BY DEBAJYOTI CHAKRABORTY
KOLKATA, 4 APRIL 2023
Today is a great day for Heritage Toursim in Bengal and East India as we take utmost pride in announcing that ‘Bari Kothi’ has been classified as the ‘First’ “Heritage Grand” Hotel in “Eastern India” by the union Ministry of Tourism, says an elated Mr. Darshan Dudhoria.
This classification, is the top most classification for Heritage Hotels, akin to a 5 star classification, and has only been accorded to a very few Heritage Hotels, across India.
“This is, indeed, a proud moment for Bengal, as, last year UNESCO recognized the State’s Intangible Heritage and this year, the Tangible Heritage of Bengal has been recognized,” says Mr. Darshan Dudhoria, Director of Bari Kothi in Azimganj.
Mr. Darshan Dudhoria has an ambitious future plans to convert another 100 odd palaces in West Bengal into heritage hotel properties in the coming years with over 100 suites. Bari Kothgi has 15 suites at present. He is also working with his NGO, Murshidabad Heritage Development Society to make 97 palaces in Murshidabad alone to to build rural and heritage tourism property.
ABOUT BARI KOTHI:
The region of Murshidabad has a rich legacy—at one point it contributed to 5% of the World’s GDP. With time, being abandoned, it became known as the ‘Forgotten Wealth Capital of the World’. The Sheherwalis, now, an unknown, fast-dying community, once upon a time, happened to be one of the richest communities in the world and contributed to the booming economy of Murshidabad.
This is the story of how a humble idea to save the legacy of that very community becomes the center stage of a Heritage Revolution in Bengal. It is a journey that continues to change and shape the lives of the local community forever, once again. This is the story of how an effort to save a dying community paves way for creating history!
‘Bari Kothi’, a city palace that was in ruins managed to create a self-sustainable ecosystem around it, when one man decided to save his ancestry. The result was the sustainable restoration of the palace that turned into a model heritage project, by empowering local villagers to take up the reigns of operating a luxury heritage hotel.
After being locked down for over half a century, ‘Bari Kothi’, 4 hours from Kolkata, located on the banks of River Ganges became the First, Rustic, Luxury Heritage Hotel of its kind in East India. Led by brother-sister duo Darshan Dudhoria and Lipika Dudhoria, Bari Kothi was restored with the core values of sustainability, community development, zero wastage, adaptive reuse and responsible tourism.
“Our restoration efforts have not been limited to built heritage but also extend towards creating a self-sustaining ecosystem that encapsulates the local community through a tourism-centric approach,” says Mr. Darshan Dudhoria.
Bari Kothi aligns itself with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and works persistently to promote sustainable and responsible tourism. Every action arises from its commitment to the local community within which it operates. The vision is to expand the idea of ‘sustainable tourism’ with an awareness that is both inclusive and at the same time expansive.
It is the endeavor of Bari Kothi to change the face of Heritage Tourism in Bengal.
FOUNDERS : Babu Darshan & Bebo Lipika :
Darshan Dudhoria is a lawyer turned heritage entrepreneur and philanthropist who is working towards changing the face of heritage tourism in Bengal. A member of the drafting committee forming Heritage Tourism policy for West Bengal, Darshan is actively involved in changing things on the ground level as well as on the administrational level through public policy making.
Lipika Dudhoria is the head of operations at Bari Kothi. The brother-sister power duo have created Bengal’s first ever restored, rustic heritage hotel that has opened doors to sustainable and conscious tourism in rural Bengal, utilizing the local community in all its facets of operation.
In own words of the co founder :
“As a heritage custodian, I was always enamored with our ancestral palace, Bari Kothi. Unfortunately, it was falling apart like all the other tangible assets of the region. At first, I wanted to save one block of Bari Kothi for my future generations to witness the legacy of our forefathers. That little effort led to a chain reaction and soon we embarked on the most audacious restoration project in East India, if not the whole of India.
To preserve this legacy, my team of a Canadian architect and 150 local people embarked on ‘Project Priceless’, as the restoration project began to be called in 2015. Ever since its restoration Bari Kothi has been functioning as the first restored rustic luxury heritage hotel in East India. My sustained interest in local culture led me to design customized itineraries around Bengal for the guests. These include the Colonial Tour of the East, the Story of Bengal, and the Spiritual Tour of the East, among others. Each of these is spread over nine-eleven nights with only three nights spent in Murshidabad and Bari Kothi. I started by sharing my family’s story, and eventually moved on to promoting Bengal and its culture to the world.
Every action arises from its commitment to the local community within which it operates. Ours is an experiential property or a boutique hotel, which involves the local community, local ethos, and local experiences. The experience driven nature of a getaway here is a tribute to the rural eco-system whereby tourists are in close communion with the people residing here. It takes pride in its ability to curate guest experiences that is born out of its intimate bonding with the community and nature. This forms the USP of Bari Kothi as a tourist destination, transcending it from a mere weekend getaway to something that is both uplifting, and informative.”
Accommodation:
Bari Kothi Heritage Hotel offers royal suites, each uniquely designed to reflect the hotel’s rich heritage and culture. The rooms are equipped with modern amenities such as air-conditioning, free Wi-Fi, sustainable toiletry kits among other things .Bari Kothi offers 15 Suites, 3 Dining Experiences and more than 50 curated Experiences.
Dining:
“The love for food, especially all things sweet, is an accurate label for any Sheherwali.” Food features prominently in this community, evolving passionately through their 300-year history in Bengal. Sheherwali cuisine is the finest vegetarian spread one can find, even in modern times, and is a wonderful melange of the cuisines of the west and the east of India.
“The first step is to take pride in what we are and what we have,” says Darshan. That’s why the cuisine served at Bari Kothi is pure Sheherwali— even though it requires effort to offer it, given the sheer repertoire and lengthy cooking processes involved.
A proper Sheherwali thali can be intimidating, so Bari Kothi has broken it up into a five-course meal with detailed explanations about each dish. Apart from that, the humble Bengali farmer’s meal and an assortment of pan-indian cuisine can be found at Bari Kothi’s dining halls- The Zareen mahal, The darbar Hall and The Nahabat Khana.
( All Pictures Courtesy – Bari Kothi)
Advertisement:
Add Comment