A mansion as old as the city
The year: the family dates the mansion to 1727, the year Sawai Jai Singh II founded Jaipur on the plain below Amer.
The builder: Thakur Mohan Singh of Chomu, who by the family's account served the Jaipur state as its prime minister.
- Built
- 1727, Jaipur's founding year
- Builder
- Thakur Mohan Singh of Chomu
- His role
- A minister of the Jaipur court
- Estate
- Chomu, north-west of Jaipur
- Long known as
- The Chomu haveli
- The estate: Chomu, a noble thikana north-west of Jaipur, on the road to Samode. Its town grew up around the family's fort-palace.
- An older line: the family traces itself to Thakur Manohardas, a minister and general of Amer in the sixteenth century, who fought alongside Raja Man Singh I.
- Why a house in town: nobles who served at court needed a grand city base, close to the king, for ceremonies, politics and festivals.
- The name: for much of its life it was known simply as the Chomu haveli. One account says the hotel's name honours Thakur Raj Singh, a later head of the family.
- Not to be confused: Chomu Palace, the family's old fort-palace in Chomu town, is a separate property about an hour away.
How the Jaipur court worked
The thikana: a noble estate held from the king, with its own fort, villages and revenues.
The price: loyalty, soldiers in time of war and service at court as ministers, generals and counsellors.
- The Kachwaha clan: Chomu, like Samode, was held by a branch of the ruling Kachwaha family, so its nobles were kin to the king as well as servants.
- Rank and place: when the court moved to Jaipur in 1727, nobles were given sites for their mansions according to rank and favour.
- Life in town: the city house was for ceremonies, politics and festivals. The country fort was for the land and the family's own people.
- Read more: our journal pieces on rawlas and thikanas and the Jaipur royal family give the wider story.
Decline, and a long restoration
After the kingdoms: when Rajasthan's princely states joined India after 1947, noble families lost their estates' old incomes and many great houses fell into disrepair.
The turning point: in 1995 Princess Jayendra Kumari, whom the hotel describes as a sixteenth-generation descendant of Thakur Mohan Singh, began a full restoration.
- The scale: the family's accounts describe hundreds of craftsmen working on arched corridors, courtyards, stucco, hand painting and gold leaf.
- The opening: the mansion opened as a heritage hotel in the late 1990s. Sources give 1996 or 1997.
- Still a family house: the family remains closely involved, and parts of the house hold their portraits, furniture and keepsakes.
- The wider story: our journal piece on heritage hotels explained tells how families across Rajasthan saved their houses this way.
Inside the Raj Palace
Walk through the courtyards in the evening, when the lamps are lit, and the gilding comes alive. It is a house built to impress visitors to a powerful family, and restored by people who wanted it to impress again.
The decoration: gilded and mirrored interiors, painted walls and ceilings, chandeliers and heavy old furniture.
- The plan: courtyards and arcades in the manner of a great Jaipur haveli, with grander public rooms around them.
- Museum rooms: some suites include their own rooms of family history, with heirlooms and objects on display.
- Rooms vary a great deal: in size, light, outlook and decoration. We won't quote category names, and we never book blind.
- How we choose: by what you care about, whether that is the grandest decoration, a quieter outlook or fewer stairs.
- Old-building realities: steps, thresholds and sound across courtyards. The family made the house more accessible during the restoration, but tell us your needs and we will check.
- The style: opulent rather than minimal. If you love Rajput grandeur, it is a delight. If you prefer calm and plain, choose a resort.
- Take your time: walk the house slowly on your first afternoon, before you head out. You will notice something new in every room.
Reading the decoration
Araish: Jaipur's famous polished lime plaster, burnished until it shines like marble and stays cool to the touch.
Mirror work: small pieces of mirror and coloured glass set into plaster in floral patterns, made to sparkle in lamplight.
- Araish
- Polished lime plaster, smooth as marble
- Mirror work
- Small glass pieces set in plaster
- Gilding
- Gold leaf laid over painted designs
- Frescoes
- Paint on wet or dry lime plaster
- Gold leaf: thin sheets of gold laid over painted designs on walls, ceilings and pillars, the mark of a very grand house.
