The Village of Mundota is barely an hour and a half drive away from Jaipur, yet surprisingly unexplored by tourists. When Vikram Singh and Digvijay Singh contemplated preserving their ancestral homes from shambles, they envisioned a property prioritising preserving various aspects of the local tradition. To begin with, the Singhs, both polo players themselves, wanted to build a heritage resort where a world-class equestrian ground and some of the best horses in the country were integral parts of the property, making it the only luxury polo heritage resort in the country. Mundota is home to the champion polo team for the last decade.
Mundota Fort and Palace boast a 450-year-old fort on one end and a 400-year-old palace on the other, with expansive lawns bridging the gap. The option to stay in the fort or the castle is as flamboyant as it sounds. Together, they create a picture-perfect backdrop for both royal vacays and royal weddings, for which Rajasthan is famous. It doesn't come as a surprise that the Amazon Prime series Made In Heaven, showcasing wedding venues in India, devoted two entire episodes to the Mundota Palace.
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"It was like a crumbling relic before 2009," says Digvijay Singh, the 17th successor of the Thakurs of the great-grandson of the Maharaja Prithviraj Singh of Jaipur. Thakur Jaswant Singh was granted the estate as a part of an established line of succession, and now as Digvijay traverses the hallowed corridors, he reflects how each generation left its mark on this venerable estate."Resurrecting it to its glory days was a deeply personal project for me. It aimed not only to revive the architectural splendour of the palace but also to restore my family's legacy, culture, and tradition to its former times. The palace was built over centuries, and its restoration was like an evolution, with gradual expansion and enhancement of its architectural footprint. I wanted to preserve the centuries-old wood and iron doors, the parchinkari work done by artisans who had worked in the Tajmahal, the marble relief work similar to the Amber fort of Jaipur and the overall structure to be reused as much as possible, " says Digvijay Singh.
In 2009, Vikram Singh initiated the palace project, adding 30 large suite-style rooms for tourists. While initially it was a challenge to get tourists, Covid proved to be a blessing in disguise as people sought to escape larger cities for remote locations. "The exotic village setup and remoteness worked to our advantage," says Digvijay Singh. Mundota has now become a wedding hotspot and a haven for discerning travellers, foreign tourists, and those seeking a slower pace of life surrounded by history and culture, reminiscent of Jaipur yet away from the bustling city.
The restoration process was guided by Digvijay. With a background in hotel management from Switzerland and hospitality experience in the United States and South Africa, he brought a global perspective to building the property that echoed world-class luxury in terms of finesse but was rooted in the heritage of the land it belonged to.
Today, the property extends across twenty acres and features 125 keys in several categories. The Indo-Saracenic palace has an axial plan with corridors and arches lined up in a centric system. The rooms have ceilings adorned with painted frescoes similar to the Shekhwati region, open pavilions, and geometric gardens with fountains like the Persian Chahar baghs.
The war fort’s overall character is rugged, with exposed stone masonry in elevations. The challenge was to create luxury in the crude, stark structure of the fort, for which the turrets and bastions were transformed into private plunge pools and jacuzzis. The walls were kept cool using Ahraish, the ancient lime plaster technique and the furnishing super plush. On escape routes, the secret tunnels were widened into passageways, while former courtyards for wartime preparations became ideal spots for enjoying sunsets. The small stepwell that was once used to store water has now become a photogenic private romantic dining for two setup.
"In a unique experiment, the Singhs acquired an ancient haveli from Bikaner, transported it 300 km, block by block, and assembled it to create banquets and halls at Mundota Fort and Palace. Bikaner's unique architectural style, featuring red sandstone in contrast to the original tawny façade of the property, the Rajputi jalis, and jharokhas in amalgamation of Mughal and British style palace, was a striking addition to the property. This served as a case study not only in repurposing old buildings but also in the intricate disassembly and reassembly process. Digvijay remarks, "Finding craftsmen for such work was challenging, yet I marvelled at the ancient techniques employed to build solid stone masonry structures in this manner where it could be taken apart and refitted together like a puzzle. Ultimately, I aimed for Mundota to not only represent the language of one region in Rajasthan but to build a comprehensive story of art, architecture, history, culture, and hospitality—capturing all that this state is known for."
