Festival Detail

The Riverside Palace Gondal - The Riverside Palace, Ashapura Road, Gondal, Gujarat, India

Heritage
Start at Rs. 6777

RIVERSIDE PALACE
Built in the 1880s as the residence of the Crown Prince of Gondal, the Riverside Palace is a colonial-style building set in gardens beside the town's river. It has been converted into a heritage hotel with 11 large and high-ceilinged rooms appointed with four-poster beds, old dressers and other colonial—period furniture from the family's heirloom collection.

All the rooms have attached baths with hot-and-cold showers and western fittings. The galleries are lined with historic photographs, prints and antique beadwork. The jewel in the crown is Indian Room, a marvelously appointed sitting room with beadwork and brassware from the family’s collection. On the rooftop, a glass-walled gallery offers a view of the river. A variety of birds come into the property from the reedy shores of the river.

Gondal Palace

The Riverside Palace, one of Gondal's three properties

The royal family of Gondal has opened up two of their palaces for receiving guests. The late 19^th century Orchard Palace was initially built to house guests of the royal family. It is here that you will find the royal railway saloon converted into a suite, complete with rooms with inlaid finish and English washrooms. The orchards adjacent to the palace are also home to peacock families and many other birds.

Located on a riverbank, the late 19^th century Riverside Palace was once the residence of the Crown Prince of Gondal. While staying at these place, do not miss the vintage and classic car collection lovingly maintained even today. Also, you may pay a visit to the Naulakha Palace built in 1748 AD. The former living quarters have been converted to a museum displaying a wide range of royal paraphernalia, including textiles, brassware, silver caskets, toys, motor sports trophies, among others. The Heritage Gondal Palaces are accessible from Rajkot (about 40km away by road), the nearest airport and railway hub. Ahmedabad is around 250km away by road.

SIGHTSEEING

Swaminarayan Temple
Lord Swaminarayan and His paramhansas often came to Gondal and bathed in the waters of the River Gondali in Gondal town. The temple near the river was inaugurated in 1934. It is an attractive building with beautiful murals inside.

Ayurveda
The Bhuvaneshwari Ayurvedic Pharmacy at Gondal has been manufacturing herbal medicines according to ancient principles from the 1910s. A visit to the pharmacy is arranged for guests. The palace management can also set up appointments with the ayurvedic doctor at the hospital for counseling or treatments. Ayurvedic massages can also be provided in the rooms.

For groups, the management can organize Art of Living and Yoga courses in collaboration with renowned foundations.

Birdwatching
Gondal is excellent for birding with many species coming into the gardens of the Riverside Palace and Orchard Palace to feed, roost or even to breed.

The lakes of Gondal attract large flocks of winter migratory birds like the demmossile and common cranes, white pelican, geese and ducks. The vegetation around the wetlands are important breeding grounds for resident ducks, ibises and wading birds.

The Umbada Veedi is a large tract of rolling grassland on the outskirts of Gondal where rufous-breasted prinia, Syke’s crested lark, skylark, rufous-tailed lark, short-toed lark, rock bush quail, grey and painted francolin partridge, chestnut-bellied sandgrouse, Montagu harrier and other birds can be seen. In the monsoon, the grassland has often witnessed the breeding of the endangered lesser florican.

Nilgai antelope, jackal, jungle cat, black-naped hare and other mammals could also be seen at the grassland as also reptiles like the monitor lizard.

Gondal is also the base to visit the Hingolgadh Sanctuary for chinkara gazelle, Botad Dhakania grassland for blackbuck antelope and the Gir Interpretation Zone for Asiatic lion.

Textiles and Handicrafts
Gondal is a centre for beadwork, embroidery, spinning, handloom weaving, woodcarving, silverware and brassware. 30 km south of Gondal, the textile town of Jetpur is known for its screen and hand-block printing.

Rajkot, 39 km north of Gondal, has the Rashtriya Shala working to revive ikkat weaving skills

Guests can also see interesting pieces from the royal family’s collection at the palaces of Gondal.

Bhuvaneshwari Gaushala and Ashwapalak
This stud farm is working towards breeding and promoting indigenous breeds of livestock like the Gir cattle and the Kathiawadi horse. It has won many prestigious awards like the Gopal Ratna.