Hazarduari Palace

Hazarduari Palace, earlier known as the Bara Kothi, is located in the campus of Kila Nizamat in Murshidabad, in the Indian state of West Bengal. It was built in the nineteenth century by architect Duncan Macleod, under the reign of Nawab Nazim Humayun Jah of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa .The foundation stone of the palace was laid on August 9, 1829, and that very day the construction work was started. William Cavendish was the then Governor-General. Now, Hazarduari Palace is the most conspicuous building in Murshidabad.In 1985, the palace was handed over to the Archaeological Survey of India for better preservation.Kila NizamatKila Nizamat or Nizamat Kila was the site of the old fort of Murshidabad. It was located on the present site of the Hazarduari Palace, on the banks of the Bhagirathi River. The fort was demolished to build this grand palace.Now, Kila Nizamat refers to the campus where the palace is located along with the Nizamat Imambara, Murshidabad Clock Tower, Madina Mosque, Chawk Masjid, Bacchawali Tope, the Shia Complex, Wasif Manzil, the two Zurud Mosques - one on the east of the palace and the other one between the Wasif Manzil and the south gate of the palace - and the Nawab Bahadur's Institution surrounding it. Tourists call the Hazarduari Palace the Nizamat Kila or the Kila Nizamat.