PURANI HAVELI
- The Haveli is "U" shaped in plan, with two oblong wings running parallel to each other and the residential palace located perpendicularly in the middle. The main building resembles 18th-century European palaces. A unique feature of this palace is the world's longest wardrode, built in two levels with a hand-cranked wooden lift(elevator) in place. This occupies the entire length of one wing of the palace.
- To one side of this sprawling palace is the wardrobe hall which is 240 feet in length. This two-storied wardrobe has 130 cupboards and changing rooms. Made from a single log of teakwood, it is stated to be the world's largest continuous wardrobe system.
- Mahboob Ali Khan, who loved the good things of life, had a fascination for clothes. He had a collection of garments that could be the envy of the most over-dressed woman in the world. Sherwanis, shirts, coats, collars, socks, shoes, headgear, walking sticks, perfumes — all by the dozen.
- There are special compartments in the wardrobe to hold shoes and shoeshine equipment.
- There is an account about how Mahboob Ali Khan once ordered the entire textile stock from a Kolkata firm to be acquired as he did not want any other person to wear similar clothes. His Highness wanted western-type suits to be stitched. A few months later some 70 or so suits arrived, but by then the Nizam had lost interest in them. He gave away the boxes to his nobles.
No comments:
Post a Comment