Forts and Palaces to Stay in Uttar Pradesh

It is the biggest monument to change from medieval to modern. Once the palatial palaces and forts of royal families of UP have been turned in several cases into heritage hotels. These are now wonderful places to stay and have a peek into the splendour of the royal past. These structures have deliberately retained their charm of those bygone eras. These royal forts, havelis and palaces of the erstwhile Rajas and Nawabs of UP continue to attract a number of tourists because of the tag of royal exclusivity. Every nook and corner, every wall and brick, every quaint tree and canopied walk in these hotels carry the stories and mysteries of the pristine glory of thee palaces and forts in these hotels. The ethnic interiors of these heritage palaces are inimitable and alluring in equal parts to history buffs as well as connoisseurs of art and architecture of a bygone era.


The historical reason for the coming of these hotels was primarily economical. When most of the Rajas and Nawabs of the pre-Independence era lost their titles they were forced to live an alien life of pecuniary decline. Their meagre pensions were hardly supportive of the royal comforts they were accustomed to for centuries. Some of the more entrepreneurial royals came up with a marvellous solution to their problems. They decided to turn their ancestral palaces and forts into Heritage hotels. When these initial forays into the commercial world of hospitality proved economically viable, more and more of the Royals followed suit.

An important feature of these heritage palaces and forts is their interior. It carries the visitor to a past suffused with marble halls, quaint arches, glittering chandeliers, delicate antique furniture and the extremely inimitable service provided by the staff in the tradition of old. It is an experience to stay at these places reminiscent of the luxurious living and services received by the occupants in the good old days.

There are several world class heritage hotels in UP today. These hospitality junctions provide a wonderful living and unparallel comfort to guests in the style of the past right from the decor and interiors up to the dress and form of staff engaged in the job along with all the modern facilities needed for a comfortable stay.

Some of these Heritage hotels are given below.

Jusako Ganges Varanasi

It was originally built about 200 years ago as a Haveli by the powerful Yadavas on the banks of the holy river Ganges as a river front home. The heritage structure today has been turned into a beautiful Hotel. It is located right on the Guleria Ghat. Since it is situated on the river front, the religiously inclined as well as the nature lovers come to the heritage hotel to have a unique experience of the Holy City of Banaras in all its magnificent glory. The traditional interior decor, the old time architecture and the total ambiance of the hotel gives a glimpse of the great culture of Varanasi to the visitor.

The building was constructed with the magnificent Chunar sandstone and the present management has laboured to keep its classical style intact. There is a separate meditation room in the hotel with the added glory of its 800 year old idol of lord Vishnu to give its a serenity beyond words.

The Jusako Palace offers 15 rooms to guests complete with all the modern amenities and 21st century wonders. It still succeeds in keeping its heritage image due to the traditional designs used to keep the modern inconspicuous. The rooms are Vastu compliant. The Palace faces east to make it auspicious as well as helpful to view the sacred Ganges from the rooms.

Tariff: Deluxe Room Single: INR 10000
Double: INR 12000.

The winter package includes – double room for 2 nights, American breakfast, lunch or dinner: INR 20999.
Extra bed: INR2500

The contact details of Jusako Ganges Varanasi are as follows.

Jukaso Ganges
CK/14, Patni Tola Chowk
Near Manikarnika Ghat, Varanasi-221010
Ph-0542-2406666
Email: sales@jukaso.co.in
Toll Free Number: 1-880-111-333

Mud Fort Kuchesar in Bulundshahr

Kuchesar is a small village at a distance of about 80 km from Delhi in the district Bulandshahr of UP. There is an important heritage hotel called Mud Fort Kuchesar at the place. The area was a princely state or a Zamindari of Kuchesar before Independence. It was predominantly under the Dalal Jat rulers for most of the time. The powerful Jats lost it in 1763 but recaptured the same in 1782 for the final time. It continued to remain under the Jats till India’s Independence.

Canopied maharaja beds, exclusive billiard room, great conference hall, antique furniture and old style interior decor complete with magnificent portraits of the old rajas and antique paintings are some of the characteristics of the Mud-fort palace Kuchesar. Some other important characteristics of the hotel are the open spaces for a tranquil stay, bonfires at night, locally made fresh jaggery and a majestic old style atmosphere. The hotel has impressive recreational facilities like tennis court, swimming pool, nature walks and an opportunity to mix with the local people. Those who try to find five star features need not bother to come because it is a heritage place that can transport the visitor to a world of past glories in which the royals once stayed. Some useful Information about the place is given below.

Tariff: there are 19 rooms on offer
Heritage rooms: 2- for 6000 per night
Deluxe rooms: 3- for 6500
Super deluxe rooms: 7- for 75 00
Palace rooms: 5- for 7000.
17.5 % taxes are extra.

