Sawantwadi Palace

North Goa’s new MOPA airport may well be closer to Sawantwadi Palace than any other hotel but our journey by road took many more hours. In January’s persistent haze, Sawantwadi proved our first glimpse of a blue sky anywhere in Maharashtra, and the sublime pool beckoned our weary, stiff bodies. We checked in, downed our kokum coolers, found our robes, and made our way to the pool, set in the palace garden. We swam and cooled off as other guests sipped lemonade and played badminton.

My introduction to Sawantwadi Palace Boutique Art Hotel came not from images of its heritage structure, an imposing red laterite building flanking an open air courtyard nor its stunning Durbar Hall with its ornate balconies and glistening grand chandelier. Instead it came from a 90 minute introduction to Ganjifa in my drawing and painting class on Zoom, in which we were offered frequent introductions to indigenous and folk styles of art. My knowledge of traditional artforms is above average yet Ganjifa was totally unknown to me. My classmates and I painted along to a masterful live demonstration using very fine brushes and a geometry compass. The experience was very humbling, to say the least.

A week later, my friends sent me a picture of a glorious looking fish thali, followed by several other plates. “Stopped at Sawantwadi Palace on the way to Goa. Epic!!” What was this mysterious place that celebrated both the visual and the culinary arts? This winter I found out for myself. 

Though my travels are now sporadic, as a travel writer for almost a decade, I’ve reviewed a lot of hotels. In the case of some boutique properties, I worry that when I recommend them and readers finally go, the hotel’s glory days will be behind them. With Sawantwadi Palace hotel, I have no such concern. Let me illustrate. 

The Sawant Bhonsle dynasty was founded in 1627 by Khem Sawant I. He was succeeded by his nephew Khem Sawant II who established their capital in Sundarwadi, a hamlet in the Sindhudurg district in South Maharashtra. They built a palace atop Narendra Hill, and ruled over the region which eventually came to be known as Sawantwadi. In 1755, Khem Sawant III laid the foundation for the present day palace. Two generations of the erstwhile royal family still reside here. Its youngest members Lakham Bhonsle and Shraddha Lakham Sawant Bhonsle, the Yuvraj and Yuvrani to locals, founded Sawantwadi Palace Boutique Art Hotel. 

During the pandemic, they refurbished a Taisaheb Wada, a wing of the palace to house the hotel. A viability report suggested they build a 40 room hotel straightaway. They settled on six suites. This decision speaks to the care with which the palace is being restored and the hotel is run. There is careful attention to detail and a deliberation of personal values beyond a bottom line. The duo have created the hotel that best fits into their family’s lifestyle.

On our first night we dine like royals. Shraddha and Lakham are both chefs who met at the Culinary Institute of America in New York and those who partake in meals get to experience the inner workings of the minds and the expert hands of two talented chefs who treat the courtyard restaurant as a playground for their experiments. 

We eat the tasting menu—a generous multi-course meal that takes us on a journey. Lakham is a pastry chef, and Shraddha favours Korean and Japanese flavours in her cooking, so our meal traverses continents, and but also caters to my unfortunate food intolerances. We eat ricotta-stuffed zucchini blossom, thickly cut fried avocado wedges, a Sawantwadi po’ boy with rawa crusted prawns and chilli garlic thecha and a luscious pork belly fried rice. My favourite is the fourth course Chef Floyd’s 3 chilli chicken, which is an elevated and multidimensional dish that utilises local hot green chillis, a Goan chilli and jalapenos. Shraddha tells me she worked with the beloved late chef at Bombay Bread Bar in New York. Our meal ends with a gorgeous dessert, Flavours of Sawantwadi, a coconut mousse in a chocolate shell with pineapple sorbet, kokum jelly and cashew soil.

The next morning we toured the property including the spectacular Durbar Hall, where guests can view the Ganjifa artists at work during daylight hours. One artisan had been working there for 53 years, another, a fashion student doing her internship had been painting for about a month, a young woman from Italy was learning the craft for ten days. 

