Tuesday October 28 2008

A decade or two ago, touring India was hard work. It still can be, especially if one travels unfamiliar paths. True, the country is undergoing cataclysmic changes as it transforms itself into one of the power economies of the 21st century, but it’s a vast country with a massive population, and changes, especially to infrastructure, will not be rapid.

That said, any Indophile who’s been there before and returns today will immediately notice the differences: new road works, new public transport systems in cities, new airlines, new destinations. And, most importantly for the visitor, a whole new range of accommodation options, from modest to maharajah luxury.

The Taj hotel group, India’s largest and part of the TATA conglomerate of 98 companies operating in seven different market sectors, offers the visitor a choice of 59 hotels in 41 locations throughout the subcontinent, but the ones to which international travellers seem most drawn are those housed in the former residences of the maharajahs, the most exotic of which are concentrated in the state of Rajasthan.

Blessed with fabulous fortunes, the princely rulers of Rajasthan built for themselves over three centuries dream palaces of marble and intricately carved stone. Crammed with treasures and housing a motley assortment of wives, offspring, retainers and servants, they were the embodiment of luxury, extravagance and eccentricity.

When the Scindia Maharajah of Gwalior passed the port after dinner, it was not necessary to handle the decanters. A miniature train in sterling silver pootled on rails around the 100-seater dining table, stopping to serve each guest before proceeding around its circuit.

When India gained independence in 1947, it was only a matter of time before the rulers were stripped of their powers to tax their subjects and needed to look elsewhere for income. Subsequent bills were passed abolishing princely perks and consigning India’s royalty to history.

Some abandoned their palaces, but the more resourceful ones adapted to changing times and capitalised on the burgeoning curiosity about India, its colourful history and the opulent lifestyle of the maharajahs which has been chronicled in innumerable coffee-table books.

But superb photographs give only a hint of how magnificent some of India’s palaces are. Consider Udaipur. Few would be unfamiliar with the images of the ravishing Lake Palace (pictured on the previous page), floating like some great moonlit barge on the waters of Lake Pichola. One of three palaces owned by the Maharana of Udaipur, it’s surely among the half-dozen most romantic buildings in the world. Erected in 1743 on a man-made island, it’s a delirious complex of spacious rooms, hidden staircases, ravishing internal courtyard gardens with fountains, cupolas and rooftop pavilions where, in the summer heat, one can sit and catch breezes off the lake.

From the window, one can look out towards the magnificent City Palace, where the present maharajah lives, and, on another side, to the exquisite Jag Mandir, a pleasure palace built in the 17th century and guarded by life-sized marble elephants.

A series of pavilions are laid out across the island, interspersed with gardens that fill the air with the scent of roses, frangipani and jasmine. Guests at the Lake Palace often come here for dinner, as did members of the royal family of Mewar and the exiled Shah Jahan, who is said to have drawn inspiration for the Taj Mahal from this pearl-like palace.

Other former rulers from the city states of Rajputana have been equally entrepreneurial, especially the maharajahs of Jaipur and Jodhpur, both of whom have converted one or more of their sprawling residences into luxury hotels where little has changed, especially in the area of service. Some now boast more staff than even the maharajahs at the height of their powers and wealth could afford.

The current maharajah of Jodhpur, like his counterpart in Udaipur, has transformed the second of his two city palaces, Umaid Bhawan, into one of the most spectacular hotels in the world, second in scale only to Buckingham Palace.

When drought and famine hit the state of Jodhpur in the early 1920s, the then-ruler, the present maharajah’s grandfather, Maharajah Umaid Singh, decided to create jobs by building a gigantic new palace on a hill directly opposite his older one, within the 15th-century Mehrangarh Fort. He commissioned the distinguished British architect Henry Lanchester to design the new palace, and 3000 workers laboured for 15 years to complete this masterpiece of Indian Art Deco.

Given that the Umaid Bhawan, when completed, comprised 347 rooms, indoor and outdoor pools, a vast garden and garages and stables for polo ponies, all requiring immense sums for upkeep, it’s unsurprising that the present Maharajah Gaj Singh II retreated to one wing of this colossal structure and the rest morphed into a hotel.
Extensively featured in decorating magazines, the palace is remarkable in that the original decor is still in place; during a recent renovation, new bathrooms were installed based on the much-photographed original designs for the royal suites. Even staying here for just one or two nights, the visitor has a palpable sense of the splendour and style in which the maharajahs lived.

A similar experience can be had in Jaipur at the Rambagh Palace, a magnificent complex spread over 19 hectares of historic gardens and formerly the home of the Maharajahs of Jaipur. It has the distinction of being the only palace in polo-mad India, indeed in the world, with a dedicated playing field attached.

Here too one can, for a price, occupy the enormous suites designed for the Maharajah and his wife, but less costly accommodation in the palace is still remarkably luxurious.

Beyond Rajasthan, where there is probably the greatest concentration of celebrated palaces, are other splendid remnants of the raj. At Gwalior, the Usha Kiran Palace, next door to the ancestral home of the ruling Scindia family, was built over 120 years ago for a visit by a member of the British royal family. It’s now an elegant and airy small hotel, the 40 rooms arranged round cool, silent courtyards. Furnished with divans, colourful silk cushions and judiciously deployed antiques and imperial memorabilia, including the mandatory signed photographs of the king and queen, taken to commemorate their trip to India for the 1911 Coronation Durbar, they are remnants of imperial India.

Many new hotels and resorts have sprung up in India over the past decade, including some that are pure Bollywood. All are impressive, but in truth nothing beats the experience of living it up in the former home of a prince and feeling, albeit temporarily, like royalty.