Why Stay?
Built by Maharaja Hindu Pat of the Bundela Dynasty, this 350-year-old residence rises from the Maniyagarh Hills on a 76-acre estate ringed by sal and palash forest, its hand-painted frescoes, sandstone courtyards and vaulted ceilings all preserved through restoration.
Sixty-five rooms, suites and villas range from the Royal Villa’s private pool and courtyard to Palace Suites lit by clerestory windows, several opening onto their own private gardens or plunge pools. The natural lake is more than a view; it’s also the journey through. A boat glides across it to the tented treatment suites at Asmi by Oberoi. One temperature-controlled pool sits beside the water, another inside the palace. And, at Neerangan, Indian and international dishes are served at the lake’s edge, accompanied by evening performances. After dark, Maanya returns to recipes from Bundela royal kitchens, and Amrava pairs inventive cocktails with artisanal small plates.
At dawn, the palace historian leads Footsteps of the Chandela through Khajuraho’s temples before the day’s visitors arrive, and ends with breakfast by the lake. Panna National Park adds a wilder direction: jeep safaris through teak forest and open plateau in search of tigers, leopards, sloth bears and gharials along the Ken River. At Raneh Falls, that same river cuts through a three-mile canyon of crystalline granite in shades of pink, red and grey.
