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Neemrana Fort-Palace
Neemrana, Rajasthan, India · Neemrana Hotels · Accessible Luxury
Originally built starting in 1464 and abandoned in 1947, this medieval fort was acquired for restoration in 1986 and opened as a hotel in 1991. The property spans 14 levels cut into the two billion-year-old Aravalli hills, effectively creating the heritage hotel category in India through the pioneering efforts of Aman Nath and Francis Wacziarg.
- 92 rooms
- Opened 1991
- Neighborhood: Aravalli ridge
About Neemrana Fort-Palace
- Jait Mahal, the oldest wing, still holds guest rooms named for nine stones; Surya Mahal was a 16th-century zenana gallery.
- Aman Nath bought the ruin in 1986 with Lekha Poddar and O.P. Jain for 700,000 rupees after Raja Rajinder Singh left in 1947.
- Ninety-two rooms step down the Aravalli ridge on the Delhi-Jaipur corridor; Tijara is the quieter sister fort.
History
Construction of this Chauhan hill-fort on the Aravalli ridge began in 1464. The palace steps down fourteen levels, mixing Rajput, Sultanate, and Mughal work. Jait Mahal, the oldest wing, still holds guest rooms named for nine stones; Surya Mahal was a 16th-century zenana gallery over the darbar. In 1947 Raja Rajinder Singh left for Vijay Bagh as façades and ramparts failed. For forty years he tried to sell the liability and found no buyers.
Historian Aman Nath, with Lekha Poddar and O.P. Jain, bought the ruin in 1986 for 700,000 rupees. Restoration took a year per wing. The Fort-Palace opened in 1991 with about fifteen liveable rooms (accounts vary between twelve and fifteen). Francis Wacziarg, a former French diplomat, invested in 1992; in 1993 he and Nath founded Neemrana Hotels. In 2000 the house won the INTACH-SATTE award for restoration and reuse; in 2004 it was nominated for the Aga Khan Award. The International Festival of Indian Literature was held here in 2002.
What opened as a handful of rooms now runs to more than ninety across fourteen hillside levels, with hanging gardens, an amphitheatre, and spa wings cut into two-billion-year-old rock. The project helped define India's heritage-hotel category: architectural salvage returned to use rather than left as a monument.
The setting
Neemrana, on the Aravalli ridge, Kotputli-Behror belt of the Delhi-Jaipur corridor.
Amenities
- Two swimming pools (including a temperature-controlled pool)
- Ayurvedic Wellness Spa and Gym
- Vintage car rides and camel cart rides
- Evening cultural performances (Saturdays)
- Guided fort/hotel tours
- Masti Mahal kids' play area and recreation room
- Fourteen levels cut into the Aravalli ridge
- Two swimming pools and an Ayurvedic spa
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More Neemrana Hotels hotels
- Deo Bagh — Gwalior, India · Accessible Luxury
- The Piramal Haveli — Bagar, India · Accessible Luxury
- Tijara Fort-Palace — Tijara, India · Accessible Luxury
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