FORT THERAPY

Six Senses Fort Barwara, Ranthambore replenishes soul and spirit in a 14th century edifice restored by Parul Zaveri and the late Nimish Patel

- TWINKLE TOLANI

Good things take time, and that is perhaps why it took the Six Senses' wellbeing sanctuary over ten years to be adapted inside a palatial fort reverberating stories of the gallant Raja Man Singh of the Rajawat Dynasty. Built by the Chauhans in Jaipur in the 14th century, the dynasty conquered the Barwara fort in the 18th century. Five feet thick walls and turrets are testaments to the fort's service as the abode for the royal army in its prime.

Three centuries later, Prithviraj Singh, grandson of Rao Bahadur Raja Man Singh, 'held the fort' as it was being restored to its former majesty. Architects Parul Zaveri and the late Nimish Patel of Panika & Abhikram, worked closely with landscape designer Savita Punde of Design Cell and horticulturist Pradeep Kishen. The team sensitively restored the fort by recontextualizing grandeur and luxury.

As the context unravelled, the prime buildings—the Zenana Mahal and Mardana Mahalevincing respectively feminine and masculine attributes became the loci of the project.