Heritage Luxury Stay in an Unfathomed Odisha

SET ATOP a lush green backdrop of rolling hills, the Belgadia Palace offers its visitors a royal stay and comfort to explore Odisha. Established in 1804, the palace is built in a Victorian double-storey structure and has been home to the erstwhile royal family of Mayurbhanj.

The sisters and heir of the royal family, Mrinalika and Akshita M Bhanj Deo, converted their ancestral home into a tourist haven for people to experience and discover Odisha. To ensure sustainability they have undertaken several initiatives such as partnering with local development organizations in the fields of arts, education, sports and skilling, by organic farming and practising farming of local, organic and seasonal fruits. 

The idea was to run the palace as a startup where tourism is the vehicle to build a sustainable community which employs and skills local tribal people. To generate funds from travellers who stay and participate in an artist residency program and finally invest in sustainable infrastructure to reduce the palace’s carbon footprint so the property is self-reliant and can take care of the surrounding community. This boutique hotel invites guests to take a trip down memory lane and engages with the local tribal community, wildlife and nature tourism, arts tourism and much more.

In order to promote Odisha tourism, the palace management makes sure that they visit state recognized tourism designated sites, they take the visitors to colonial heritage tours through Baripada town.

The palace welcomes clients from around the world. The palace appeals to affordable luxury travellers who are interested in art, heritage, and a resort lifestyle. Since the palace offers experiential tours, it receives foreigners who are interested in exploring unexplored India. The palace also has platform for art enthusiasts and young people who offer workshops and skill local tribal youth and students on various skill sets ranging from photography to fashion designers.

The palace brings with itself the luxury, royalty, heritage, culture and so much more. It had to be renovated before it opened into a boutique hotel and the sisters made sure that everything in the hotel gives travellers an unforgettable experience. Everything in the palace is curated to give travellers an authentic, real and relaxing experience of Odisha.