The Jhala palace above Delwara
The family lived here into the twentieth century. After Independence, like so many noble houses, they could no longer keep it up, and the palace slowly fell into ruin above the village, its courtyards open to the sky and its walls crumbling into the hill.
Who the Jhalas were: a Rajput clan with roots in Gujarat, who came to serve the Maharanas of Mewar and were rewarded with estates in the hills. Delwara became one of their seats.
- Clan
- Jhala Rajputs, a noble house of Mewar
- Held Delwara
- From around the fifteenth century
- Palace completed
- In the 1760s
- Lived in
- Until the mid-twentieth century
- Old name
- The fort palace of Delwara
- Why Delwara mattered: the village sits in a pass on the old route north from Udaipur towards Nathdwara and Kumbhalgarh, a natural place for a fortified house to watch the road.
- How the palace grew: an earlier, simpler palace stood on the hill, and it was rebuilt and enlarged into the many-storeyed fortress you see now, completed in the 1760s.
- A Mewar loyalty: the Jhalas are remembered in Mewar for their service to the Maharanas in war. Our guides tell the stories at the gate, and our journal on Maharana Pratap and Haldighati gives the wider history.
- What a thikana is: an estate held by a noble family in return for service to the ruler. Our piece on rawlas and thikanas explains how Rajasthan's countryside was governed.
Fifteen years to bring it back
The new owners: in 1984 the ruined palace was bought by the Poddars, an industrial family with roots in Shekhawati, who set out to make it live again.
A long patience: the restoration took around fifteen years. Walls were rebuilt, courtyards cleared and rooms rescued from collapse, much of it by hand with local stone and marble.
- Acquired
- 1984, by the Poddar family
- Restoration
- About fifteen years
- Architects
- Gautam Bhatia and Navin Gupta
- Interiors
- Rajiv Saini
- Opened
- As a hotel around 2000
- The architects: Gautam Bhatia and Navin Gupta kept the bones of the fortress, its towers, ramparts and courtyards, and opened it up to light and the hills.
- The interiors: designer Rajiv Saini chose almost no ornament. Pale marble, white walls, simple lines and a few touches of colour and semi-precious stone replaced the expected riot of mirrors and paint.
- Opening: the hotel opened its doors around the turn of the millennium and was quickly talked about as one of the boldest restorations in India.
- Today: it is run by RAAS, the Rajasthani hotel group that also runs RAAS Jodhpur below Mehrangarh, under the name RAAS Devigarh.
White marble and almost no ornament
Outside, a fortress: thick stone walls, towers and a steep approach from the village, exactly as a Jhala noble would have known it.
Inside, light: courtyards open to the sky, white walls and pale marble floors, with the brown and green of the Aravallis framed in every window.
- Local stone: much of the marble and stone came from the quarries of the region, as the original builders' did. Mewar has been a marble country for centuries.
- Modern Indian design: the interiors are a landmark of contemporary Indian design, showing that a Rajput palace need not be a museum of its own past to honour it.
- Restraint as luxury: there is very little to look at in the rooms, and that is deliberate. The views, the light and the silence do the decorating.
- Who notices most: architects and designers often come for Devigarh alone. Our architecture guide helps you compare it with the traditional palaces of Udaipur.
The Aravallis and the village below
The valley: Devigarh stands in a gap in the Aravalli hills, with ridges rising on both sides and farmland on the valley floor, green after the monsoon and gold in late winter.
The village: Delwara is a working village of farmers, shopkeepers and temple families. Its lanes are best walked slowly in the early morning with a local guide.
- Village etiquette: dress modestly, ask before photographing anyone and keep to the lanes. Our page on temple etiquette applies to the village shrines too.
- Birds and hills: early mornings bring birdsong from the scrub on the slopes. Bring binoculars and walk the ramparts before breakfast.
- The sacred landscape: this is the heartland of Mewar's faith. The temple of Eklingji, the ruling deity of the Maharanas, stands a short drive away at Kailashpuri.
- Quiet at night: with no city around you, the sky is dark enough for stars on clear winter nights, and the only sounds are dogs and temple bells.
What a day at Devigarh feels like
Morning
- Before breakfast: walk the ramparts as the light comes up the valley and the village wakes below.
