Heritage Tours >> Forts and Palaces >> Rang Mahal

: It is also known as the 'Painted Palace', and was built by Raja Umed Singh in the mid-18th century. Jit Singh and Charat Singh made changes. It became the women's residence until 1947 and it now houses a college and the Himachal Emporium..

Timings:  The emporium is open from Monday to Friday, 10 am to 1 pm and 2 to 5 pm.

The Grand Monument:  
One of the largest monuments, Rang Mahal is located in Surara Mohalla. The super structure of RangMahal, in brick belongs to a later date with its southern portion built around 1860 by Raj Sri Singh. The architecture of Rang Mahal is an amalgam of Mughal and British styles. This palace was the residence for a branch of the ruling family. Its fort like looks justifies its use as royal granary and treasury, which is on its western side. It became the women's residence until 1947 and now houses a college. The wall paintings are splendid and represent one of the most extensive hill collections. The Paintings follow stories of Lord Krishna. Once the palace must have hummed with activity of busy servant and the frolics of the royal blood but now under the aegis of Handicrafts Department of the State Government, most of the rooms of this palace are being used as workshops for making shoes, chappals and rumals. A number of decorative and colorful wall paintings have been removed and taken to National Museum of Delhi. Some of the wall paintings and richly painted doors of the palace can be seen preserved in the Bhuri Singh Museum of Chamba.

Information for Tourists:  
Popular images portrayed on the cloths include Krishna and Radha, and those of Gaddi shepherds. A finely stitched rumal can take up to a month to complete, and costs from Rs.300 upwards. One can also purchase Chamba shawls here, and above the showroom is a workshop where the shawls are made. An elaborately decorated shawl can take up to 45 days to make on a traditional wooden loom.