A hospitable stronghold

Maharashtra’s first fort-hotel, in Jadhavgadh, is steeped in the Maratha wars of the 18th century.

Three hundred years ago, it was one of the defensive bulwarks of the kingdom of Satara, then ruled by Shivaji’s grandson, Shahu Maharaj. Today, Jadhavgadh fort’s canons, which fired in the wars of involving Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s successors, form the dramatic backdrop to the entrance of a 50-room hotel. And in place of bellicose, sword-wielding Marathas are traditionally attired men and women, hands folded in friendly greeting.

Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh established the tradition of fort-hotels long ago, but Jadhavgadh, built in 1710 by Pilaji Jadhavrao, a general in Shahu Maharaj’s army, is Maharahstra’s first fort-hotel. It has been taken on a 60-year lease by the Kamat group from Raja Jadhavrao or Annasaheb, the last living descendant of Pilaji Jadhavrao. The group also runs Asia’s first certified eco-friendly five star hotel, The Orchid in Mumbai.

 

Jadhavgadh was Annasaheb’s childhood home and like many of the old nobles in neighbouring Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, he spotted an opportunity in the booming market of domestic tourism. “I want more and more people to know about the glorious past of this property,” he said.

Jadhavgadh is 22 km east of Pune, along the Pune-Saswad highway. Open for business since October last year, the Kamat group spent two years refurbishing the fort, employing more than 300 skilled workers, mostly from Rajasthan. Lime, honey and saras (a substance used for restoring monuments) were used to fill in the crevices of ancient ramparts without detracting from the integrity of the original architecture.

Spread over 23 acres of land, it offers standard resort amenities — a swimming pool and spa, among other facilities. But it’s the history that is the hotel’s USP. The hotel offers tours of the fort through its secret tunnels and underground rooms used to house prisoners of war.

“We have restored many of those secret pathways and dungeons that are quite enchanting. It is like peeping into history,” said Vishal Kamat, executive director, Kamat Group of Hotels.

Being built essentially as a war residence, the fortress is devoid of intricate designs, delicate carvings or arty ceilings. The magnificent main dwaar (door) to the hotel with its armour of spikes is a reminder of the fort’s utilitarian if romantic past.

The rain-water harvesting system discovered in the fort was also restored and converted into a swimming pool — the Marathas clearly understood the importance of water conservation.

A museum built at the foothill of the gadh houses some 26,000 exhibits, mainly the finely wrought articles of daily use by royal families — infants’ rattlers and teethers, jewellery boxes, combs, ink pots, hookkas made of iron, brass, silver or ivory and wooden oil lamps.

Vishal Kamat says the hotel has an occupancy of 75 per cent on weekdays and 90 per cent on weekends. The group, meanwhile, has acquired another historic property on lease in Orissa. “We will be restoring it and developing it on the same lines as Jadhavgadh. At this point I cannot discuss more details because the project is too nascent to talk about.”