About

The Koch Behar Palace is situated in Cooch Behar, in West Bengal. It was designed in the Italian Renaissance architecture style and was built in 1887, during the reign of Maharaja Nripendra Narayan.

The palace is 120m long and 90m wide, and rests on a 1.45m high platform. It is an asymmetric structure with its southern wing longer than the northern one. Furthermore, the northern wing continues into an additional wing which runs east-west, and further connects to a third wing that runs north-souh, forming a quadrangle on the northern side of the palace, while the southern side remains an open lawn.
It is a brick-built double-story structure in the Classical Italian architecture. The tasteful use of red, white, and gold gives the palace a very elegant and stately look. The dome is the most dominant feature of the palace, rising to a height of 38m. The silver coloured dome has twelve red ridges corresponding to the dodecagonal base on which it stands. There is a cylindrical louvre on the top (that also acts as a ventilator). It is built in the Italian Renaissance style. There are two domed chhatris on the eastern side, and several elegant balconies surrounding it, the most prominent of them being a large one on the east which served as the balcony for royal public audience.
The Palace has a series of arcaded verandahs on the ground and first floors, typically in clusters of three, separated by stout columns or projections with or without pediment. The arches are of simple round form, lined with golden haunches, and a simple capstone. The pilasters are topped with an elaborate floral capital in gold.
The roof is flat (other than the dome) and is lined with railings all around. There are several kalasha shaped lanterns at intervals along the railings, corresponding to the columns separating the arched bays of the verandahs below on the first and second floors. The railing also features a number of small square towers which correspond to the broader columns which separate the cluster of three bay arches in the floors below.
There are octagonal turrets with domed roofs at the south-eastern and south-western corners of the southern wing, as well as at the corresponding corners on the northern wing. The north-west corner (where the northern and western wings intersect) is marked by a turret with a conical roof. A long staircase runs on the southern face of the central block connecting the roof directly to the lawns behind the palace.

The Madan Mohan Temple built around the same time as the Koch Behar palace is dedicated to Lord Krishna, with minor shrines dedicated to Ma Kali and Ma Bhavani. The temple has char chala combined dalan style architecture, common to temples in Bengal, and, unusually, a domed spire over the central shrine. Also, the temple opens to the south, an unusual feature for a Hindu temple. The gateway features a conical roof, with a Naubat Khana (or music room). There is a large temple tank on the south (in front of) the temple.

Architecture

The palace is built of brick and mortar in the Italian Renaissance style