Cooch Behar Palace
Designed to resemble the classical European style of the Italian Renaissance, this magnificent palace was built by the Koch king Maharaja Nripendra Narayan in 1887. Raised on a basement of 1.5 mts. in height, this double storied brick building covers an area of 4768 sq. mts. It extends 120 mts. from north to south and 90 mts. from east to west. The frontal facade consists of a series of arches resting by an alternate arrangement of narrow and broad piers to contain single and double Corinthian pilasters respectively. The Durbar Hall is dodecagonal in shape, resting on four arches supported by massive Corinthian pilasters and projecting a lantern at the top. The intrados of the dome is relieved in stepped patterns and flanked by a small, elegant balcony with twelve window openings at the base. In the center of the Durbar Hall, the marble floor contains the royal insignia in pietra dura. The building contains more than fifty rooms/halls of varied dimensions which include bedrooms, dressing rooms, billiard room, kitchen, dining hall, dancing hall, library, Toshakhana and the lady s gallery. Few of the rooms have beautiful paintings on the ceiling as well as on the walls.
