150 km from Delhi, the past is preserved. Go inhabit
150 km from Delhi, the past is preserved. Go inhabit
It's not everyday that your ego is pampered, your senses indulged and your city-sickened mind put to rest. It's not everyday that you feel like a neo-colonialist. Without a trace of, what's that word, guilt.
Fort Unchagaon was a last-minute decision. And the only option for a Diwali weekend. The name sounded weird, but we opted for it, expecting nothing. And found that sometimes, nothing is absolutely delightful.
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Life stands still after sunset and during the frequent power cuts. Tiny shops dot the 200m-bazaar right outside the fort but the highlight of the week is the Saturday haat u2013 where you can buy Ambedkar or Salman Khan posters, spices and a prized shining white Indian cistern from the same makeshift stall.
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India has many tourists, but few travellers. The fort at Unchagoan is for the latter. The palatial rooms don't have television sets. There are no sightseeing places per se. Premier attractions are lazy bullock cart rides through the village and the area around it and pottery classes. Maybe you can go to the temple where Krishna married Rukhmani a few kilometers away. Or try your hand at table tennis and badminton inside the fort.
But that apart, you are left with only the recesses of your mind. Sounds deep, but feels good sometimes.
Time for susu
About six kilometers away from the fort is a secluded part of the Ganga, where mostly people come to put their departed ones to rest. This is also where, due to dams upstream and downstream, 200 fresh water dolphins can be spotted.
The villagers call them susu, for the noise they make while coming up to the surface of water. According to local legend, these used to be Krishna's gopies who turned into fish when he married Rukhmani. Even if you do not manage a darshan of the dolphins, just a ride in a dubiously safe wooden boat on the river can evoke the corny poet in you.
You may even find a local sadhu crossing the river, like we did, and he may play the flute while the sun sets.
Country courtesy
The staff at Fort Unchagaon is trained to wait on royalty. Or so they would have you believe, with their gestures and service. The food can be better but overall the package is fabulous.
Something you will sorely miss back in Delhi.
Fort Unchagaon
Where: 40 kms off the Dehi-Moradabad Highway, near Gurhmukteshwar (UP)
Distance from Delhi: 110 kms
Contact: Leisure Hotels
F - 3/6, Ground Floor,
Okhla Industrial Area, Phase I
Tel: 4652 0000
Website: https://www.leisurehotels.co.in/
Prices: Two nights and three days for a couple cost Rs 7800 to Rs 8400
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