How Seven Royal Families — Mewar, Gwalior, Baroda, Mysore, Jaipur, Bikaner And Travancore — Continue To Live In Palaces And Power

India may have abolished royal titles in 1971, but the story did not end with the last Privy Purse. Across Rajasthan’s deserts, Kerala’s coconut palaces and the Deccan plateau, the great princely houses continue to live exactly where their ancestors ruled — in fortresses that pre-date gunpowder and in Indo-Saracenic mansions built to impress imperial visitors. They no longer command armies, but they command history, architecture, priceless art, and a cultural memory that refuses to fade. Today, seven great dynasties — Mewar, Gwalior, Baroda, Mysore, Jaipur, Bikaner and Travancore — are guardians of palaces transformed into hotels, museums and private residences that remain among India’s most breathtaking spaces. Their heirs are restaurateurs,

politicians, polo players, conservationists and Instagram-ready modern royalty. Yet behind the glamour sits something older and deeper — legacy.

Mewar — 1,400 Years, Lake Palaces and a Living Custodianship

The House of Mewar, among the world’s oldest surviving dynasties, traces its lineage back more than 1,400 years to the legendary Bappa Rawal. Udaipur’s City Palace, begun in the 1550s by Maharana Udai Singh II and expanded wing by wing by successive rulers, still dominates the banks of Lake Pichola. Marble courtyards, mirrored halls, weapon galleries, royal zenanas and panoramic terraces remain intact — every threshold crossed by a long line of Sisodia rulers including Maharana Pratap, who defied the Mughals with unassuming but unbreakable pride. In modern times, the late Arvind Singh Mewar shaped the palace into a vast cultural and hospitality enterprise, including the lakeside Fateh Prakash Palace and Shiv Niwas Palace, which function today as luxury heritage hotels. He also oversaw the Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation, preserving manuscripts, frescoes, textiles and battle armour. The mantle now rests with his son Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, often described as the 77th custodian of the dynasty. He spearheads restoration work, oversees tourism and engages actively in social campaigns — a reminder that royalty today is as much duty as lineage. The family retains residence within the palace, proving that history is not simply protected here, but lived.

Gwalior — Elephants on the Roof, Crystal Chandeliers and a Palace that Glitters

The Scindias of Gwalior built their power through warfare and diplomacy, but their most lasting legacy may be architectural splendour. Jai Vilas Palace, commissioned in 1874 by Maharaja Jayajirao Scindia, was designed on a staggering European scale — Italianate, Tuscan and Corinthian influences blended with Maratha heritage. The Durbar Hall, the palace’s ceremonial heart, is perhaps the most extravagant room in India. Two colossal chandeliers — each weighing an estimated three tonnes — hang from a ceiling so immense that engineers once tested its strength by marching elephants across the roof. The palace spans more than a hundred thousand square feet and includes gold-embellished halls, Venetian flooring, grand dining rooms where toy trains once carried cigars and brandy, and a private silver collection of astonishing scale. A portion now serves as the Jiwajirao Scindia Museum, while the family retains private residence within the same compound. The present head of the family, Jyotiraditya Scindia — known simultaneously as a Union cabinet minister and scion of the Scindia house — continues the legacy with his wife Priyadarshini Raje and their children. The palace still hosts traditional ceremonies such as the martial Dussehra Shami Pujan, reaffirming that ritual and war-memory live beneath gilded ceilings.

Baroda — The Gaekwads and the Largest Private Residence in India

The Gaekwads of Baroda built Lakshmi Vilas Palace in 1890, and even today it is often regarded as the largest private dwelling in the country — reputedly four times the size of Buckingham Palace. Spread over hundreds of acres, it cost more than seven and a half crore rupees to build in the late nineteenth century, fitted with stained glass, Art Nouveau interiors and a Darbar Hall influenced by European opera houses. Its most famous patron, Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III, was a moderniser — a ruler who introduced free primary education, railways, reforms for women and patronage for artists including Raja Ravi Varma. Lakshmi Vilas remains the family’s principal home, occupied by Samarjitsinh Gaekwad and his wife Radhikaraje. The inheritance of the estate — including palaces, real estate, temples, paintings and jewellery — was settled after decades of legal dispute. Since then, the family has redeveloped parts of its holdings into business ventures, museums, championship-grade golf courses and heritage tourism projects. Baroda’s royal story is one of vast scale and patient stewardship.

