bus.The nearest railway station is Kalka which is 132 km from Shimla.
The summer season starts from March and continues till June. Rampur has pleasant summersMonsoons arrive from June middle and continue till the middle of September. There is intermittent rain throughout this time. Weather is usually pleasant but it can also be hazardous because of chances of landslides.Winters are cold with heavy snowfall throughout the season. Roads are frequently blocked due to that from December to March. This makes travelling a big hassle.
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Kalka is well connected with cities like Delhi, Kolkata and Chandigarh. Direct trains to Shimla are not available.Jubbarhatti Airport in Shimla is closest to Rampur. Tourists can avail buses or hire cars that will take them to Rampur. Shimla is well connected to many places in India so it is convenient for tourists to get here.The best time to visit Rampur is between March to June and between September to November.
Lavi Fair is held during the second week of November which is a great attraction for tourists. It is one of the biggest fairs in North India and a commercial fair held for three days. This is also a good time to visit Padam Palace.
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