Let me take you again in time to a less complicated period — the sixteenth century.
Should you have been to enter any Moghul courtroom again then, an amusing sight would greet you. On scorching summer season afternoons, courtmen would collect round and play a recreation of playing cards, apt for the season. Whereas to the uninitiated eye, it will look like a traditional card recreation, a better look would show in any other case.
The ‘playing cards’ have been made with ivory and tortoiseshells, as an alternative of paper (generally used right now), and bedecked with illustrations of kings atop horses, chariots, royal fits and palaces. The current rectangular design was then a round body. And the secret was ganjifa.
Whereas the Moghuls performed ganjifa to their coronary heart’s content material, its recognition waned over centuries, finally solely remaining in Maharashtra’s Sawantwadi — the place you should purchase your self a pack of ganjifa playing cards from the native bazaar even now! As the sport misplaced favour in locations the place it was as soon as a day by day ritual, the artisans of Sawantwadi tried to protect it by studying it from the Chitrakar neighborhood, who have been expert in making the playing cards.
At this time Sawantwadi is the one remaining place in India the place ganjifa remains to be practised.
The royal couple — Yuvraj Lakham Sawant Bhonsle and Yuvrani Shraddha Sawant Bhonsle — shine with delight as they inform this story. Their love for tradition is obvious. And the Sawantwadi Palace Lodge, a boutique homestay that may be a restored marvel preserving the ganjifa artwork is a testomony to this ardour.
A keep steeped in historical past
Upon getting into Sawantwadi, the air appears completely different. The villages are blanketed with a type of mystique, and historical past will whisper to you from each nook should you take the time to hear.
Often called the land of the artists, the princely state was dominated by the Royal Household of Sawant Bhonsles. The Sawantwadi Palace was constructed by Khem Sawant III and its vibrant pink laterite facade is complemented by arches that draw from English architectural types.
When the Sawant Bhonsle household determined to open their doorways to the general public as a homestay, it was backed by the intent to take Sawantwadi artwork one step forward by making it accessible to folks from throughout.
“The boutique artwork lodge is constructed so that you can expertise these artwork types of their purest kind,” Shraddha says. She and Lakham are the nineteenth technology of the Sawant Bhonsle household. They’re united by their shared ardour for the humanities and meals (each are skilled cooks who studied on the Culinary Institute of America).
As you will note, the revival of the palace quarters and its journey to a homestay has roots within the couple’s love story.
“The plan was to get married in Goa,” Shraddha shares. “However, whereas planning, we realised we had a good looking palace proper right here. So, we started restoring it and that’s after we noticed potential. It was an knowledgeable resolution by the household to show a portion of it right into a boutique lodge that includes six suite rooms.”
The stated portion was known as ‘Taisaheb Wada’ — a wing devoted to the 5 queens of Sawantwadi. The remainder of the palace continues to be a non-public residence.
And thus, the couple obtained began — Shraddha’s culinary prowess and Lakham’s pure intuition for artwork, a mix that unveiled the misplaced grandeur of the 18th-century palace. For Lakham, the half he completely loved was seeing life being breathed again into the silence of the place he calls house.
“Prior to now, earlier than India obtained independence, there was lots of people who would come to the palace to fulfill my grandfather. There could be actions occurring, chatter and laughter. However in recent times my household have been the one ones dwelling right here. Palaces are constructed for folks. The human power was lacking,” he notes.
Beginning the homestay, was an try at bringing it again.
From deciding to revive the palace quarters to internet hosting their first visitors in January 2023, the couple recount the four-year journey to be probably the most iconic adventures they’ve had collectively. Probably the most great half, in accordance with them, was inking friendships with the native artisans of Sawantwadi who have been delighted to be part of the method.
Should you recall the legacy of the ganjifa artwork you have been handled to originally of this story, you’ll be thrilled to know that the artwork finds its purest expression within the palace lodge — within the facades, the decor, the cutlery, the furnishings, and the village.
A heat welcome into the palace
It’s astounding how a lot the Sawantwadi Palace depends on the bounty of the village’s heritage and tradition. Proper from the cultural workshops that permit vacationers experiment with the ganjifa artwork to the furnishings of the palace.
“Loads of it has been preserved,” says Shraddha, elaborating on the furnishings and the foundational construction. “Nevertheless, we needed to strengthen a few of the partitions by putting in steel planks particularly since there’s an inflow of individuals now. We want the construction to be sturdy.”
The couple additionally had trendy bogs constructed. However except for this, no matter you see is the unique construction. Taking us on a digital tour of the room, Shraddha says the decor is an ode to the ganjifa artwork.
