Chomu Palace

CHOMU PALACE

The late afternoon sun was now slowly creeping to the western side of the hemisphere. As I drove into a state road leaving behind the national highway going to Jaipur, I could see a thick layer of sand rising far in the sky. Maybe it was a sand storm proceeding towards my destination – Chomu, a small town about 30 kilometres from the historic Pink City. Winding my way through villages, as cows ‘mooed’ ignoring the car as it bumped in the potholes, making a halt to ask directions I drove on the never ending serpentine road.

I hit a busy crossing – Chomu, it was. I was almost there. A query here and there, directions were pointed out to a narrow road – “There you go straight and on your left you will see Chomu Palace.” A couple of minutes later I was there. Clearing my check-in, I proceeded to the main entry.

Entering the huge court yard, I was awe struck for a while. There was an eerie feeling. The structure of the Palace in front looked familiar. Why was it so familiar? Where have I seen it? In my dreams? No, certainly not ! Then ? I was still lost in my thoughts as the bell boy took me to my room, but before I could enter the room, a strong wind started blowing turning almost into a storm or rather a sand storm. I rushed into the room to escape the blinding storm. The wind whistled through gaps in the heavy door of the room. What a welcome !

As if this sand storm had cleared the dust from the attic of my memory and I knew where I had seen it – it was in a famous Bollywood film, in which the spirit of a danseuse separated from her lover used to haunt the house terrorizing anybody who came to live there. Well that was a story woven around the place, but Chomu Palace is no haunted house.

Watch out ! The way it is going today, Chomu Palace is going to pose a tough competition to other heritage palaces and resorts in the area. It has all ingredients for a successful heritage property. Though not run by a royal family, the over 300- year-old building has been restored well by its present owner.

Before you enter the main courtyard, you come across a well landscaped area with trees and shrubs. There is the thick wall of the Palace which looks more like that of a fort. They say it was initially built as a fort and was used later by the royal army.

The court yard is huge with neatly lined up rooms around and the main structure right in front. During winters it makes a sunny sit out where one can relax, sip a beer or enjoy his lunch. The entry into the main building is directly through the Darbar Hall which is a multi-cuisine restaurant. Old wood work, mirrors and pictures line up the walls of the Darbar Hall. One remarkable job done by the owners is the placement of the air conditioning system during renovation. Air conditioners don’t pop out of the windows or ventilators, neither do they hang on the walls conspicuously, instead they have been subtly placed on the floor in marble covered boxes mixing themselves homogenously in the décor of the hall.

All rooms are air conditioned the same way without disturbing the internal structure or letting wall units hang prominently. They are all hidden in the décor of the rooms.

The Darbar Hall food specializes in real Rajasthan recipes, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. Above the Darbar Hall is a gallery which leads into a covered balcony which overlooks the courtyard. An excellent place to relax and have a view of the courtyard from the arched doorways.

If you are fond of your liquor in a quiet atmosphere then there is nothing better than the Sheesh Mahal lounge. Built on two levels, the Sheesh Mahal makes an appropriate setting for a dreamy evening, dimly lit, but a thousand tiny lights reflecting in the small mirrors on the walls and ceiling. The bar counter across a small courtyard gives the bar a privacy which the users might prefer.

But there are many of us who prefer to be under the moonlit sky for a dinner and Chomu Palace has enough area to offer all this. Technically it could be termed as the backyard, but practically it is not – the swimming pool with its blue water is inviting. One could sit near the pool and enjoy a drink or may be on the raised platform which overlooks the pool to have a gala dinner enjoying the cool breeze flowing from the garden area on one flank.

Sitting in this open area, one can never make out that he is in the midst of a busy township outside because there are no noises. The thick fortress walls keep everything out except the birds that twitter on the trees in the garden.

The Baradari is lit up in the evening making it the right kind of atmosphere for a performance, for which it may have been built by the erstwhile royals. Today there are no dancers, but a fit place to enjoy a folk performance.

The rooms of Chomu Palace arise out of the old structure. There are no alterations. Thick walls separate rooms, sometimes dividing it into two portions, making it fit to be a suite. That also reminds of the Maharani and Maharaja suite, specially the latter which looks more impressive with a huge sitting area, but separated by a gallery from the bed room. A big bathroom, well equipped shower and bathing area. The Maharani suite is equally impressive but the décor there is more delicate and in soft colors and the suite is tucked inside the main structure unlike the Maharaja suite which is perched high on the open area overlooking the entire Palace.

The Chomu Palace opened its doors for the guests only a few months ago, but it is a property which will pose a professional threat to others in the area. It has all the right ingredients of a heritage resort – the appearance, the building, a well maintained green area, all surrounded by a protective fortress walls which is as thick as four metres.

Climb up the wall and one can see the busy town of Chomu, the setting sun as it rolls down like a fireball giving way to a dusky evening, but followed closely by a full moon as it lights up the ramparts of the building. Millions of tiny stars twinkle above as you sit in the lawn, each narrating the hundreds of years old story of the Palace --- hear it as they whisper it into your ears through the gentle breeze -- you can almost feel it as if you are a part of it.

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