Splendor of a different kind exists in the Jai Vilas Palace, current residence of the Scindia family. Some 25 rooms have been turned into the Jivaji Rao Scindia Museum, and in these rooms , so evocative of a regal lifestyle, that the past comes alive. Jai Vilas is an Italianate structure which combines the Tuscan and Corinthian architectural modes.
The imposing Darbar Hall has two central chandeliers weighing a couple of tones, and hung only after ten elephants had tested the strength of the roof. Ceilings picked out in gilt, heavy draperies and tapestries , fine Persian carpets and antique furniture from France and Italy are the features of these spacious rooms.
