Of Mists, Myths, And A Modern Fable

Blowing off the dusts of time, Ananta Spa Resort Ajabgarh is resurrecting one of Rajasthan’s mysterious lost kingdoms, and is poised to create a fresh new story of this lore-steeped land

- By Ananya Ghosh

The car is zooming past specs of rudimentary civilisation sporadically scattered amid farmlands and forests. My destination is a place called Ajabgarh. I had never heard of this name until an invitation from Ananta Hotels and Resorts reached my mailbox a few days back. It seemed like a mythical place, a Royal palace ensconced in a sleepy hamlet rising from the mist, somewhat like Samuel Taylor Coleridge's version of Kubla Khan's Xanadu-something right out of an opium dream. And inhabited by lots of Ranbir Kapoors (now don't ask me how Raha's father came into the picture...that's what happens when a Bollywood buff gets a degree in English literature). And of course, I already had the title of this travel piece in my head-Ajabgarh ki Gazab Kahani (you can call it tacky, but I will call it 'Kitsch'!). I still have no clue about the kahanis awaiting me. But the driver tells me that there is a fort in Ajabgarh which is quite close to the Bhangarh fort and according to local lores, the two kingdoms had an interconnected destiny of doom-the queen of Bhangarh, the legendary beauty Ratnavati, had apparently died in a battle with Ajabgarh and that had fulfilled a curse. He refuses to divulge more but in my head the Chandrakanta song (if you don't get the context, ask any '90s kid) has already started playing unknowingly... Chandrakanta ki kahani, ye maana hai purani, Ye purani hokar bhi, badi lagti hai suhani, Naugarh ka tha wo rajkumar, Chandrakanta se karta tha pyaar....etcetera. Two neighbouring kingdoms, a princess known for her beauty, aiyyars, tilism, and black magi-cam I time travelling into Nirja Guleri's serial? But while Chandrakanta was set in actual locations which are now in Uttar Pradesh, I am in Rajasthan. So, maybe I should wait and see what stories the gates of the two forts open to.

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