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Begum Samru’s Palace lived its days of grandeur during the British Raj when it used to be considered the one of the most magnificent houses in Delhi. The tall columns of the Palace that led to broad rooms had been lit up with countless number of lavish gatherings, which were all hosted by the magnanimous Begum Samru. Built in a classical style with marble baths, Begum Samru’s Palace was constructed in a beautiful garden which was gifted to the Begum by Akbar Shah after he had taken over the charge of the throne following Shah Alam’s death in 1806. The palace was earlier known as Chudiwali-ki-Haveli, which many attribute to the shadowy antecedents of the Begum but the other suppositions expressed with similar vehemence relegate the attribution into the nebulous realm of uncertainty. Begum Samru preferred the name Khas Mahal for her haveli. Begum Samru was a woman of limitless courage and unimpeachable leadership qualities. The well-trained army that she led was admired by many rulers and called upon for assistance in times of war. Begum Samru married an English soldier from Luxembourg named Walter Reinhard. At the age of forty Begum Samru embraced Christianity and took the name Joanna- an act many dismiss as a political gambit. Begum Samru’s Haveli had a garden which was described by many writers of the day as being a perpetual reminder of spring. The violence which marked the 1857 Revolt had its repercussions on the Haveli as well; the pristine white walls of the Haveli were bloodied by the murder of Bersford, who was the manager of the Delhi bank, at the hands of the Mutineers. Begum Samru’s Haveli now functions as the State Bank of India. Begum Samru’s Haveli lies in close proximity to the Red Fort. It remains open on all days of the week.
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