Royal Palace to Boutique Palace-Hotel

The Belgadia Palace, Mayurbhanj, Odisha, built in 1804, has been meticulously restored and opened as a boutique palacehotel. Architect and interior designer, Pooja Bihani, and Mrinalika Bhanj Deo, descendant of the royal family, Founder and Director, The Belgadia Palace, conceptualised the restoration to stay true to the rich heritage of the property.

- Brinda Gill

The Belgadia Palace, Mayurbhanj, Odisha, built in 1804, has been meticulously restored and opened as a boutique palacehotel. Architect and interior designer, Pooja Bihani, and Mrinalika Bhanj Deo, descendant of the royal family, Founder and Director, The Belgadia Palace, conceptualised the restoration to stay true to the rich heritage of the property.

Please could you tell us about The Belgadia Palace.

Mrinalika Bhanj Deo: The exquisitely decorated Belgadia Palace of the Maharaja of Mayurbhanj is a heritage building representative of engineering skill and architectural excellence of a bygone era. It is a doublestorey structure, built of brick and lime-mortar, designed in the classical Western style, drawing from Greek and Victorian architecture.

The first phase of the palace was built on the orders of Maharani Sumitra Devi Bhanj Deo in 1804, who ruled the state from 1796 to 1810, and there were additions of spaces, surface ornamentation and collections by subsequent rulers. The palace thus had 25 rooms, three kitchens, two living rooms, two libraries, a billiards room, two gardens, a temple, and two offices. It has lawns in the front and back, an adjoining lake at the back, and a long driveway from the main entrance. The location of the palace on a hill surrounded by orchards and groves adds to its beauty.

How did you decide to undertake restoration of the palace and convert it into a boutique palace-hotel?