The Mud Fort Village
Kuchesar Fort
Bulandsahar-245402
Ph-91+9568336556

Fort Rampura Lucknow

Those who wish to stay away from the din and noise of a city will like this fort-turned-hotel at fort Rampura in Jalaun district of UP. It is situated near the mighty Chambal Ravines. This proximity to the once dreaded area of M.P. gives the place an added mystery and charm because once the ravines of Chambal were more than famous for its fearless dacoits and brigands. A stay at this place is considered to be especially remarkable because of the hosts keeping an eye on the working of this fort hotel. It has merely 3 rooms to offer but otherwise it provides ample sunshine to the visitors to enjoy their stay here. This is being dubbed as a home stay destination and requires a confirmed booking before the guests arrive there. The contact person for the same is Mr. Keshavendra Singh.

Tariff: the tariff starts at 3500 up to 6000 per night. Restricted entry; Confirmed booking essential.

The place can be pre booked by phone or email. Details are given below.

The Fort Rampura
District Jalaun- 285127
Ph- 05168-285480
Email-fotrampura@yahoo.co.in

Nadesar Palace Varanasi

The Taj group of hotels had been at the forefront of converting Royal Palaces into Heritage luxury hotels and resorts for a long time. The Nadesar palace Varanasi is one such successful conversion of a medieval palace into a modern hotel. The history of this palace is shrouded in mystery but two facts are prominently known to people.

The first fact is that the palace was named after the goddess Nadeshwari. A beautiful shrine of the goddess can still be seen here. The second fact is that it was restored into a glorious building by James Prinsep of the East India Company who was an architect delegated with the job of improving Varanasi. The palace came under the possession of Maharaja Prabhu Narain Singh who ruled this area from 1889 to 1931.

It was used by the Maharaja as his city palace to greet the dignitaries in its palatial splendour. Some of the high and mighty who visited it in the past were prince and princess of Wales who later became King George V and Queen Mary; King Reja Shah Pahlavi; King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia, Lord Mountbatten; Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru; Queen Elizabeth II and Dalai Lama, the venerable Tibetan holy priest. The palace hotel as it stands amidst lush gardens, marigold and jasmine fields and some of the most beautiful mango orchards is a piece of calm brought down on earth by the goddess Nadeshwari herself. The interior is resplendent with the art collection of Maharaja and original antique furniture giving its 10 suits an unparalleled aura and representative of the glorious days of the bygone era. The contact details are given below.

Tariff: the room tariff ranges from INR 66000 TO 70000 for 2 nights along with other facilities like lunch breakfast attached. The tariffs are not advertised. Offers are available on its web-site.

Nadesar Palace Varanasi
Palace grounds
Varanasi-221002
Ph-0542-6660002 to 6
Fax- 0542-2501406
E-Mail- Nadesar.varanasi@tajhotels.com
reservations@tajhotels.com
Website www.tajhotels.com

Pallavi International Varanasi

This is one of the most renowned heritage hotels at Varanasi. The palace was originally a city abode of the Maharaja Krishna Pratap Sahi of Hathwa. It was later inherited by Maharaja Gopeshwar Pratap Sahi. The palace was constructed by the maharaja to pay homage to the holy Ganges. He was a deeply religious person and wished to remain close to the beautiful temples of the oldest living city of the world – Varanasi.

The present transformation of the palace was brought by the heir to Maharaja Gopeshwar Prasad Sahi after his demise. It has 44 beautiful rooms divided into heritage and modern deluxe rooms. The heritage and Maharaja rooms carry the decor of the bygone eras while the standard deluxe rooms offer a modern look. Both sections have all the modern amenities fit for a 3 star hotel. The hotel is about 2 km from Kashi Vishwanath temple. It is centrally air-conditioned today.

Tariff: Standard Deluxe room INR 2800
Heritage Deluxe room INR 3200
Heritage Suite INR 4500
Maharaja Suite INR 6000

Address for bookings is as follows.

Pallavi International
Hathwa Palace, Chetgunj
Varanasi-221010
Ph-0542-2393012

Fort Unchagaon Bulandsahar

The Unchagaon Palace is one of the finest Heritage hotels of UP. There are quaint stories in its past that are mysteriously romantic and add an aura of greatness to its old style ambiance. The fort was originally built with mud and had very little to show for it. A local Zamindar was the owner who lost the mud palace to the British after the revolt of 1857. It again changed hands by succession and a ten year old Raja Surendra Pal Singh became the owner. He began to transform the fort to its splendid beauty and majestic aura of today from 1927 onwards. The fort Unchagaon is now considered to be a great Heritage Hotel of UP.

