A member of the former royal family in Rajkot buys Palitana property and plans to develop it as heritage hotel.
Decide which news is better - one, that a royal hotel will add to the state’s glamour in Palitana; or two, that an ancient heirloom will be restored to its former glory!
Riding against the tide of selling off royal properties by erstwhile royals, the yuvraj of Rajkot state, Mandhatasinh Jadeja has decided to convert Hawa Mahal palace into a heritage hotel! The complex of two palaces is built on an area of around 19 acres at Palitana in Bhavnagar district.
The 100 years old palace complex has been bought by the royal family of Rajkot for Rs18 crore. The family will repair and restore the structure into a heritage hotel in next 2 years, sources said.
“We have bought out the complex at a price of Rs18 crore. We want to repair and restore the complex in next two years as a part to create a circuit of Heritage Tourist in and around Gujarat,” says Jadeja. The palaces were bought through Trident Developers Pvt Ltd, a company owned by Jadeja.
Hawa Mahal consists of two palaces - the old one was built in 1909, while the new one was constructed in 1941. The old palace was designed and built by HS David, an engineer by local limestone and in Indian architecture design. Palitana, 50 kms from Bhavangar was founded in 1194 and was a princely state in Gujarat under the Gohel rule. At present, Palitana is one of the biggest Jain pilgrimage in the country, visited by thousands of devotees every year.
“The old palace is in a dilapidated condition and needs extensive repairs whereas new palace is in good condition along with furniture, fixtures and electric connections. There are 40 rooms altogether in these two palaces,” Mandhatasinh added. “We are going to build a heritage circuit in Gujarat along the lines of similar efforts in Rajasthan,” said Mandhatasinh.
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