Once the preserve of royalty and out of bounds for the common man since independence, the two most important chambers of Quila Mubarak have been thrown open to the public.

The chambers, which form part of Quila Androon (inner quila), have been opened to the public following a restoration and beautification exercise conducted by the Department of Archaeology and Cultural Affairs under which the facade of the Quila Androon has been repainted and the inner courtyard leading to the painted chambers spruced.

While one of them is an extensively painted chamber, the other is adorned with small pieces of glasses and is called the Sheesh Mahal. Both can now be viewed with the department putting up a grilled pathway in them.
The piece de resistance is the first chamber itself called the masnad as the king used to once sit on the raised platform in it. Apparently the earlier kings of the Phulkian dynasty used this masnad as it is a very small rook with two pillaried ante chambers on both sides. The entire room has been painted in a blend of Mughal and Rajasthani style in exquisite colours which still retain their sheen.

Most of the paintings are from Hindu mythology with the 'Raas Lila' figuring prominently. Other influences include Sikh ones and also a few Moorish influences which have been painted in a completely different style. The paintings on the raised platform are breathtaking with a portrait of a maharaja in the centre occupying pride of place.

This first chamber is also the most interesting as this is the only chamber in the quila which has been least ravaged by the passage of time. Also paintings in half of the chamber have been restored to the original beauty by staff members of the National Research Laboratory for Conservation, Lucknow. This is clear when one visits the second painted chamber.