Very few painting workshops in the world can boast of such fine architecture. The hall is home to a massive silver throne, etched zinc plates on the ceiling, stained glass windows and exquisite Minton tile flooring. Concealed from direct view behind the throne, is a marble bust of Queen Elizabeth, with whom all the erstwhile princely states were closely connected. 

We observed the artists as their adept hands painted not just Ganjifa cards but also other decorative and utilitarian objects. For the art form to be sustainable, it must find longevity through more practical canvases such as boxes, candle stands and more recently, saris.

Ganjifa, a popular Persian card game, was imported to India by the Mughals, and adapted across various parts of India including Maharashtra, Odisha and Mysore. It flourished as an artform in Sawantwadi in the 18th and 19th centuries before dwindling around independence. Lakham’s late grandparents, H.H. Rajesaheb Shivram Sawant Bhonsle and H.H. Rajmata Satvashiladevi are credited for having revived both Ganjifa and lacquerware, another one of the region’s exports. The duo are said to have discovered an object at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum in which the provenance on the label was linked to Sawantwadi.  

Our guide Nikita tells us this anecdote as we tour the on site museum, which bears photographs and a small collection of artefacts including Ganjifa paintings belonging to the family, as well as a collection of their own artworks—many members of the family’s lineage include both trained and self taught artists.

Souvenirs for all budgets can be found at the gift shop or more accurately, the Ganjifa shop. For sale are handpainted buttons, fridge magnets and napkin holders. For art collectors, a boxed Ganjifa set is both a sculptural centrepiece and a conversation starter, but those less intrepid can choose to purchase a handpainted classical French-suited deck, what we know as traditional playing cards.

Sawantwadi Ganjifa is in the Dashavatar style, that is the cards each represent an incarnation of Vishnu. Dashavatar Ganjifa has ten suits. The rooms at the hotel get their names from the first six of these avatars: Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Parshuram. 

In the living area of our luxurious suite, a large handpainted medallion depicts the avatar Kurma. The ground floor room looks over the courtyard and is furnished with restored antique pieces from the palace with delicate painted details and lacquerware with bright floral borders. The motif from Durbar Hall’s tiles cover a notepad and toiletries. Our bathroom is spacious enough to dance in, with a life-affirming rain shower head, and the nostalgic black switches I remember from my own grandparent’s home.

As any wada dictates, the courtyard is where you’ll spend the most time. It’s both quiet and bustling at various times of the day, home to the restaurant and a stocked bar, a variety of seating to relax in and a shelf of books to read from. You can sip chai and look at the fountains. You can mingle with the family or other guests who may be receptive. If you’re a dog person, an extremely charismatic golden retriever called Sushi will let you know what a privilege it is to pet him. 

Taisaheb Wada is dedicated to the five ranis of Sawantwadi, who Shraddha describes as “shaping the history of Sawantwadi, including education, waterways and craft revival”. While the kings were always credited socially and politically, the strong women of the palace laid the foundations for the progress that was made.

In all, Sawantwadi Palace Art Boutique Hotel is steeped in history but isn’t afraid to boldly embrace the now. The hotel offers guests a novel, cultural and highly luxurious but not too fussy experience that straddles both the traditional and the modern. A guest eats a luscious eggs benedict in a croissant with a coconut chilli chutney, another drinks a tangy gose with her vada kombda thali. Catan, chess and Ganjifa cards can be found in the games corner.

It’s evident that the Sawant Bhonsles inherently understand hospitality, welcoming guests into what is an extension of their home, but also catering to any interests that the region might inspire. As the palace is restored and neglected parts are given new life, the hotel’s rooms and offerings will likely expand, but at a sustainable pace and with the bandwidth to offer it the same consideration. Likewise, their responsibility towards the arts is apparent in the ways they seek new avenues for their dissemination.

If you must leave the premises during your stay, they offer experiences such as a day at either Vengurla or Shiroda beach, a visit to Pinguli village for leather puppetry, and a private picnic experience in the Amboli ghats.  Or you can stay at the hotel, luxuriate by the pool, eat spectacular meals, read in the courtyard and learn to paint Ganjifa, like I did, and be both humbled and awed, like I was.