Four months ago, my travel log included mangoes in Malihabad; the gentle charms of Rampur; snorkelling in the Maldives; tumbling about the ski slopes of Austria; stuffing my face in Sri Lanka. Four months on, it’s encephalitis in Gorakhpur, earthquake in Uri, brides for sale in Punjab; bomb blasts in Delhi… Life is hard after OT, but it’s even harder to pick a favourite OT trip. But editors are pushy creatures and pushed thus, I have to pick Narlai. Why Narlai in über-touristy Rajasthan? Specifically because it is in kitsch country and somehow manages to rise above the tie-and-dye-and-camels-in-every-courtyard cliché. Tucked away between Jodhpur and Udaipur, Narlai is a real village, not something constructed to lure tourists with dollars. There is no shopping to be done, no kosher café, and only one very perfect Rawla. A rawla is a mini palace, often used as a hunting lodge by the ruling family; this one was completed in the early 18th century and was a gift from Jodhpur’s last maharaja Umaid Singh to his brother Ajit Singh. It’s the perfect place to do nothing. I spent quality time admiring the frescoes in my room, and sat in the shade of the baoli with Bhanwar Singh (a very important person locally) and talked of cabbages and kings. But there was more — I was in Marwar, the heart of equestrian Rajasthan. This is where the legend of the Marwari horses grew to mythic proportions. I spent the last two days getting to know Kesar and Ali Baksh better. Perfect, perfect, perfect.

The information

Rawla Narlai is the only hotel in Narlai. Travel from Jodhpur, about 160km from Narlai, to get a sense of the history of Marwar. At Rawla Narlai, rooms still have faded original frescoes on the walls. The massive Kumbalgarh Fort is a half-hour drive from Narlai, and the Ranakpur Jain temples are nearby too.Contact: 0291-2513333, www.rawlanarlai.com

 



Leave a Reply