At Baripada, a small city in Mayurbhanj district in Odisha, we take a sharp flip and discover ourselves in entrance of white gates and a manicured driveway. The stretch in entrance of us, neatly paved and framed by bougainvillea on the perimeters, leads us to a giant constructing, a palace no much less, painted in vivid buttercup yellow and white. It all feels straight out of a Wes Anderson movie; the colors, the whimsy, and as I might later uncover, the aesthetics and consideration to element inside as effectively.
Originally constructed in the early 1800s to host friends and visiting members of the family of the erstwhile royal household of Mayurbhanj, this historic residence has been welcoming guests as a boutique property since 2019, a imaginative and prescient introduced to life by next-generation royals and sisters Akshita Bhanj Deo and Mrinalika Bhanj Deo of the forty eighth technology of the Bhanj dynasty.
The sisters greet us warmly with a excessive tea that’s prepared and ready below a cover of mango bushes on the palace gardens. It all does really feel very Bridgerton-esque in fact; besides that we’re clutching onto marigold garlands and woven shawls we have been welcomed with as a substitute of parasols.
“The original function of the Belgadia palace has always been to host…be it in the way of arts, culture, or even having people come in to celebrate different events and festivals. Opening the doors of the palace once again to welcome visitors in 2019 felt like we were coming full circle,” says Mrinalika. Post-independence, the royal household made the Belgadia palace their major residence, having given up their sprawling palace to arrange the MPC Junior College in Mayurbhanj.
Mrinalika Bhanj Deo
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
In throwing open the doorways of the palace to friends because it at all times was at all times supposed, Akshita and Mrinalika who’ve grown up with and immersed themselves in the history, artwork, and culture of their State, and the district of Mayurbhanj, are bringing these experiences to their friends. And for his or her friends, a stay on the Belgadia palace encompasses all of this together with the added pleasure and intrigue of staying alongside the erstwhile royal household who additionally dwell on the property.
On our first night there, we take in a chhau efficiency in the gardens, lit up with fairy lights, in opposition to the backdrop of the palace. As a part of a three-day pageant celebrating this martial, tribal and folks dance kind organised by the Belgadia palace and Aadi Naad, we additionally be taught concerning the palace and the household’s efforts in reviving this dance kind. Mrinalika says they’ve been working intently with Project Chhauni, a native organisation selling the Mayurbhanj chhau.
Staff members on the boutique property
| Photo Credit:
S Poorvaja
In the calm and stillness of dawn is when Belgadia really feels alive. On a stroll across the palace grounds the subsequent morning, I spot neatly labelled bushes, a minimum of 15 completely different fowl calls in accordance to one other visitor’s birding app, and palace employees members dressed in crimson and white saris getting flowers prepared. The lush palace grounds appear good not only for internet hosting dance performances and a slew of cultural actions the palace patronises, but additionally for picnics, lazy lengthy lunches at tables that may be arrange outdoor, and even a recreation or two of croquet.
At the Baripada haat
| Photo Credit:
S Poorvaja
At the Baripada haat, a bustling bi-weekly market shut by, there are greens, fruits, kitchen utilities, handwoven baskets, bamboo traps for fish, mussels and extra. Mrinalika leads us via winding rows of sellers and we uncover ladies promoting the well-known GI-tagged crimson ant chutney. Many of the visitor experiences that The Belgadia Palace facilitates are tied to the tribal communities in the district. Among the various initiatives of the Mayurbhanj Foundation, arrange by the household to work with the tribal communities are clusters in completely different villages weaving handicrafts manufactured from sabai grass. At Salasahi, a village we go to, ladies are exhausting at work, deftly weaving stacks of sabai grass into ropes and baskets.
At a sabai grass cluster in Mayurbhanj
| Photo Credit:
S Poorvaja
During the pandemic, when orders to these clusters working with sabai grass and creating dokra jewelry (made utilizing a wax-casting approach) started to get cancelled, efforts to give these artisans a channel to promote their merchandise led to Mrinalika organising Hasa Atelier, a boutique on the Belgadia Palace. “Guests and visitors to the palace can browse through the products we have. This was born out of wanting to have a strong identity and presence for Odisha craftsmanship,” she says.
What’s on our plates?
After consuming the meals in Belgadia for 2 days, we’re solely too keen to join a cooking class with their resident chef. The meals at Belgadia are a good fusion of Bengali and Odia delicacies. The thalis we pattern at lunch and dinner include lembu bhatal (lemon rice), contemporary chingdi checha (shrimp curry), moong mohan dal (lentils), and badi chura (crushed lentil dumplings). Our favorite is the bansha pora murgi, succulent chunks of hen cooked inside bamboo that’s served heat straight from the bamboo onto our plates. While our breakfast menus have toast, eggs, and juice, we gravitate in direction of heat, crispy chakulis, the Odia model of dosas served alongside ghugni or chickpeas in a mildly spiced gravy.
With West Bengal and Odisha at all times having been aggressive with regard to their sweets, we cement our loyalties with Odisha’s crumbly, candy chennapooda.
When it comes to all of the out of doors actions one can partake in at Mayurbhanj, the cherry on the cake is a go to to the Simlipal elephant and tiger reserve. The employees at Belgadia extremely suggest a go to there, and even present us movies and images of uncommon sightings of a melanistic tiger.
There is nonetheless, a lot to do in the event you select to laze round indoors, both in your palace suite or historic suite. Every nook and cranny of the palace is fascinating, and makes for countless Instagram alternatives. Described as an Art Deco sanctuary, each room contained in the palace lends itself to a wealthy color scheme. I make a psychological observe of the a number of sequestered spots, good for a day chilly espresso and a fast nap on the various wingback chairs and pouffes. True to its intent to host, there are eating areas, a projector room, and even a library stacked with books which are over a 100 years previous.
A set at The Belgadia Palace
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
“The palace was never in a dilapidated condition, and it has always been a lived-in space. My grandparents moved in here in the late 1990s and since then, it has always been buzzing with people,” Mrinalika says. When they started engaged on a renovation in 2019, she says they’d to deliver in somebody who knew how to work with previous properties and buildings. “It isn’t as easy as simply installing new wiring or drilling into walls. Every technical decision had to be well thought out, and we had to preserve the heritage and legacy of the palace,” she says. Structurally, there was little that was modified in the palace and they consciously labored on solely the interiors and the renovations. While the principle palace constructing homes six suites, the historic suites in the backyard constructing have fascinating echoes of the previous; the room that I stay in has elevated platforms and curved archways and I’m later advised that the palace kitchens used to be right here.
A view of The Belgadia Palace
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
While the 12 rooms unfold throughout the principle palace and the backyard buildings are open for friends around the yr, the palace additionally welcomes friends who come in for day experiences and excursions and extra importantly, faculty college students and kids from the area who need to tour the palace.
“We treat the palace like a living museum, and a team member escorts visitors through the property. There is much that is fascinating about the history, art, and culture of this region and we want to encourage both our visitors from the region and guests to partake in our celebration of Mayurbhanj and its legacy,” Mrinalika says.
The author was at The Belgadia Palace, Mayurbhanj, on invitation from RARE India
Published – June 06, 2025 02:52 pm IST
