Pachewar

My visit to the small village of Pachewar turned out to be a royal adventure: literally! I was staying at the Pachewar Garh Fort, the residence of the Prince and Princess of Pachewar. I hit the jackpot with my timing, as I was between large groups [one just had left, another would be coming after my stay] so i had the entire castle to myself! And, to make it even more amazing, I was invited into the royal residence and had breakfast and dinner with the royals themselves. It was an amazing experience and one that I certainly was not expecting. The Princess’s 90 year old mother was still living, and I was introduced to her as well.

The Fort itself is massive and is over 350 years old. There are currently 25 rooms that have been renovated and are available for lodging. There are literally hundreds more rooms that could be renovated in the future. When I arrived, since I was the only guest, I was shown a total of 7 different rooms and suites, and told I could pick anyone I wanted. I chose the Royal Suite, which was intimate and had a great view of the gardens and a very large deck with a swinging bench. It was wonderful to sit outside, as the weather was cool at night and in the early mornings. There was lush greenery everywhere. I awoke the next morning to beautiful green parrots singing outside my window! The grounds also have a beautiful swimming pool.

The Prince told me the history of the hotel and family, which reads like a BBC made for TV miniseries, fully of scandal and loss. The Princess’s great grandfather took the throne at a very young age. Some British officers concocted a plot to steal the castle and the land if they could get rid of the King. So, they convinced one of his servants to slowly poison him. When the other servants noticed the young King getting ill, they approached the crooked servant and were able to avert the Kings death. But, he was left with mental difficulties. As he grew older, he became a recluse and wouldn’t socialize with anyone. The staff knew that he must marry if the property was to remain in the family, so they arranged for him to be escorted off to Jaipur and married off. He did indeed marry, but the legitimacy of the marriage was contested for years. The family left the castle, and it was locked up for 60 years. Finally the courts ruled that the Queen could indeed inherit the land, and the family moved back,.

Upon arriving after 60 years, there was 5 feet of dirt on the floors, and the whole castle and all the rooms were home to hundreds of bats and rodents. The entire property had fallen into a state of disrepair. It looked like a total loss, but the Princess was determined to renovate it, room by room. The Prince was in the army, and would be away for the next 27 years, but the Princess continued renovating the castle, room by room. It now retains much of its original glamour, especially the private residence. After India gained independence, the Prince and Princess were given full rein and control of the castle and grounds, but everything outside the castle gates was now in private hands. Originally the royal family owned the entire town and all the land. Pachewar now has a population of about 10,000 people. Most of the residents are farmers. The town and castle overlooks the lake, which has a large mausoleum on one of the edges where all the members of the royal family are buried.

One of the staff members, Narayan had been with the family for over 20 years. He took me to his home and introduced me to his family. His wife, Neeru cooked me a delicious meal over a fire outside, where the family prepares their meals. His home overlooked the beautiful Pachewar Lake.

After dinner I was taken on a tour of the small town, and introduced to some of the residents. I also was shown how the sesame seeds are turned into oil, as well as the mustard seeds. They still use the same techniques that they have used for hundreds of years. It is easy to spot the farmers in the town as they all wear white and sport colorful red turbans. Some of them have amazing moustaches too!

It was an incredible experience that I will treasure for a lifetime.