Neemrana Hotels' Hill Fort-Kesroli: Stepping Back In Time Four Hours From Delhi

TravelEquipped's visuals editor, Faud Ahmed, is back to doing what he does best after the Covid-19 pandemic stalled all his travel plans in 2020. He traveled to a rare weekend getaway around 150 km from Delhi in the last week of January and has this visual treat for us showcasing 14th Century Hill Fort-Kesroli, where he stayed:

Located in Rajasthan's Alwar district, 174 km from Delhi, the seven-turreted Hill Fort was built in the 14th century. The Neemrana Hotels group restored the heritage structure of arched verandahs and converted into a resort in the middle of lush green mustard fields in serenity of Kesroli village away from chaos of big cities.

Hill Fort-Kesroli is a non-hotel like other Neemrana properties as a heritage structure has been converted into a resort. All basic comforts in sync with the modern lifestyle are available at the resort while it has been ensured that the 14th century monument retains its originality.

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The Hill Fort atop hornstone breccia rocks, which once used to be a check post en route to Alwar, offers a unique experience of exploring and living history in the middle of the serenity and purity of the Kesroli village. The location makes it an ideal place to unwind away from the chaos of big cities. You can see the beauty of the rising and the setting sun with mustard fields in the foreground from the structure's balconies or ramparts once used for the guns to deter the adversaries.

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Kesroli is located in the heart of the golden triangle tourist circuit connecting Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. If you are not the one to just laze around, you can drive to the Sariska Tiger Reserve, which is also home to leopards, jungle cats, hyenas, jackals, sambar, chital, nilgai, chausingha, wild boar, langur, peafowl, grey partridge, bush quail, etc 50 km away. Other nearby heritage tourist sites include Kankwadi Fort, Pandupol, Fort-Palace, the Jat Mud Fort (Govindgarh) and its museum. Siliserh Lake is located over 35 km away.

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Alwar's Khanzada rulers are believed to have built the fort in the 14th century before they lost to Babar, the founder of the Mughal dynasty, in the Battle of Khanwa. It remain under the Mughal control for 200 years. Alwar fell to Bharatpur Jats, and then in 1770 came under the rule of the Kachwaha Rajputs, who ruled the the princely state of Alwar until independence.

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The Hill Fort-Kesroli welcomed its first guests as a non-hotel in 1998 after hotelier Aman Nath took it over from Wing Commander Mangal Singh, whose wife has inherited the property. Nath spent the next three years in restoring the dilapidated structure, which until 1995 was 'home for bats and owls' and had been locked up for decades. The hillock it is perched on top of was encroached encroached upon and the fort had no no electricity or running water. Singh wanted to restore and preserve the structure but with its architectural authenticity in tact.

Nath has ensured the 14th century essence of the fort while making it comfortable for the stay of tourists. The fort retains several patinas, furnishes and backdrops. The furniture there, too, is a mix of indigenous and colonial with period props. The resort started of as a 12-room property but has over the years expanded to 28.

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The swimming pool at the Hill-Fort Kesroli is located at the rear of the property overlooking the mustard fields with a hill in the backdrop. It also has a spa offering detoxification.

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The poolside restaurant at the resort primarily offers North-Indian, continental and oriental dishes. South Indian, French, Italian, Chinese and Thai cuisines are often available.

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November to March is the best time to visit the fort. Most trains between Jaipur and Delhi stop at the Alwar railway station, which is just over 10 km away. Jaipur and Delhi airports are the closest to Kesroli located at a distance of more than 150 km.

Before redoing the Kesroli Fort, Tijara Fort-Palace and turning them into resorts, Nath acquired and reinvented the palace at Neemrana Fort. It started a new trend in heritage tourism in Rajasthan and across the country.

Winding bougainvillea-shaded stone pathways lead to the fort's courtyards, and ethnic rooms with some having turrets, gun ports, and jharokhas of their own on the only hillock amid largely flat terrain.