It offers 23 rooms splendidly decorated with antiques and retro decor with most modern amenities for the guests. It proffers a mix of the old and new that gives excellent feeling of calm and pleasure. The hotel can be reached at the following address

Tariff:
Collectors court INR 4750 Extra occupancy below 12 years 1100 above 12 years 1800
Fort House INR 5750 Extra occupancy below 12 years 1600 above 12 years 2200

Fort Unchgaon
V.P.O. Unchagaon
Garhmukteshwar
Bulandsahar-202398
Ph- 91+8130560060

The Royal Retreat Shivpatinagar

The Royal Retreat was once the hunting lodge of Raja Shivpati Singh. It was due to the surrounding terrain of lush wilderness of the terai that game was easily available and rajas of the area used to invite their British and Indians friends to partake in the fun of hunting in the area. It was built in 1840 by converting a British manor house.

The Royal Retreat is at present one of the best and finest hotels in the Buddhist pilgrimage area of Lumbini, Kapilvastu, Shravasti and Kushinagar. The retreat has 9 suites and 17 deluxe rooms on offer with all the modern amenities available to guests. A unique characteristic of the Retreat is the presence of a private forest in the midst of its campus. This provides a wonderful opportunity to guests for watching plenty of those migratory birds that flock in the terai region.

Tariff: Room only Basis
A.C Non A.C A.C Non A.C
Single Superior Suite 8700 7700 Single Deluxe Suite 7000 6000
Double superior Suite 9000 8000 Double Deluxe Suite 7300 6300
Single Deluxe Room 5400 4400 Double Deluxe Room 5900 4900
Extra Bed : Deluxe room-800; Suite-1200

The contact details for the retreat are as follows.

The Royal Retreat
Mohana Chauraha
Shivpatinagar
Siddhartha Nagar-272206
Ph-91+9839218318
Email: deependra@theroyalretreat.com
Website: www.trrshivpatinagar.com

Mahamaya Shravasti

This heritage hotel of UP basically provides comfort of stay to the weary pilgrims in the Buddhist Circuit of Terai region close to the Indo-Nepal Boarder of India. Situated in Balrampur, the palace was a royal guest house used for the European guests of the Raja of Balrampur. The guest house was originally built in 1860. It was renovated and refurbished as a heritage hotel for the visitors in 1979.
The hotel is resplendent with the beauty of the antique decor and the magnificence of the bygone era of the British Raj. The hotel is spread over an area of 7 acres of lush green surroundings. It provides 20 rooms fitted with all the modern facility to the guests. A very important feature of the rooms is the form and decor which is same for all the 20 rooms. It gives a sense of uniformity to all the guests. The contact details are as follows.

Tariff: single 2500 Double 3000

Mahamaya Shravasti
Civil Lines
Balrampur-271201
Ph-05263-2332507
Fax-05263-232208
Email: contact@balarampurhotels.com
Website: www.balrampurhotels.cpm

Anhalwara Palace Kheri

The Anhalwara Palace is located in Kotwara, Kheri. The place is considered to be one of the oldest living civilizations in the Lakhimpur Kheri region of India. The Chavda Rulers of the region came here from Gujarat in 1007 A.D. and resettled the city of Kotwara. The same dynasty ruled the area till the Independence of India. Kotwara is famous for the delicacy, poetry, dance and pomp of the unique culture called Awadhi. The palace of the raja of Kotwara was originally built in Awadhi baroque architecture with mud bricks in the year 1892. It was known for its beautiful gardens, verdant lawns and splendid roses when completed.

The palace hotel was reconstructed and refurbished to include the modern facilities for its guests. It has 7 rooms to offer to the guests. A unique feature of the rooms is that each room is named after one of the famous movies of Bollywood like Umrao Jaan. The interior design of the rooms replicates the design of the sets of the movies after which the room has been named. It offers a wonderful experience of the Awadhi culture to the guests.

The address details of this heritage hotel are as follows.

Anhalwara Palace
Kotwara
Kheri-262701

Palace Bansi Siddharthanagar

Situated on the banks of the River Rapti, the palace Bansi was once the homestead of the rulers of the area of Bansi. They were the local chieftains who were considered to be independent princes and had the power of life and death over the tribal areas around Gonda to Gorakhpur. It is one of the finest architectural splendour of the district Siddharthanagar of UP.

The area became a prominent tourist place after the discovery of the Stupa at Kapilvastu, just 35 km from the palace. The palace exists since the 13th century but it became a heritage hotel after Independence. The palace has 4 luxurious rooms for the guests complete with the modern amenities for comfort of the visitors. The rooms are decorated in traditional style of the area and offer twin bedrooms along with attached baths. The interior decoration provides a glimpse into the magnificent past of the palace.

Hotel Bansi Palace
Siddharthanagar-272153
Uttar Pradesh
Ph-05544-220138