Catch a peek at silver thalis belonging to Birbal, Tipu Sultan's palanquin, Louis XVI furniture.....
Quila House
Away from the city centre of Patna, surrounded by the Ganges on three sides stands Quila House - a veritable treasure trove of antiques and artefacts. Here you will find silver thalis belonging to Birbal, Akbar's Prime Minister. Tipu Sultan's palanquin, furniture from the time of Louis XV and XVI and a collection of celadon china that includes plates which change colour if poison is poured into them.
The house is said to be on the spot where Sher Shah Suri, built his fort after conquering north India. The fort was supposedly built to save Patna from being 'eaten' up by the Ganges.
Dewan Bahadur, Jalan was travelling to Patna by train and his fellow passenger was a Nawab from Gaya. At the station, the Nawab's car did not show up and Jalan offered to drop him home. It was then that the Nawab confided that he wanted to sell his house. One look at its serene surrounding and R.J. Jalan decided to buy the house for Rs.30,000, a princely sum in those days.
The Quila House was however in bad shape and Jalan spent a substantial amount restoring it. A numismatist since his early years, he then started collecting other stuff. In 1935, he was invited to attend the silver jubilee function of King George V in London. Here, he acquired the king's Crown Derby China collection specially designed for the king in bright colours as he was losing his eyesight. Jalan also visited Europe and Egypt and picked up whatever caught his fancy.
The visitors' book at Quila House is replete with the names of celebrities - Pt. Nehru, J.K. Birla, John Galbraith, Mary Pickford, Prithviraj Kapoor. Politicians, royalty, authors and poets came to admire the exhibits at this lovely house.
Unfortunately in 1953, R.K. Jalan suffered heavy financial losses and the family was in dire straits. To preserve their private museum, Jalan's daughter-in-law offered to sell her jewellery and they managed to tide over their troubles. Jalan then transferred the deeds of the House to her name.
Today, Jalan's grandsons Bal Manohar Jalan and Giriraj Jalan take care of the museum and its priceless collection, and attempt to preserve the Quila House for future generations.
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