It is a 19th century Palace that was built by the Raja Amar Singh. He was the king of Dogra. This palace is situated on the bank of river Tavi and its other side has the beautiful range of Shivalik.
In 1862, this palace was sketched by the architecture of French. In 1967, after the death of Maharani Tara Devi, this Mahal was converted into a museum. It was opened as a museum by Mrs. Indra Gandhi as the prime minister of India in 1975. This is done to preserve the rarest forms of arts. It is then transferred to the Hari tara charitable trust.
The beautiful sound of the river Tavi sooth the ears of visitors. The Shivalik range on the other side increases the beauty with its beautiful panoramic view. The hotel of Hari Niwas is just adjacent to this palace. The palace has an amazing look as it is designed in the French style. The walls and red roof are decorated with the stones. On the first door, it has a small balcony and windows of French style. There is an extended corridor on the three sides of the palace. The wooden columns have been used to support the work of wooden frame, these increases make the palace more beautiful.
The palace has beautiful Indian art galleries. It shows the work in different fields of Indian artists. There is also a 120 kg gold sofa of Dogra king, which is a most attractive thing in this palace. Many visitors come to see this unique sofa. There are many paintings of famous artists, including M.F Hussain, Laxmi pain, G.R Santosh and many others. There are also paintings of Dogra and Pahari. There is number of galleries of Dasha Avatar, Nala Damayanti, and many others.
There are paintings of the 18th century in the gallery of Nala Damayanti having a total of 47 paintings. These paintings show the beautiful love story of Nala and Damayanti. The story of Lord Vishnu is described in the gallery of Dash avatar. There is also a collection of modern paintings in the gallery of contemporary art. The palace also has a huge library of books. Many visitors come to visit the clothes, bedspread, and bathroom of Maharani Tara Devi. There is an arrangement of lectures, sessions for reading, tours and many other classes as well. There are many workshops, hobby activities and many other programs for students.
The palace is located in Jammu. The tourists can visit this palace by booking local taxi or autos. The nearest railway station and airport is in Jammu. The visitors can visit this palace at time of the year. In summers, the temperature can go up to 45 degrees whereas in winters it drops to freezing point. The best time is to go in summers as there is also an option for trekking. It is closed on Mondays and week holidays. The opening time of the museum is from 10 am to 12 and 3 pm to 7 pm.
