Amir Mahal
Encyclopedia
Amir Mahal is the official residence of the titular Nawab of Arcot and his family. Situated in Royapettah
, a suburb in the present Chennai
India, it was constructed in Indo-Saracenic
style in 1798, the Amir Mahal has been the residence of the family since 1876.
to house administrative offices of the company. When the Carnatic kingdom was annexed by the Company in 1855 as per the Doctrine of Lapse
, the Chepauk Palace
, the official residence of the Nawabs, was auctioned off and purchased by the Madras government. The Nawab moved to a building called Shadi Mahal on Triplicane High Road and lived there. However, the British felt that the Shadi Mahal was "not a place fit for the residence of the Prince of Arcot" and granted him the Amir Mahal in Royapettah
.Robert Chrisholm was given the task of converting the office building into a palace. In 1876, the Nawab moved in with his family into the Amir Mahal. The mahal has since been the residence of the Nawabs of Arcot.
Royapettah
Royapettah is a centrally located suburb in the city of Chennai, India. It is situated to the west of the famous Marina Beach of Chennai. The locality features one of the developed commercial centres lying adjacent to the Chennai city center....
, a suburb in the present Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
India, it was constructed in Indo-Saracenic
Indo-Saracenic
The Indo-Saracenic Revival was an architectural style movement by British architects in the late 19th century in British India...
style in 1798, the Amir Mahal has been the residence of the family since 1876.
History
The Amir Mahal was constructed in 1798 by the British East India CompanyBritish East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
to house administrative offices of the company. When the Carnatic kingdom was annexed by the Company in 1855 as per the Doctrine of Lapse
Doctrine of lapse
The Doctrine of Lapse was an annexation policy purportedly devised by Lord Dalhousie, who was the Governor General for the British in India between 1848 and 1856...
, the Chepauk Palace
Chepauk Palace
Chepauk Palace was the official residence of the Nawab of Arcot from 1768 to 1855. It is situated in the neighbourhood of Chepauk in Chennai, India and is constructed in the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture.- History :...
, the official residence of the Nawabs, was auctioned off and purchased by the Madras government. The Nawab moved to a building called Shadi Mahal on Triplicane High Road and lived there. However, the British felt that the Shadi Mahal was "not a place fit for the residence of the Prince of Arcot" and granted him the Amir Mahal in Royapettah
Royapettah
Royapettah is a centrally located suburb in the city of Chennai, India. It is situated to the west of the famous Marina Beach of Chennai. The locality features one of the developed commercial centres lying adjacent to the Chennai city center....
.Robert Chrisholm was given the task of converting the office building into a palace. In 1876, the Nawab moved in with his family into the Amir Mahal. The mahal has since been the residence of the Nawabs of Arcot.