- After breakfast: drive a few minutes to Eklingji and the Sas-Bahu temples at Nagda while it is still cool, and be back by late morning.
Afternoon
- Long lunch: eat slowly on a terrace with the hills in front of you.
- The hot hours: a swim, a treatment, a book and a sleep. In the old palace the thick walls keep the rooms cool.
Evening
- Sunset: climb to the highest terrace as the hills turn purple and the village lights come on.
- After dark: dinner by lamplight in a courtyard, then the stars. Ask us about a private table on the ramparts.
Rooms inside the old walls
Generous and spare: rooms are spacious and calm, with pale marble, simple furniture and large windows or terraces onto the hills.
Shaped by history: because they sit inside an eighteenth-century palace, rooms vary in shape, outlook and number of steps, from tower rooms to rooms around the courtyards.
- Views that matter: some rooms look over the valley and the village, some face the hills. Tell us which you prefer and we will ask.
- Steps everywhere: this is a hill fortress built on many levels. Guests with limited mobility should talk to us first, and our accessible travel guide explains how we plan.
- What we never do: list room types or promise a particular suite. We ask the hotel for the best match on your dates and tell you honestly what is available.
Eating in the hills
Where you eat: on terraces, in courtyards and in the old rooms of the palace, often with the hills in view. Menus change with chefs and seasons.
What to ask for: laal maas, the fiery red mutton of the Rajputs, safed maas in cream and nuts, gatte ki sabzi and dal baati churma.
- Winter food: in the cold months, ask for makki ki roti, the maize bread of Mewar's hill villages, with white butter, jaggery and greens.
- Vegetarian and Jain: Mewar has a deep vegetarian tradition, shaped by its Jain families and the temple kitchens of Nathdwara. Tell us your needs in advance.
- A private dinner: we arrange tables on the ramparts or in a quiet courtyard, lit by lamps. Our private palace dinner page explains the possibilities.
- Lunch stop: many guests driving between Udaipur and Kumbhalgarh stop here for lunch alone. Book ahead in winter.
Rest, spa and slow hours
The pool: guests spend long afternoons by the pool looking over the hills, the most photographed corner of the hotel.
The spa: treatments draw on Indian traditions of massage and oils as well as international therapies. Book for the hot middle of the afternoon.
- Ayurveda, honestly: Ayurvedic massage is deeply restful, but a short stay is a tradition to enjoy rather than a cure. Our spas and Ayurveda page explains the treatments.
- Walking: the ramparts and the village lanes make gentle morning walks. For longer walks in the hills, ask us to arrange a local guide.
- A wellness stay: combine Devigarh with our wellness journey or the yoga and Ayurveda journey for days built around rest.
Mewar's sacred heartland on your doorstep
- Eklingji
- A short drive south, at Kailashpuri
- Nagda
- A few kilometres from Eklingji
- Nathdwara
- About half an hour north
- Kumbhalgarh
- About two hours north-west
- Udaipur
- About 45 minutes south-west
Eklingji at Kailashpuri
- What it is: the walled temple complex of Eklingji, the form of Shiva whom the Maharanas served as regents, with more than a hundred shrines beside a small lake.
- When to go: in the evening, when the lamps are lit and local families arrive. Photography is not allowed inside.
The Sas-Bahu temples at Nagda
- What it is: a pair of carved tenth- and eleventh-century temples beside the Bagela lake, their pillars covered in dancers and musicians.
- Why we love it: in the late afternoon you may have them entirely to yourself.
Nathdwara and Shrinathji
- What it is: the pilgrim town of Shrinathji, the child Krishna, and home of the painted cloth hangings called pichwai.
- How to visit: darshan times are short and crowded, so we time your visit and take you to the painters' lane afterwards.
Haldighati and Rajsamand
- Haldighati: the pass where Maharana Pratap fought the Mughal army in June 1576, with its yellow earth that gives the place its name.
- Rajsamand: a great lake built by Maharana Raj Singh I in the seventeenth century, with carved marble pavilions along its embankment.
Kumbhalgarh and Ranakpur
- Kumbhalgarh: the hill fort of Rana Kumbha with its immense wall, about two hours from Devigarh.
