28°37′24″N 77°12′59″E / 28.623410°N 77.216490°E / 28.623410; 77.216490

Cochin House
Open courtyard of Cochin House

Cochin House is the former residence of the Maharaja of Cochin in Delhi. It located at Jantar Mantar Road 3. It is also known as Cochin State Palace.

History

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The house was originally built by Sujan Singh Hadaliwale, a prominent Punjabi real estate builder based in New Delhi, as his private residence. In 1911, when New Delhi was announced as capital of then-the British India, Sujan Singh and his son Sir Sobha Singh (1890–1978)[1] became part of construction of New Delhi project as senior contractors. The structure was completed and furnished by 1911 as part of New Delhi City project. The house was named as Vyukunt, which was prominent landmark in New Delhi at that time.

As part of new British India constitution, a Chamber of Princes was created in Indian Parliament to represent Indian Native princely states. As a result, it became a necessity for Indian Princes to visit New Delhi to attend the proceedings and lend their voice and concerns.[2] In 1920, the ruler of Kingdom of Cochin, H.H Raja Rama Varma Maharaja of Kochi, a friend of Sobha Singh, purchased Vyukunt from him and refurbished as Cochin State Palace.[3]

After Independence, when Cochin joined with India Union, the house became state property of Kerala Government. It is today a part of the wider Kerala House complex, which functions as an embassy of the state to the central government. In 2013, there were plans to renovate the building.[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Renovation of Cochin House by Kshetra, Susparsa". 28 December 2010.
  2. ^ "Cochin House, New Delhi". Archived from the original on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
  3. ^ Dayal, Mala (2010). Celebrating Delhi. Penguin Books India. ISBN 978-0-670-08482-1.
  4. ^ "Nod for renovation of Cochin House". The Times of India. 1 August 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2018.

Further reading

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  • Bhowmick, Sumanta K (2016). Princely Palaces in New Delhi. Delhi: Niyogi Books. p. 264. ISBN 978-9383098910.
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