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Bennett Winch SC Holdall

Udaipur, India

Shiv Niwas Palace is the hotel where James Bond stays in the movie Octopussy.
Shiv Niwas Palace is the hotel where James Bond stays in the movie Octopussy.
Photo © VascoPlanet.com / Vyacheslav Argenberg
Shiv Niwas Palace in the foreground and the Taj Lake Palace can be seen in the lake.

This central area of the Shiv Niwas Palace hotel can be seen in the film when Bond checks in and later has dinner with Magda.

The pond in the Taj Lake Palace is where Bond sees Octopussy and her girls bath and relax. In the background of this photo, the Shiv Niwas hotel can be spotted.

The Jag Mandir Palace is used for exterior shots of Octopussy's home, and the elephant statues can clearly be seen when Kamal Khan and Bond arrive.

Photo © VascoPlanet.com / Vyacheslav Argenberg
Monsoon Palace is Kamal Khan's residence in Octopussy.
Photo © VascoPlanet.com / Vyacheslav Argenberg

In the 1983 James Bond film Octopussy, several palaces in and around the town of Udaipur, India were used, most notably Shiv Niwas Palace (Bond's hotel), the Taj Lake Palace and Jag Mandir Palace which double as the home of Octopussy (played by Maud Adams) and Monsoon Palace (Kamal Khan's residence).

Shiv Niwas Palace
James Bond (played by Roger Moore) himself is staying in the Shiv Niwas Palace Hotel. The name of the hotel is mentioned by the tuk-tuk driver who picks up Bond and Vijay and we see Bond check in. Later, Bond plays at the hotel casino and has dinner with Magda (Kristina Wayborn) next to the swimming pool. Shiv Niwas Palace is a former residence of the Maharana of Udaipur, Rajasthan, located on the banks of Lake Pichola. The lake and the Taj Lake Palace can be seen from the hotel. Click here for prices and availability.

Taj Lake Palace
Later in the film, Bond visits Octopussy's home, a structure which is another palace, the Taj Lake Palace, also known as the floating palace, now a hotel. Located on a natural foundation of 4 acres (16,000 m2) rock on the Jag Niwas island in Lake Pichola, the beautiful Taj Lake Palace hotel has 83 rooms and suites featuring white marble walls. Click here for prices and availability. The hotel can only be reached by boat (or crocodile suit) and features several filming locations, including the pond where Bond sees Octopussy and the terrace where Bond and Octopussy have a chat.

The palace was built in 1743 - 1746 under the direction of the Maharana Jagat Singh II as a royal summer palace. Over the years the palace deteriorated badly and only in the 1960s the palace was finally restored and turned into a hotel. In 2000, a second restoration was undertaken.

Jag Mandir Palace
The exterior shots of Octopussy's home were taken at the Jag Mandir Palace, which is also built on an island in Lake Pichola. The elephant statues that can be seen when Kamal Khan arrives on the large boat and when Bond arrives in his crocodiles submarine are part of Jag Mandir Palace, and not of the Taj Palace Hotel. The flower garden and pond, seen a few moments after Khan's and Bond's arrivals, are part of the Taj Lake Palace.

Monsoon Palace
Another film location in the area is Monsoon Palace, built on top of a hill, overlooking Udaipur. This palace appears as the residence of the villain Kamal Khan (Louis Jourdan), and is first mentioned in the film when Vijay tells Bond where Kamal Khan lives. Later, Bond is held captive in the palace, and dines there with Khan and Magda. Other sequences shot here include the arrival of the Soviet helicopter, the hunt for Bond on the grounds surrounding the palace after his escape and the finale with Octopussy's army attacking the palace.

Rolls-Royce Phantom II
A 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II that was used by villain Kamal Khan (Louis Jordan) in the movie Octopussy is still owned by the Maharaja of Udaipur and can be seen in the Vintage Car Collection museum in Udaipur.

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