- Painted walls: flowers, vines, birds and borders in the Rajasthani court style, often renewed over generations.
- Where else to see it: the Sheesh Mahal at Amber Fort and the painted halls of Samode Palace. Our page on miniature painting covers the painters' wider craft.
On the Amer side of the walled city
Right beside the old city: the mansion stands just outside the northern edge of the walled city, on the road out towards Amer.
For Amer: you can reach Amber Fort as the gates open without the long crawl from the south of town.
- Where
- Just outside the northern walls
- To Amber Fort
- About half an hour at dawn
- To Hawa Mahal
- A short drive
- To the airport
- Allow about forty minutes
- For the old city: Hawa Mahal and the bazaars are a short drive or rickshaw ride away.
- For the ridge: Nahargarh rises above this side of the city, and Jal Mahal is on the way to Amer.
- The trade-off: this is a busy part of the city. Inside the gates it is calm, but you won't have acres of garden.
- Behind the gate: the courtyards turn inward, as a haveli always did, so the street noise fades once you are inside.
- Easy evenings: the lit bazaars of the old city are close enough for a drive in after dinner, especially around Diwali.
The north side of old Jaipur
Gaitore: the royal cenotaphs of the Jaipur rulers stand below the ridge, a quiet place of carved marble chhatris, best in the late afternoon.
Man Sagar Lake: with Jal Mahal floating in it, and migrant ducks on the water in winter.
- The ridge: Nahargarh above you, and Jaigarh further along, both joined by old walls that once guarded the capital.
- Amer: the old Kachwaha capital at the end of the road, where the court lived for six centuries before Jaipur.
- Why it matters for you: everything on this road is closest from this side of town, so your mornings start sooner and calmer.
- See the route: our guide to things to do in Jaipur plans each sight by its best hour.
Eating at the Raj Palace
Where you eat: the hotel serves meals in its restaurant, in decorated rooms and, in the cool months, in the courtyards and on terraces. Names change, so we confirm them when you travel.
Order Rajasthani: laal maas, the Rajput mutton curry in a fiery red sauce of Mathania chillies.
- The gentler one: safed maas, cooked with cream and ground nuts, from the same noble kitchens.
- For vegetarians: gatte ki sabzi, ker sangri and dal baati churma, Rajasthan's best-loved meal.
- Breakfast like a local: pyaaz kachori and a clay cup of lassi, the old city's morning ritual. Our food of Jaipur guide has the places.
- Private dinners: we arrange tables in a courtyard or on a terrace, with folk musicians if you like. See our page on a private dinner in a palace.
- Ask in the morning: if there is a family dish you would like to try, the kitchen can often cook it with a little notice.
Rest, and the middle of the day
The rhythm: out at dawn, back by lunch, rest through the heat, out again as the light softens.
The pool: the hotel has a pool for the warm afternoons. We'll confirm what is open when you travel.
- Massage: ask us when you book and we will tell you what can be arranged during your stay.
- For a serious spa: pair the Raj Palace with a night or two at The Oberoi Rajvilas, or read our page on spas and Ayurveda.
- Use the house: an afternoon with a book in a quiet decorated room is as much a part of the stay as any sight.
What to do from the Raj Palace
Amber Fort, as the gates open
- Leave at first light: reach the fort before the tour buses, and see the Sheesh Mahal almost alone.
- Our rule: we walk or drive guests up to the fort, and we don't book elephant rides.
The City Palace and the court
- The rest of the story: the Chomu nobles built this house to serve the court at the City Palace. Seeing both shows you how the old kingdom worked.
- Go private: a tour of the royal apartments of the Chandra Mahal is extraordinary.
The bazaars at dawn
- Walk with a local: a guide who grew up in the lanes takes you through the bazaars of Jaipur as they open, with kachori and chai along the way.
Nahargarh at sunset
- Close by: the ridge fort is on this side of the city. Watch the grid of Jaipur turn pink and gold below you.
Samode and Chomu
- The country side: drive an hour north-west through Chomu, the family's old estate town, to the painted palace at Samode.
