MAHARANI GAJRA RAJE'S DRAWING ROOM

This drawing room belonged to Maharani Gajra Raje, the second wife of Maharaja Madhavrao Scindia I and the mother of his two children. As the wife of the Maharaja, Maharani Gajra Raje would have taken a significant role in entertaining the many guests at the palace. A drawing room had become a necessity for such tasks during the 19th and early 20th Centuries. Because of the importance of the drawing room in entertaining, it was always elaborately and stylishly decorated. Most of the seats, tables, cabinets, and other furniture are in the European style. Highly collectible Japanese Satsuma ware pots sit atop the cabinets on the far sides of the room, and an unusual steam clock from England in a cabinet is necessary to mention. The piano, here on the left of the room, was a necessity for any elegant drawing room at that time.