Luxury in the land of " Baaghis"- Dholpur and Chambal

We started from Noida and zoomed through the Yamuna expressway to Agra. The expressway stretch takes 1.5 hours. The next stretch is crossing the clingy Agra city which sets you back by an hour. Once you are out of the Agra city limits on the Gwalior Highway, Dhaulpur Palace is just 50 kms and 50 minutes away. On reaching, we were welcomed and escorted to our Villa - with a private pool.The villas are designed on different colour themes- blues and pink and beige etc. The main door opens to a central courtyard with the private plunge pool and a pool-side dining arrangement. There are separate bedroom area and sitting area. The bathroom of the villas are huge - I guess its more than 15 feet X 15 feet in size.Package included all meals- and I must tell you my dear friends- they pamper you like Kings and queens-specially with the food. Huge choice and huge servings !!We were shown around the property by their friendly staff. The visit of the palace along with the story of the place is amazing. Care has been taken to preserve the main palace rooms , the tiles, the woodworks , the furnitures ,and the bathroom fittings. The place exudes royalty. Within their property they also have an organic farm which grows vegetables for the restaurant...exhibiting green and sensible tourism.

After few hours of splashing in the pool and a sumptous breakfast, we headed for a short 10 minutes drive to the banks of Chambal river where we were supposed to start the river cruise through the Chambal Gharial SanctuaryNational Chambal Sanctuary, also called the National Chambal Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary, is a 5,400 km2 (2,100 sq mi) tri-state protected area in northern India for the critically endangered gharial (small crocodiles), the red-crowned roof turtle and the endangered Ganges river dolphin. Located on the Chambal River near the tripoint of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, it was first declared in Madhya Pradesh in 1978 and now constitutes a long narrow eco-reserve co-administered by the three states. Within the sanctuary the pristine Chambal River cuts through mazes of ravines and hills with many sandy beaches.The river safari is a unique experience, unlike anything on the Indian wildlife circuit.In the the hour-long cruise , we did get to meet the gharial and turtles and so many migratory birds.Post Lunch ( in no way fogetting the grandeur of the lunch!), it was time to explore the (in)famous chambal "Beehads"- the unique landscape of Chambal we have all seen in movies!. It was a thrill to step into the world of Phoolan Devi.

The third morning was spent exploring the nearby Machkund Temple. It commands a picturesque view. The place is named after Raja Muchchhukand, the 24th of the Suryavanshi Dynasty (the solar race) who is said to have reigned nineteen generations before Lord Ram. According to legend, Raja Muchchhkund was sleeping here when demon Kaal Yaman (while pursuing lord Krishna) accidentally woke him up. The demon Kaal Yaman was burnt to ashes because of a divine blessing to Raja Muchchhkund. It is now a sacred place for pilgrims. After another heavy lunch session and the final rounds of splash in the pool, it was time to head for home. The bliss and energy gathered was enough to drive us till the next getaway.