Why book?
To experience Odiya hospitality and a 200-year-old royal legacy in an erstwhile palace on the banks of Chilika Lake
Set the scene
From Bhubaneswar airport, a two-hour journey through a pastoral landscape takes you to Asia’s largest brackish water lagoon, the vast Chilika Lake. Here, a path leads to towering gates, beyond which stands the stately pink Rambha Palace. For over two centuries, this magnificent structure with its white windows and columns has proudly stood near the shores of Chilika Lake, though the water itself remains hidden from view by a canopy of towering trees.
If you ever wondered what a weekend as a royal guest of an Indian king would feel like, this is your chance. The six-acre oasis is a meticulously manicured paradise with mango, Spanish cherry and pink siris trees. On either side of the impressive building lie French-inspired gardens, where rows of Ashoka trees flank grand fountains. Two grand staircases that have felt the footsteps of history ascend majestically to the piano room on the first floor from either side of the palace. This room once served as the Raja of Khallikote’s durbar, where his courtiers sat behind a wood-railed balcony close to the ceiling.
