Dhenkanal Palace, Orissa
This fortified lemon-coloured palace, hugging the slopes of Panihola Hills, was built in the 1830s by Maharaja Bhagirath Mahindra Bahadur of Orissa’s fourth-largest princely State, Dhenkanal. His descendant, Brigadier Raja Kamakhya Prasad Singh Deo currently lives there with his family.
An hour and a half’s drive from Bhubhaneshwar, Dhenkanal Palace has a fort-like entrance, with a sloping stone ramp (where elephants once ambled in) that leads to an impressive gate. The royal homestay boasts 15 rooms, with each corner of the palace reflecting the 17 artisanal skills that thrive in the villages within a 25 km periphery. You have handwoven linen and curtains, dishes made of Kansa, candle stands in Dokra (metalwork), Patachitra paintings in the bathrooms, and stone work (this is the land of the Konark Sun Temple, lest we forget).
Surrounded by silence, from your private balconies overlooking the Panihola Hills you can gaze at a full moon or a starry night. An Art Deco room, in black and pink marble and granite, has furniture from the 1940s and a quaint bathtub. “We had pulley fans before the ACs came in,” says Yuvrani Meenal Kumari Singhdeo, who shares that there is no fridge or TV in the rooms, and guests are welcome to join the royal family in the living room. Breakfast is in the garden, while meals are in a European-style dining room adorned with antique plates and crockery from Germany, Netherlands, France, and some from recent travels. Gorge on Oriya delicacies like Dahi Baingan and Mustard Potatoes, Continental specialties, and try their Chhena Podo, a local baked cheese dessert (an in-house dairy ensures fresh supply of milk and ghee, while the farm provides seasonal greens).
Take off for an excursion to local villages to see artisans at work, or trek through the at Alekh Mahima Dharma in Joranda, a 40 km drive away, where adherents keep their hair tied in a bun, and wear clothes made of bark. In Orissa, the magic never stops.
