No AC, yet naturally cool: Begum's 149-year-old palace now lies in ruins

BHOPAL: A palace of splendour that once beat weather’s whims and could host everyone, from Viceroy Lord Minto to Gandhi, now lies nearly desolate and abandoned. But ‘Benazeer’ is a Persian word meaning incomparable or matchless. The palace was built in 1877 to live up to that name.The structure served as the summer rest-house of Shahjahan Begum, Bhopal’s ruler. Benazeer Palace sits beside Taj-ul-Masajid and overlooks Motia Talab, one of the cascading lakes built to harvest run-off rainwater from Idgah hills. Benazeer brought together Belgian glass, cast iron, red stone, steel and water engineering in one building.A cool marvelBenazeer faces Motia Talab and breathes with it. Cold air from the lake was drawn through ventilators, ducts and jharokhas and pushed inside like a natural blower, a technique common in old Bhopal before coolers or ACs became the norm.