Mysore — Light Bulbs, Dasara and Two Palaces, One Kingdom

If any royal seat still inspires awe in millions each year, it is the Mysore Palace. Built in the early 1900s after a fire consumed an earlier structure, the Wadiyars commissioned a palace of domes, stained glass, marble and sweeping public spaces. At Dasara, it transforms into a glowing spectacle — nearly one lakh bulbs outline every arch, balcony and spire, turning the palace into a river of light. The family resides in parts of the palace even today. Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the present head of the dynasty, holds ceremonial authority while simultaneously serving in public life; he and his wife Trishikha Kumari Wadiyar represent the convergence of royal protocol and modern leadership. Their other estate — Bengaluru Palace — is Tudor-inspired, turreted and surrounded by nearly 470 acres of land. It has been at the centre of a legal and compensation battle with the state, demonstrating that royal inheritance remains as politically and financially charged as it once was militarily.

Jaipur — Royalty Meets Instagram, Polo and Palace Tourism

Jaipur’s City Palace, constructed in the 1720s by Sawai Jai Singh II, remains a living palace — part museum, part ceremonial residence, part economic engine. The Chandra Mahal still houses private royal apartments; outside, courtyards host tourists, textile exhibitions, and state dinners under archways once meant for ambassadors and Rajput generals. The royal family continues in three dynamic generations: Rajmata Padmini Devi, Princess Diya Kumari — now a prominent political leader — and her son, Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh, a polo champion, global fashion figure and the young face of Jaipur’s royal legacy. He resides and hosts events at the palace, presiding over a lifestyle rooted in tradition yet fuelled by modern influence. Nearby Rambagh Palace, once home to Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II and Maharani Gayatri Devi, is one of India’s earliest and most iconic palace hotels. Marble corridors, Mughal gardens, polo memorabilia and royal bedrooms still whisper of state visits, banquets and diplomatic intrigue — only now, guests check in with luggage instead of royal attendants.

Bikaner — Red Sandstone Grandeur and One of India’s Finest Private Libraries

Bikaner’s royal seat first rose from the desert in the fortified splendour of Junagarh, but the turn of the twentieth century brought something new: Lalgarh Palace. Commissioned in 1902 for Maharaja Ganga Singh, it is an Indo-Saracenic dream carved from red sandstone — lattices, domes, corridors and ballrooms designed by Samuel Swinton Jacob. The palace cost immense sums to build, and its first wing alone is said to have required more than a million rupees. Today, Lalgarh is cleverly divided. One section functions as the Lallgarh Palace Hotel, another houses the Shri Sadul Museum, and a third remains the private residence of the royal family. The library is one of the richest private collections in India, filled with manuscripts, rare prints and state archives. Weddings here are surreal — brides arrive through the same gates that once saw military parades and camel troops depart for British campaigns.

Travancore — The Palace Behind a Gate and the Treasure of a Temple

While many royal houses adapted to commerce, the Travancore family embodies spiritual continuity. In 1750, Maharaja Marthanda Varma dedicated the kingdom to Lord Padmanabhaswamy, declaring himself the deity’s servant rather than sovereign. That declaration remains legally recognised — the family’s role is stewardship, not ownership. Kowdiar Palace, built in the 1930s for Princess Karthika Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi, stands behind guarded gates in Thiruvananthapuram. With more than a hundred and fifty rooms, sweeping staircases and a distinct Kerala architectural identity, it is among the most private royal residences in India. The head of the family today, Sree Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma, presides over temple ceremonies including the recently conducted Maha Kumbhabhishekam of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple. Beneath the temple lie the vaults — filled with gold, gems, statues and artefacts worth many billions of dollars by conservative assessment. One vault remains unopened. These treasures legally belong not to the royals, but to the deity — the family merely guards an inheritance of faith.

Royalty Without Crowns — A Legacy Still Alive

Seven palaces. Seven dynasties. Each transformed, adapted, contested, commercialised or sanctified — but none abandoned. Visitors today swim in pools once reserved for queens, dine under chandeliers supported by elephant-tested beams, and sleep in suites where treaties were signed and rebellions planned. Royalty no longer rules, but it hosts, preserves, restores, litigates, modernises — and above all, remembers. India’s monarchs may have lost kingdoms, but not legacy. Palaces remain their last frontier — and they guard it beautifully.