Jaipur's City Palace opens a new permanent exhibition, Power & Diplomacy!

Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur, chairman of the City Palace Museum, Jaipur, recently announced the opening of Power & Diplomacy, a new permanent exhibition housed in the re-imagined Sileh Khana at The City Palace, Jaipur. Set within the historic Anand Mandir, one of the Palace’s oldest royal apartments, the exhibition explores how the rulers of Jaipur accumulated, negotiated and expressed power over a period of nearly three centuries.

Overlooking the quiet inner courtyard of the Chandra Mahal, the Anand Mandir or Abode of Bliss once served as a private chamber where the Maharajas met their closest advisors to deliberate on matters that shaped the destiny of the kingdom. Today, this historic space becomes the setting for an exhibition that examines power as both performance and practice.

Spanning the period from 1727 to the present day, Power & Diplomacy brings together an exceptional collection of objects that illuminate the many ways in which Jaipur’s rulers defined authority, safeguarded sovereignty and navigated shifting political landscapes. The display ranges from ceremonial thrones and weapons of state to manuscripts, maps, textiles, carpets and objects of personal protection.

Anchored in four interpretive zones, the exhibition features compelling visual storytelling sections that narrate the evolution of Jaipur’s governance and diplomacy. The Making of a Maharaja explores the education and training of a prince required to fit him for rule. The Jaipur Throne displays a range of material culture deployed to express kingship. Courtly Connections reveals the diplomatic ties between Jaipur and other courts, both lesser and greater than itself.

Highlights include the earliest known map of Agra created for Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh, embroidered textiles from the Jaipur throne richly depicting scenes of courtly life and political ritual, a lacquered shield made for Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh around 1800, a finely crafted helmet shaped like a turban, a manuscript by the Mughal princess Jahanara and lots more.

The exhibition also comes alive via a photography campaign helmed by Aastha Manchanda, a photographer and visual artist based in India. The pared-back frame helps viewers to notice overlooked details such as inscriptions, surface texture, craftsmanship and light.

Speaking on the occasion, Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur said, “This gallery marks another proud milestone in the City Palace Museum, Jaipur’s ongoing conservation journey, a testament to our continued commitment to preserving and interpreting our heritage. Power & Diplomacy brings to life objects whose stories speak to the layered complexities and changing expressions of these concepts across centuries, inviting us all to reflect on strategies and ideas that have shaped Jaipur and the world beyond.”

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