Neemrana Fort Palace - Far from the
madding crowd Written by Sanjay Sivadas Photography courtesy of Neemrana Hotels
A detour on the Delhi-Jaipur highway at Behror took me to Alwar;
the gateway to Rajasthan.
I headed for the quaint village of Neemrana that was tucked away
at the foot of the Aravallis. One bend up, the breathtaking Neemrana
Fort-Palace that seemed to imperiously gaze upon the country-side,
rose before me.
The Neemrana Fort-Palace, which was under the sway of the descendants
of Prithviraj Chauhan, was in ruins till not long ago. Aman Nath
and Francis Wacziarg, who chanced upon it in the 1980’s,
had over the years restored it back to its old glory. It has truly
been a labour of love.
The Neemrana Fort-Palace has come alive, once again… Today,
it is a boutique hotel that boasts of 53 well-appointed rooms,
a swimming pool and a spa. Since the time it opened its doors
to the discerning traveler, the Neemrana Fort-Palace has won the
hearts of people, including the likes of Kate Winslet who spent
her honeymoon here from across the globe.
Built in 1464, every nook and corner of the Neemrana Fort-Palace
is steeped in history. I stepped back into time as I too checked
into this ‘non-hotel’ hotel.
The glitter of the rising sun had fallen on Neemrana, the following
morning. I was, however, still asleep… but, not for long.
I was roused from my slumber by the chirping of birds. After a
hearty breakfast, I set off on a camel safari across the out backs
of Rajasthan. Before long, the awe-inspiring Aravallis which are
probably the oldest mountain chains in the world, stretched out
before me.
The Mahabharata tells that after losing a game of dice,
the Pandavas were sent to exile into the forests for
13 long years. They were to remain incognito during the last year
of their exile. If found, they had to go into exile all over again.
Legend has it that the Pandavas had spent the last year of their
exile in the lap of these Aravallis.
The camel safari stopped for lunch along the banks of the lake
Siliserh. I watched cormorants dive for fish in the sparkling
waters of the lake as I tucked into an authentic Rajasthani cuisine
of dal, bhati and churma. The camel safari had brought back the
romance of the caravans of yore.
Back at the Neemrana Fort-Palace that night, the kalbelias -
the nomadic tribe from Rajasthan enthralled everybody with their
scintillating dances. The kalbelias are believed to have long
back wandered to Europe and mingled with the gypsies there. No
wonder then, that there was a striking similarity between their
dances and the dances of Spain.
Additional Information:
• Alwar lies about 100 miles from Delhi.
• The best time to visit Alwar is between October and March.
• Pandavas - In the Hindu epic Mahabharata,
the Pandava brothers are the five acknowledged sons of Pandu.
All five brothers were married to one woman, Draupadi. Together,
they fought and prevailed in a war against the party of their
cousins the climax of which was the Battle of Kurukshetra. (referenced
from Wikipedia.org)
• The cost for a couple for 2 nights/3 days at the Neemrana
Fort-Palace (including breakfast, lunch and dinner) works out
to about $375-$750.
Sanjay Sivadas
is a travel writer based in Bangalore. He may be reached at
sanjaysivadas@yahoo.com.
