A winding road through the forests of Ranakpur leads one to the Dehsuri tehsil of Pali district. Tucked behind the western Aravalli hills that host the mighty Kumbhalgarh fort, Ghanerao is a small village that lies in the cusp of Marwar and Mewar region. Not just geographically, going back in time in the 1550s, the region had a distinctive place both in the kingdoms of Mewar and Marwar. The region ruled by the Rathores of the Merta was a princely thikana of about 37 villages.
The Ghanerao Castle was built in 1606 which has since then remained the ancestral abode for the royal Thakurs of Ghanerao. A jeep-ride from the town of Sadri, drops one at the Ghanerao market place. The narrow lane meandering through an assortment of huge architectures -houses with modern touch and some with the archaic look, leads us to the Castle Fortress. As one walks past these interesting blend of settlements on both sides of the lane and starts to form an initial opinion of the residents, locked doors across all the houses and a deserted lane stir intrigue and puzzle us.
“People have migrated… These are mostly Jains whose present generation has migrated to cities like Bombay , have their own business there and return home once or twice during important festivals…” , the caretaker at the Castle later tells us.
The Castle, currently under the reign of Thakur Himmat Singh and managed jointly by the heirs – Kunwar Shakti Singh and Kunwar Janmejaya Singh falls short of words to describe. Opulence, royalty, magnificence, antique are words that would usually define any well-maintained Palace or Castle we visit across the country. What makes Ghanerao stand out is this enchanting story that one gets to partake by virtue of the freedom to explore, walk, touch , experience every exquisite space of the castle. It is this interesting chemistry of keeping the best of royalty and letting the people from all walks experience (without much variation to the ancestral imagination for meeting modern standards of comfort), which makes it so spectacularly striking. Ghanerao is anyone’s dream come true.
In a span of two days and on sheer affordable prices, I was enamoured and bewitched by the poetic ambience. Cosy corners where one could lie under a peepal and watch the colourful birds flutter around, every room with its own story retained through artefacts, a quaint little poolside, antique paintings and furniture with minor retouches make for a perfect ensemble soaking in the senses.
I consider myself extremely fortunate. In a huge sprawling castle with its intertwining stairways, uncountable rooms, flowering shrubs, my friend and I were the only guests during the entire stay. ‘Hospitality’ is still a distanced word to describe. We felt more at home, pampered and given to explore the entire castle and not to forget the beautiful poolside. This, and the warmth of the entire team in providing us the most delicious, freshly cooked meal of 3 courses left us speechless and glowing with a deep sense of joy
While I can go on and on about Ghanerao’s magical experience, which I still at times feel too beautiful to be true, I should direct the attention to some interesting nuances that came during our rendezvous with our Castle. The extremely diligent and meticulous team of Ghanerao comprises of a mix of members with designated responsibilities from different parts of Rajasthan and differentiated by years of association with the Family. The family’s connection with Nepal through marital links thus has an interesting mix of representatives from the country within the team as well.
“Raj mata (the mother of the present Thakur) used to be extremely strict back in early 80s and 90s. And back then the Castle had its own identity, stature and majestic presence. We had only royal guests from the country and international guests visiting. It was not open to commoners. But now times have changed -the team has younger people and now anyone can access the haveli… “, a Senior member in the team shares while reminiscing the Castle’s journey
As he reflects on the changing times and social media that has made the Castle so accessible, he laments on the demands of comfort by visitors that take away the Castle’s own identity. “Tourists now ask for food to be served in rooms, complain that the rooms are not equipped with TVs or refrigerator. We provide ACs but TVs? Why come here if one has to stay glued to TVs inside the room? Very few tourists actually care to learn about the heritage or explore the Castle in its breadth. If one does, there is so much to it already…” I couldn’t agree more.
As we navigate across the different rooms , each with its own significance, we come to a common place comprising of antiquities such as vintage telephones, tapestries, vintage photographs, cradles and paintings. The adjoining miniature room has a unique feature of being decked with mosaic of mica and glassware that form reflections of the sunlight in the interiors. The lower segment of the four walls of the room has an interesting series of three dimensional artwork of the palaces of Marwar , Mewar across Rajasthan designed in continuum. From Hawa Mahal to the City Palace of Udaipur, Rajathan’s royalty depicted in one frame and thus speak of the significance Ghanerao held in both the seats of power – Mewar and Marwar.
A greater accessibility to these artefacts (that otherwise require high degree maintenance, restricted access and preservation) implies that one can step in and touch them, which however jeopardises the long term sustainability of the delicate art forms. But in its quintessence, the Castle maintains the need for people in general to participate , feel the tactile presence of what constitutes its breath and soul. And thus exists this deliberate way of engaging with the enthusiasts not just as viewers or through superficial heritage walks but a more liberating way of letting people explore, feel, treasure what the Castle has to offer.
Across a passageway, a series of English Newspaper cuttings marking important days in history like the Second World War, Gandhi’s Dandi March or Nehru’s Tryst With Dynasty on the midnight of independence are hung on the wall and make for an interesting read. Rummaging through these collection of cuttings , one comes across a long pager (in hindi) of a formal request addressed to the then Thakur by the villagers . The language of the letter quite vocally expresses a discontent among the villagers on a Resolution passed in favour of animal slaughtering. The letter expresses concerns around the prevailing poverty among the farmers, milkmen who are dependent on cattles as their prime economic asset and the dire implications of the Resolution. Very strategically, it outlines the loss in monetary terms and the economic gap between the Zamindars on one hand and the cattle herders in the community. Religion is brought into the argumentation evoking the ancestry of Rajputs to the deities of Hinduism and local deities like Pabu ji, categorically identified as ‘Brahmins’ who signify values of revering cattles.
While I am caught wondering the context to this entire episode, we come across a designated corner demarcated as ‘Ghanerao School of Art’. We do not come across any tangible art forms except for tainted stretch of canvas paitings, paint brushes and paints. Khet Singh explains us how natural colours are used to create paintings for the royal family. We also learn of the private folk music performance exclusively performed for the family. This explains a lot. Though a fiefdom, Ghanerao did occupy a place of importance in the royal kingdoms of Mewar and Marwar for it to evolve as a self-sustaining , culturally blossoming region in itself. The Thakurs thus safeguarded the royal kingdoms not just in military strength but also through cultural artefacts like the royal paintings of which they were the custodians, bringing together the two powers during major events such as weddings.
The present royal family of Ghanerao has evolved with time. We meet the charismatic Kunwar Shakti Singh who explains us the essence of the space in retaining the cultural heritage- the ‘old-world charm’ and also the need to promote about the property as a weekend gateway through travel websites. Balancing both worlds, the Castle stands at the interstices of time and space. Nestled in the middle of the village, that on an aerial view seems populated with clusters of settlements, but in reality are locked houses without humans with eerily stranded lanes and a scanty population, Ghanerao Castle is a figment of the royalty that one can experience, unrestrained. The motivation of the team with the leadership of the Kunwar and his better half -both a young couple with modern tastes, more accessible and with a spirit to preserve the Castle in its best, thus inspire.
By Manisha Dutta
Sutaal 