Since olden days, the Maharaos of Kotah (as Kota was formerly called) had always lived in the medieval Fort inside the city. Wanting a modern palace for his personal use, Maharaja Umed Singh II settled for thing but the best. He commissioned Sir Swinton Jacob, a distinguished officer of the Royal Engineers in the British Army, to design the building. As expected, Umed Bhawan came up in 1905 in the prevalent Indo-Sarcenic style. Plentiful supply of white Khimach and Pink Sandstone from nearby quarries helped, while Italian marble, among other things, had to be imported for flooring.