Let me take you back in time to a simpler era — the 16th century.

If you were to enter any Moghul court back then, an amusing sight would greet you. On hot summer afternoons, courtmen would gather around and play a game of cards, apt for the season. While to the uninitiated eye, it would appear to be a usual card game, a closer look would prove otherwise.

The ‘cards’ were made with ivory and tortoiseshells, instead of paper (commonly used today), and bedecked with illustrations of kings atop horses, chariots, royal suits and palaces. The present rectangular design was then a circular frame. And the name of the game was ganjifa.

While the Moghuls played ganjifa to their heart’s content, its popularity waned over centuries, eventually only remaining in Maharashtra’s Sawantwadi — where you can buy yourself a pack of ganjifa cards from the local bazaar even now! As the game lost favour in places where it was once a daily ritual, the artisans of Sawantwadi attempted to preserve it by learning it from the Chitrakar community, who were skilled in making the cards.

Today Sawantwadi is the only remaining place in India where ganjifa is still practised.

The royal couple — Yuvraj Lakham Sawant Bhonsle and Yuvrani Shraddha Sawant Bhonsle — shine with pride as they tell this story. Their love for culture is evident. And the Sawantwadi Palace Hotel, a boutique homestay that is a restored marvel preserving the ganjifa art is a testament to this passion.

A stay steeped in history

Upon entering Sawantwadi, the air seems different. The villages are blanketed with a kind of mystique, and history will whisper to you from every corner if you take the time to listen.

Known as the land of the artists, the princely state was ruled by the Royal Family of Sawant Bhonsles. The Sawantwadi Palace was built by Khem Sawant III and its vibrant red laterite facade is complemented by arches that draw from English architectural styles.

When the Sawant Bhonsle Family decided to open their doors to the public as a homestay, it was backed by the intent to take Sawantwadi art one step ahead by making it accessible to people from all over.

“The boutique art hotel is built for you to experience these art forms in their purest form,” Shraddha says. She and Lakham are the 19th generation of the Sawant Bhonsle Family. They are united by their shared passion for the arts and food (both are professional chefs who studied at the Culinary Institute of America).

As you will see, the revival of the palace quarters and its journey to a homestay has roots in the couple’s love story.

“The plan was to get married in Goa,” Shraddha shares. “But, while planning, we realised we had a beautiful palace right here. So, we began restoring it and that’s when we saw potential. It was an informed decision by the family to turn a portion of it into a boutique hotel featuring six suite rooms.”

The said portion was called ‘Taisaheb Wada’ — a wing dedicated to the five queens of Sawantwadi. The rest of the palace continues to be a private residence.

And thus, the couple got started — Shraddha’s culinary prowess and Lakham’s natural instinct for art, a combination that unveiled the lost grandeur of the 18th-century palace. For Lakham, the part he thoroughly enjoyed was seeing life being breathed back into the silence of the place he calls home.

“In the past, before India got independence, there used to be a lot of people who would come to the palace to meet my grandfather. There would be activities going on, chatter and laughter. But in recent years my family were the only ones living here. Palaces are built for people. The human energy was missing,” he notes.

Starting the homestay, was an attempt at bringing it back.

From deciding to restore the palace quarters to hosting their first guests in January 2023, the couple recount the four-year journey to be one of the most iconic adventures they have had together. The most wonderful part, according to them, was inking friendships with the local artisans of Sawantwadi who were delighted to be a part of the process.

If you recall the legacy of the ganjifa art you were treated to at the beginning of this tale, you’ll be thrilled to know that the art finds its purest expression in the palace hotel — in the facades, the decor, the cutlery, the furnishings, and the village.

A warm welcome into the palace

It is astounding how much the Sawantwadi Palace relies on the bounty of the village’s heritage and culture. Right from the cultural workshops that let tourists experiment with the ganjifa art to the furnishings of the palace.

“A lot of it has been preserved,” says Shraddha, elaborating on the furniture and the foundational structure. “However, we had to strengthen some of the walls by installing metal planks especially since there is an influx of people now. We need the structure to be strong.”

The couple also had modern bathrooms constructed. But aside from this, whatever you see is the original structure. Taking us on a virtual tour of the room, Shraddha says the decor is an ode to the ganjifa art.

