Firangs, NRIs rush to buy Rajasthan forts
25 Jun, 2008, 2200 hrs IST,Rachna Singh, TNN

Jaipur: Weren't born into nobility but want to live like a king? Well, you can’t turn your blood blue but, for a few crores and change, you can own the brick and mortar of history and heritage in Rajasthan.

Spread over the desertscape and shimmering lakes across the state are almost over 100 crenellated forts—once ornate palaces and castles built over centuries, home to Thakurs, kings and Rajput chieftains—are up for sale. And queuing up to buy these now crumbling properties, neglected by decaying royal families, are potential buyers from Europe, America, Singapore and West Asia.

Selling castles for a more viable adaptive reuse has been happening in Europe but where will you get a piece of history at prices amazingly close to or even lesser than a that of a city penthouse?

Sources close to the deals won’t give out names but say the owners of these properties are in negotiation with NRIs and business houses overseas either to sell them or run heritage hotels in collaboration with an overseas parter.

One such seller is Gajraj Singh. With no heir to inherit his ancestral property, the 70-yearold owner of Pushkar castle, who manages various philanthropic missions in Ajmer, said, "Maintaining a property like that requires immense effort and funds and in the present secnario I just can’t afford to spend that kind of money. I want to sell Pushkar castle and give part of the money to my adopted son and spend the rest on building a charitable hospital in the district."

Of the properties up for sale, there are many that foreigners and NRIs are looking at with an eye to turning them into money-spinning heritage hotels.

"The West is excited by the concept of a castle surrounded by a forest and it costs lesser than a cramped apartment in London. There are few buyers that have evinced interest in buying multiple properties," said Islam Khan, who in collaboration with a Singapore based NRI, is converting a 250-year-old castle into a heritage hotel. Plus they are drawn by history which is why the likes of Fredrick Forsyth, Elaine Page, Dominique Lapierre or our own Amitabh Bachchan prefer staying at heritage properties."

The trend probably began with the 1464 AD Neemrana Fort being sold and converted into a heritage resorts in early 1990s. But what Neemrana has done, castle-buyers have done for decades in Europe and many castles in countries like Ireland are five-star hotels.

While Neemrana sold for Rs 10 lakh, today forts are more expensive given the real estate scenario and the success of the heritage hotel model.

Recently, Ajabgarh Haveli, near Alwar, with 25 rooms spread over 3,000 sq yards sold for only Rs 80 lakh, less than a 3BHK in a posh Jaipur neighbourhood. According to Khan, most of these properties range anywhere from Rs 1.25 crore to more than Rs 100 crore.

"The trend is on in a big way. The heritage movement has become the USP for India. Just everybody wants to add a heritage property in their portfolio," said Randhir Vikram Singh, general secretary Rajasthan Heritage Hotels Association.

THE PRICE TAG

Pushkar castle near Ajmer, 20,000 sq yards: Rs 3 crore

Nasirabad castle near Ajmer: Rs 1.25 crore

Ramgarh Pachwar, 50 rooms over 18,000 sq yards, 60 kms from Jaipur: Rs 2 crore

Foud castle, Sikar, 50 rooms: Rs 1.50 crore

(All prices quoted by property agents)

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Firangs_NRIs_rush_to_buy_Rajasthan_forts/articleshow/3165023.cms

What ? for just a Crore ? im pretty sure the Taj Hotels are going to buy it

i bet its some kinda Booth Bungla

I heard there's a haunted castle in Rajasthan or some haunted village......where people have said to disappeared after going there...Anyone know about it?

It not haunted actually, it is deserted. It is was a village of Paliwal Brahmins. It was deserted in medieval times, there is a long story behind it.

What's the story...

There are many stories on why they abandoned the village. I will tell you the story I know. During medieval times it was a prosperous village inhabited by Paliwal Brahmins. A diwan (tax collector) came to the village to collect taxes for the king. In the village he saw a Brahmin girl and got smitten by her beauty. He asked the girl's father to hand over the girl to him, but the father refused then the diwan threatened the whole village, if they don't give the girl to him he will come with king's soldiers and take the girl forcibly and kill anyone who would try to stop him. So the whole village decided to abandon the village en masse instead of relenting to his unjust demands.

So wat is this haunted town called?

It is deserted not haunted. But people say that it is cursed. I don't remember the name of that village. I will search for the name and come back to you later.

wonder if someone bought it

The name of the village of Paliwal Brahmins is Kuldhara. Kuldhara village is 18 km to the west of Jaisalmer. I searched further and I learned that there are 80 more adjacent villages, all of them were vacated in a single night somewhere in 19th century. Now it is a tourist attraction.

http://www.paliwal.co.in/


And about the forts. I am sure someone must have bought those forts. There are hundreds of big and small forts and castles in Rajasthan.

i thought Bhangarh was the most haunted place in india, the government doesnt allow people to roam the village after dark.

i never knew there were haunted towns in india

"Legend has it that due to a curse, the whole town was vacated overnight. According to the story, if the town was ever rediscovered, the township would not be found, but only temples would show up.

Passing by Bhangarh, temples dot the landscape and even far up on the mountains only shrines can be seen. It is said that nobody returns from there who stays after dark.

The Government of India states that an office of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) should be at every historical structure in India. Curiously though, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) have an office about one kilometer away from the ruins of Bhangarh. Apparently this office is close to a temple because of this myth. (ASI) has put up a signboard at Bhangarh stating, "Staying after sunset is strictly prohibited in this area."

Interesting, I will ask people if they know something about Bhangarh. I have never heard about it before.