New Palace and Museum

The New Palace was built in 1884 in an eclectic Indo-Saracenic style — a blend of Rajput, Mughal, and European elements that was fashionable among the progressive princely states of the late 19th century. The building itself is impressive: a sprawling pile in buff-coloured stone with carved balconies and elaborate stonework. The museum inside displays the royal collection: weapons, hunting trophies, garments, photographs, and artifacts from the period of Kolhapur State.

The palace grounds are pleasant and the building provides good context for understanding the city's history. Kolhapur State was notable for resisting merger into the Bombay Presidency and maintaining considerable autonomy until independence; the museum captures something of that assertive identity.

things to do museum palace
A story
Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj (1874–1922), who commissioned this palace and governed Kolhapur from it, was a remarkable social reformer. He established reservations for lower castes in government employment and education decades before the Indian constitution enshrined such protections, and corresponded with B. R. Ambedkar. The palace now houses a museum in his honour.