A
blend of Rajput and Mughal architecture, the City Palace of Alwar dates
back to the 18th Century. Presently, in the ground floor of the palace,
government offices and district courts are functioning. The attractions
of the City Palace, Rajasthan include an artificial lake constructed by
Maharaja Vinay Singh in 1815. There are also a number of temples on the
banks of the lake. Inside the palace is a splendid chhatri, having Bengali roof and arches. It is known as Moosi Maharani ki chhatri. Located within this chattri is the Company garden, known as Purjan Vihar. The garden was built during the reign of Maharaja Shiv Dan Singh in the year 1868. Maharaja Mangal Singh made further additions to the garden in 1885. This garden is an ideal picnic spot in summers providing lush green surrounding, along with the cool shades of its numerous trees.
The Alwar Vinay Vilas Mahal also houses a museum in its upper story floors, known as the Government Museum. On display in the museum are some ancient Mughal and Rajput painting dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries. The museum also has a rich collection of some rare and antique Persian, Arabic, Urdu and Sanskrit manuscripts. Amongst these manuscripts, the most prominent ones include Bostan (the garden of spring), Waqiat-e-Babri (Mughal emperor Babar's autobiography) and Gulistan (the garden of roses). Other attractions of the museum consist of an array of Indian armory weapons and a copy of Mahabharata, painted by the artists of the Alwar School.