“As an alternative of numbering the rooms, they’re named after avatars of Lord Vishnu. The thought is for folks to know the historical past of Sawantwadi. Whenever you enter a sure room, all the things from the doorknob to the decor is a piece of our artisans and has ganjifa symbols painted on them. We’ve inculcated the artwork in bits and items within the night time lamps, the tea trays and all over the place we may,” she says.
However whereas that is fascinating, Shraddha says you must hear the legacy of the furnishings. “These have been made by the Sawant Bhonsle household of their unit ‘Sawantwadi Lacquerwares’.
Curiously, that is additionally the place the place the ganjifa revival occurred.
“When my grandfather-in-law HH Rajesaheb Shivramraje Bhonsle visited the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, he seen a label studying Sawantwadi Playing cards. He and his spouse learnt the artwork from the 80-year-old artist Pundalik Chitari who at the moment would make solely two units of ganjifa a 12 months. They began Sawantwadi Lacquerwares in 1971 to revive and promote the artwork of ganjifa and lacquerware.”
True to the message championed by their ancestors, the couple is insistent on empowering the native artisanal communities via their creation of the boutique lodge.
“We solely employed locals. We’re all the time informed that the method would have been simpler and faster if we had employed architectural corporations from greater cities, however we have been insistent that we needed the locals to be an integral a part of the restoration from begin to end,” she provides.
And the couple is glad they opted for this. “It led us to find so many fascinating aspects,” smiles Shraddha, sharing an anecdote of how they got here throughout enormous stones whereas they have been clearing the bottom the place the swimming pool at present is.
“It was a forest earlier. Through the clearing spree, we started seeing mosaic patterns on the stones, and that’s after we realised these have been truly tiles. Finally, we got here throughout the primary wada our ancestors had constructed.” At this time, you will note those self same stones within the boutique lodge premises.
Involving the artisans within the restoration was symbolic for a lot of causes.
Lakham shares that these households have been all the time an integral a part of the household’s work. However with time, their youngsters moved to cities due to higher alternatives. “Convincing these artisans’ youngsters about our dream was robust, however we informed them what we have been trying to create they usually understood. We additionally promised we’d match their metropolis salaries.”
Speak a stroll with royalty
The gorgeous half about staying on the Sawantwadi Palace is that together with dwelling in royal quarters and witnessing historical past, you additionally get a front-row seat to the household’s iconic journey. The museum is breathtaking.
“It’s extra of a photograph gallery,” Shraddha is modest about it. Designed by Lakham’s grandparents, the house showcases the household historical past and occasions that stood out. “There are footage and tales of sure untold occasions. For example, earlier than the massive Dandi March occurred, Gandhi was truly in hiding at one in all our summer season palaces. There was additionally a go to from Nehru. There are coronation images of my grandfather-in-law, the final coronated King.”
The dip into tradition doesn’t finish right here.
A brief drive away from the palace lodge lies the Pinguli village the place visitors are handled to the story of the origin of leather-based puppetry. Honoured with a prestigious Padma Shri award, the legacy of the founder’s exceptional contributions stays and his son, the gifted Chetan Gangavane, will personally information you thru the fascinating puppetry museum.
Among the puppets additionally characteristic within the palace lodge. Shraddha finds them an ideal ice-breaker. “We love placing up conversations with our visitors. This can be a great approach to.”
One other dialog starter is the ganjifa playing cards and Shraddha is proud to share that the household has acquired the most important assortment of ganjifa playing cards throughout India. On the homestay, you’ll additionally be capable to attend an unique workshop the place you’ll be able to study all in regards to the famed artwork kind.
Agreed, there’s a lot to do throughout your keep. However, we advocate spending a night of bliss within the natural gardens on the property the place the household cultivates their greens — chillies, eggplant, edible flowers and different greens.
The gardens are fascinating and you may solely think about why the lunch is a kaleidoscope of flavours, the colors paralleling the great thing about the place itself. The Konkan affect is seen in every dish and fish is the apparent hero with curries and fried delights that convey out its flavour to perfection.
The Sawantwadi Palace Lodge is bliss in all its splendid geometry. And I’m nonetheless reeling over the truth that I’ve spoken to royalty themselves.
However I can testify that neither the grandeur of the Sawantwadi Palace Lodge nor the gorgeous shades it turns because the solar units can parallel the heat of this couple who says all they wish to do is dream greater and carry the legacy ahead.
Edited by Pranita Bhat