Not so far from the National Capital, there stands the royal heritage building of Lotwara. The present owner of the Royal family opened the door of the historic building for the tourists to stay and experience the taste of Rajasthan, royalty and hospitality. Shailza Sood shares her experience of staying in this amazing property.
We were greeted by a smiling Praphulit Ranawat while I could see the sadness in her eyes. They were wet when they met mine. She was single-handedly supervising the all-ladies team that was busy preparing the rooms for the guests. Praphulit had a quick chat with us and discussed our food preferences.
We were served delicious home-cooked papad mangodi ki sabji, dal, rice, roti with fresh chhachh to accompany. This is exactly what we needed after a drive of around 5 hrs. Just around 240 kms from Delhi this heritage property has it all that is required for a weekend getaway. Comfortable rooms with all modern facilities, a beautiful lawn and a courtyard to spend some quality time with your family, gracious hosts and ample activities to get involved in. You can go on a village walk, involve yourself in farm activities, learn traditional Rajasthani cooking, read about the history and culture of the place or just relax in the lovely well maintained lawn. Cultural nights with Kalbelia dancers, bonfires and barbeque, high tea in the middle of a river bed can also be organized. You can also try your hand at pottery. So all in all you can plan a good memorable holiday here.
With close proximity to places like Bharatpur, Sariska and Ranthambore this can be a good base to explore the wildlife of Rajasthan as well. Also visit Abhaneri – the largest step well and Bhangarh is one of the most haunted places.
We went for a village walk in the evening. It was a lovely walk through green fields and mud houses. Ladies were busy with their daily chores, feeding the cattle and harvesting the mustard crop while kids were running here and there. We enjoyed the sunset and came back to the property where a delicious Rajasthani dinner was awaiting us. The taste of fresh organic vegetables picked from the farm is still fresh in my mouth.
Over a chat during breakfast the next morning I got to know how Thakur Giriraj Lotwara had worked throughout his life to make this property a perfect home for their post-retirement life.
Sadly he left her alone just before it was to start. He was in his 60s and was planning to retire soon. He had this dream to make Lotwara heritage home a dream stay for families coming from all parts of the world. She along with her daughter-in-laws Bhuvaneshwari and Garima have taken the charge to realize this dream of his.
Best Time To Visit : Oct to March
Nearest Railhead : (BKI)BANDIKUI JN ( 16 Km )
Nearest Airport : Jaipur International Airport ( 102 Km)
Distance from New Delhi : 246 km.