“Instead of numbering the rooms, they are named after avatars of Lord Vishnu. The idea is for people to understand the history of Sawantwadi. When you enter a certain room, everything from the doorknob to the decor is a work of our artisans and has ganjifa symbols painted on them. We’ve inculcated the art in bits and pieces in the night lamps, the tea trays and everywhere we could,” she says.

But while this is fascinating, Shraddha says you should hear the legacy of the furniture. “These have been made by the Sawant Bhonsle family in their unit ‘Sawantwadi Lacquerwares’.

Interestingly, this is also the place where the ganjifa revival happened.

“When my grandfather-in-law HH Rajesaheb Shivramraje Bhonsle visited the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, he noticed a label reading Sawantwadi Cards. He and his wife learnt the art from the 80-year-old artist Pundalik Chitari who at that time would make only two sets of ganjifa a year. They started Sawantwadi Lacquerwares in 1971 to revive and promote the art of ganjifa and lacquerware.”

True to the message championed by their ancestors, the couple is insistent on empowering the local artisanal communities through their creation of the boutique hotel.

“We only hired locals. We’re always told that the process would have been easier and quicker if we had employed architectural firms from bigger cities, but we were insistent that we wanted the locals to be an integral part of the restoration from start to finish,” she adds.

And the couple is glad they opted for this. “It led us to discover so many interesting facets,” smiles Shraddha, sharing an anecdote of how they came across huge stones while they were clearing the ground where the swimming pool currently is.

“It was a forest earlier. During the clearing spree, we began seeing mosaic patterns on the stones, and that’s when we realised these were actually tiles. Eventually, we came across the first wada our ancestors had built.” Today, you will see those same stones in the boutique hotel premises.

Involving the artisans in the restoration was symbolic for many reasons.

Lakham shares that these families were always an integral part of the family’s work. But with time, their children moved to cities because of better opportunities. “Convincing these artisans’ children about our dream was tough, but we told them what we were attempting to create and they understood. We also promised we’d match their city salaries.”

Talk a walk with royalty

The beautiful part about staying at the Sawantwadi Palace is that along with living in royal quarters and witnessing history, you also get a front-row seat to the family’s iconic journey. The museum is breathtaking.

“It’s more of a photo gallery,” Shraddha is modest about it. Designed by Lakham’s grandparents, the space showcases the family history and events that stood out. “There are pictures and stories of certain untold events. For instance, before the big Dandi March happened, Gandhi was actually in hiding at one of our summer palaces. There was also a visit from Nehru. There are coronation photos of my grandfather-in-law, the last coronated King.”

The dip into culture does not end here.

A short drive away from the palace hotel lies the Pinguli village where guests are treated to the story of the origin of leather puppetry. Honoured with a prestigious Padma Shri award, the legacy of the founder’s remarkable contributions remains and his son, the talented Chetan Gangavane, will personally guide you through the fascinating puppetry museum.

Some of the puppets also feature in the palace hotel. Shraddha finds them a great ice-breaker. “We love striking up conversations with our guests. This is a wonderful way to.”

Another conversation starter is the ganjifa cards and Shraddha is proud to share that the family has acquired the largest collection of ganjifa cards all over India. At the homestay, you’ll also be able to attend an exclusive workshop where you can learn all about the famed art form.

Agreed, there is a lot to do during your stay. But, we recommend spending an evening of bliss in the organic gardens on the property where the family cultivates their greens — chillies, eggplant, edible flowers and other vegetables.

The gardens are fascinating and you can only imagine why the lunch is a kaleidoscope of flavours, the colours paralleling the beauty of the place itself. The Konkan influence is visible in each dish and fish is the obvious hero with curries and fried delights that bring out its flavour to perfection.

The Sawantwadi Palace Hotel is bliss in all its splendid geometry. And I am still reeling over the fact that I have spoken to royalty themselves.

But I can testify that neither the grandeur of the Sawantwadi Palace Hotel nor the beautiful shades it turns as the sun sets can parallel the warmth of this couple who says all they want to do is dream bigger and carry the legacy forward.

Edited by Pranita Bhat