Two days from the Raj Palace
Day one, Amer and the court
Dawn: Amber Fort as the gates open, then Panna Meena ka Kund and the old town of Amer.
- Late morning: stop at Jal Mahal on the way back.
- Afternoon: lunch and rest at the hotel.
- Late afternoon: the City Palace with a private tour, then the Jantar Mantar next door.
Day two, the bazaars and the ridge
Sunrise: Hawa Mahal, with chai on a rooftop opposite.
- Morning: the bazaars and the craftsmen's lanes off Tripolia with a guide.
- Afternoon: rest, or a block-printing morning in Bagru instead.
- Evening: Nahargarh for sunset, then dinner in a gilded room at the hotel.
When to come
October to March: warm days and cool nights. December and January dawns are cold, so bring a shawl for Amer.
April to June: very hot, often above 40°C. Thick old walls help, and we plan days around the early hours.
- The monsoon: July to September brings green hills, short storms and few visitors.
- Makar Sankranti: on 14 January the walled city flies kites from every roof.
- Gangaur and Teej: royal processions leave the City Palace through the old city, in March or April and in the monsoon. We confirm dates each year.
- Diwali: in October or November the bazaars are lit end to end. Read about Diwali in Jaipur.
- Book early: for Christmas, New Year, the literature festival in January and Diwali.
What most visitors miss
The family rooms: take time over the portraits, heirlooms and objects on display. They are the house's real story.
The ceilings: look up in every room. Some of the finest work is overhead.
- The courtyards at night: when the lamps are lit, the gilding glows in a way daylight never shows.
- The roofline: from the upper levels you see Nahargarh on its ridge above the city.
- The neighbourhood: a short walk outside with a guide shows you the busy, ordinary life of the north side of old Jaipur.
Who will love the Raj Palace, and who won't
Lovers of opulence: gilding, mirrors and chandeliers. If that thrills you, this is your house.
History lovers: a noble family's mansion from the city's founding year, still tied to that family.
- Early risers: the Amer side of town makes dawn at the fort easy.
- Couples on a special trip: a gilded suite and a courtyard dinner make it memorable. See our honeymoon journeys.
- Not for minimalists: if you prefer calm, plain spaces, choose The Oberoi Rajvilas.
- Not for garden lovers: for long lawns, choose Jai Mahal Palace or Rambagh Palace.
- Families with toddlers: a modern resort may be easier. See our guide to travelling with children.
- Festival travellers: close enough to the old city to walk to the kite-flying rooftops and the Gangaur procession.
How the Raj Palace fits our journeys
Jaipur in three nights: on our Jaipur in three nights journey, it makes every dawn easy.
The one-night switch: for guests at a resort, a single night here puts Hawa Mahal and Amber at your door at first light.
- Two noble houses: pair it with Samode Palace in the hills, an hour away through Chomu.
- Longer routes: it suits the Jaipur chapter of our heritage havelis trail and the Royal Rajputana.
- Compare the choices: our Jaipur luxury hotels guide and our guide to heritage havelis set it beside the others.
Before you go
Tell us about stairs: if steps are hard for anyone in your party, we choose rooms with that in mind.
Light sleepers: say so. We ask for rooms away from the street and the busiest courtyards.
- Dress for temples and lanes: shoulders and knees covered, and shoes you can slip off.
- Carry small notes: for chai, rickshaws and temple offerings.
- Decline the shops: politely refuse any driver or guide who suggests one. Ours never take commission.
- Learn one greeting: khamma ghani, the Rajasthani hello. The staff will love it.
Getting there
From the airport: the drive crosses the city from the south. We meet you at the aircraft door or the arrivals hall.
- Nearest airport
- Jaipur International (JAI), Sanganer
- From Delhi
- About four to five hours by road
- By train
- A little over four hours from Delhi
- To Agra
- About four hours by road
- From Delhi: by road or by fast train to Jaipur Junction, a short drive from the hotel.
- From Agra: with a stop at the Abhaneri stepwell on the way.
- Getting around: in the old city we often leave the car and walk. Our guide to getting around Rajasthan explains how we plan the days.