- Ranakpur: the marble Jain temple in its forest valley beyond. Both are better as an overnight than a rushed day.
What most guests miss
The approach on foot: ask your driver to stop at the bottom of the village and walk the last lanes up to the gate. You arrive as visitors once did, with the walls growing above you.
The rooftops at dusk: the flat roofs of Delwara fill with families in the evening, flying kites in January and chatting as the light goes.
- The old stone: look at the outer walls closely. Rough rubble, cut blocks and patched repairs show the centuries of building and the care of the restoration.
- Village shrines: small temples in the lanes below are still in daily use. Visit quietly at the evening aarti, the lamp ceremony, with shoes off.
- The night sky: step out onto a terrace after dinner on a clear winter night. Away from Udaipur's lights, the stars are surprisingly bright.
- The road itself: the drive from Udaipur passes farms, roadside shrines and stone quarries. Ask your chauffeur to stop wherever something catches your eye.
When to come to Delwara
October to March: warm days, cool nights and clear views. The classic season, and the busiest, so book ahead.
December and January: nights in the hills are colder than in Udaipur. Pack a warm layer for dinner on the terraces.
- Best months
- October to March
- Greenest
- July to September, in the monsoon
- Hottest
- April to June, often near 40 degrees
- Coldest nights
- December and January
- The monsoon: from July to September the Aravallis turn green, clouds sit on the ridges and the valley is at its loveliest. Our Monsoon in Mewar journey is built around it.
- Summer: April to June is hot. Come only for short stays, with early mornings and long afternoons by the pool.
- Festivals: Holi in February or March and Diwali in October or November are celebrated in the village below. Ask us about Janmashtami at Nathdwara in the monsoon.
Who will love Devigarh, and who may not
Design lovers: you will find it one of the most interesting hotels in India, a lesson in how to restore without imitation.
Couples: the silence, the views and the long evenings suit a honeymoon or an anniversary. Our Udaipur romance journey ends here.
- Repeat visitors: if you have seen the lake palaces, Devigarh shows you the Mewar countryside instead.
- Temple travellers: Eklingji, Nagda and Nathdwara are on the doorstep. Our sacred Rajasthan journey uses it well.
- Who may not love it: travellers who want ornament, mirror-work and painted ceilings, and those who want to walk into a city. Choose Shiv Niwas Palace inside the City Palace instead.
- Families: older children enjoy the ramparts and the pool, but the many steps and levels need care with small ones.
How Devigarh fits our journeys
After Udaipur: we often place one or two nights here after two or three in the city, on our Udaipur romance journey and Rajasthan honeymoons.
- On the way north: on our Mewar lakes and temples journey, it is the first night out of Udaipur before Kumbhalgarh, Ranakpur and Deogarh Mahal.
- Towards Jodhpur: guests driving from Udaipur to Jodhpur via Ranakpur break the journey here. Our journal on Udaipur to Jodhpur via Ranakpur explains the route.
- For repeat visitors: we sometimes skip Udaipur hotels altogether and base guests here, with one long day in the city.
Getting to Devigarh
From the airport: your chauffeur meets you at Udaipur's Maharana Pratap Airport and drives you north through the hills, skirting the city.
- Nearest airport
- Maharana Pratap Airport, Udaipur
- From Udaipur
- About 28 km, 45 minutes
- Road
- The Udaipur to Nathdwara road
- From Jodhpur
- About five to six hours via Ranakpur
- The last stretch: the road leaves the highway at Delwara and climbs through the village to the palace gate. Lanes are narrow, so luggage is carried up.
- Into Udaipur: the City Palace is about 45 minutes away, so plan one full day in the city rather than several short trips. Our getting around guide explains how we time drives.
What we tell friends before Devigarh
Stay two nights: one night is mostly arriving and leaving. The second day is when the place works on you.
Pack for the evening: nights in the hills are cool from November to February. Bring a shawl for the terraces.
- Wear good shoes: the palace has many stairs and the ramparts are uneven stone.
- Plan the temples: Eklingji and Nathdwara have fixed darshan times. Let us time your visits so you are not waiting in the sun.
- Respect the village: dress modestly in Delwara, ask before photographing people and never hand out sweets or money to children.