"An 1860s fair-house turned safari lodge, an hour from the Taj Mahal"
Jarar has been the seat of the same family since 1472, and the Mela Kothi went up in the late 1860s as the camp office for the estate's twice-yearly cattle fair, a gathering that once drew traders from as far afield as Maharashtra and Orissa. The fair dwindled; by the 1990s the house stood neglected.
In 1999 Ram Pratap Singh, an IIT engineer turned conservationist and the builder's great-grandson, began the restoration with his wife Anu, an environmental scientist. They rebuilt the house and planted a forest around it: the lodge now sits in 33 acres of regenerated woodland, its fourteen rooms and cottages scattered under old trees, each decorated differently, with fans and air-conditioning for summer and hot-water bottles and oil radiators for winter.
An hour's drive from the Taj Mahal, and quietly determined to be its opposite.
Days are built around the Chambal: boat safaris through the National Chambal Sanctuary for gharial and Gangetic river dolphins, jeep drives out to blackbuck and sarus crane country, and night walks in the grounds looking for civets and striped hyenas. Menus are written each morning around what the farm and the local market supply, and evenings finish at the bonfire.
The lodge describes itself as a mere hour's drive from the Taj Mahal, in the heart of the Chambal Valley. Its address is Mela Kothi Road, Village Jarar, Bah, District Agra, Uttar Pradesh.
River safaris by boat on the National Chambal Sanctuary (the access point is 22 km, a 30-minute-plus drive from the lodge), Sarus Crane and Blackbuck jeep safaris, and guided nature and night walks. Resident naturalists accompany outings and lead morning and evening rambles through the grounds and surrounding countryside.
There are fourteen individually decorated rooms and cottages spread across the wooded Mela Kothi grounds, blending local traditions with modern amenities. Guests are welcome to use the library, sitting room and verandahs of the main house.
Yes — complimentary Wi-Fi is available, though the lodge notes it can be somewhat erratic. Coverage is in the lounge and garden areas near the fire-pit and dining rooms.
The kitchen prepares home-cooked meals using organically grown ingredients from the lodge's own farms or bought directly from neighbouring farmers, with menus curated each morning. Dishes mix local specialities with contemporary Indian and Continental cooking, served amid old trees, gardens and a restored 18th-century stable block.
Fourteen individually decorated rooms and cottages spread across the wooded grounds, with verandahs and courtyards. Fans and air-conditioning in summer; hot-water bottles, oil radiators and extra quilts in the colder months. Wire-mesh screens and herbal repellents keep insects out.
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