Rohet Garh, a family fort by a village lake

Four hundred years in one house

• The garh: the fort they built beside the village lake was the centre of estate life for three centuries.
• Estate life: disputes were heard in its courtyard, the harvest share was stored in its rooms, and horses were bred in its stables.
• The zenana: the women of the family lived in the inner apartments behind screened windows.
• Soldiers and horsemen: the family served the rulers of Jodhpur first as soldiers and later as horsemen.
• Polo: in the 1920s a later Thakur Dalpat Singh played for the Jodhpur team when it was among the most famous in the world.
• How estates worked: our journal piece on rawlas and thikanas explains, and our Rohet guide tells the wider story of the village and its people.

How Rohet opened its doors

• Siddharth and Rashmi Singh: they built the hotel's reputation. William Dalrymple thanked them for their hospitality in the acknowledgements of City of Djinns.
• A second house: the family later created Mihir Garh in the open country nearby.
• The matriarch's kitchen: the late Thakurani Jayendra Kumari trained the fort's cooks and wrote down the family recipes. Her book Cuisine of Rohet Garh is still the kitchen's foundation.
• Staff from the villages: many come from Rohet and around, some from families who have served the fort for generations.
• The real thing: the horses are bred by the family and the paintings are their ancestors. A hotel can be designed to feel like this, but very few actually are.
• What it is like: our journal piece on staying with a royal family explains.

Inside the fort

• Old-house rooms: the family worked within the old buildings, so rooms keep deep window seats, arched doorways, thick walls, family photographs, old furniture and paintings.
• No two alike: some are full of history, others brighter and simpler, and they vary a good deal in size. Tell us what you prefer and we ask the family.
• The courtyard pool: framed by four chhatris, domed pavilions on pillars, and one of the loveliest places in Marwar to spend a hot afternoon.
• The day's rhythm: breakfast on sunny terraces, drinks on the battlements at dusk.
• The lake in winter: busy with cranes, egrets and ducks.
• Old-fort realities: steps, uneven floors and narrow stairways, and wifi that may not reach every corner.
• Limited mobility: tell us before you book, and we check the right rooms.

The writers' desk

• An honest caveat: accounts differ on where Chatwin finished his book, but Rohet was certainly one of the places where it grew.
• Why writers came: gentle days, excellent food, a calm lake, and nothing to distract you but the creak of the well and the horses in the stable.
• No museum: no plaque and no gift shop, only the desk, the window and the view of the courtyard.
• Still a place to work: writers, photographers and artists have come since, and the family are used to guests who vanish for a morning and reappear at lunch with a notebook.

Marwari horses at dawn

• A famous stable: Rohet Garh keeps one of the best-known Marwari stables in the country. Our journal piece on Marwari horses tells the breed's story.
• The morning ride: sand tracks, fields and wells, through Bishnoi country where blackbuck graze, then back for breakfast on the terrace.
• For confident riders: longer rides, and multi-day riding safaris across western Rajasthan that keep almost entirely off tarmac.
• Built around them: our Marwari horse safari journey, and our horse safaris page explains what to expect.
• The heat: from April to June riding is limited to the first hour after dawn.
• Gear: ask us in advance about helmets and other riding gear.

The Rohet table

• For vegetarians: ker sangri, gatte, kadhi and bajra rotis with white butter and jaggery.
• Desserts: perhaps churma, lapsi or a saffron rice pudding.
• Family recipes: many from the matriarch's cookbook, changing with the seasons.
• Where you eat: usually in the courtyard or on the terraces.
• Dinner with the family: members may join guests, ask about the day and tell stories of the estate. Conversation is part of the meal here, not an interruption to it.
• Cooking lessons: Rashmi Singh continues those begun by her mother-in-law. Our haveli cooking class page explains what they are like.
• Picnics: lunch carried out to a dune or the edge of the lake.
• A shikar-camp dinner: in the style of the old hunting parties, who ate around a fire under the stars.
• Dietary needs: tell us before you arrive, including Jain food.

Slow afternoons and quiet wellness

• The real wellness: the pace. Early mornings outdoors, long lunches, a swim among the chhatris, a nap in a cool room.
• Evenings: on the battlements with nothing to do but watch the lake.
• Gentle starts: bird walks and bicycle rides around the lake.
• Dedicated wellness: our page on spas and Ayurveda explains the options elsewhere in Rajasthan.

The villages and wildlife around the fort

Seasons and festivals at Rohet

• April to June: the heat is fierce.
• The monsoon: quiet, and in a good year, briefly green.
• Gangaur at the fort: images of Gauri and Isar, as Parvati and Shiva are known in Rajasthan, are displayed in the old zenana courtyard for several evenings.
• The ghoomar: women of the family and the village sing and dance around the images.
• Check your dates: travelling in March or April, ask us whether you fall in Gangaur.
• Holi and Diwali: both celebrated warmly with the village. We confirm festival dates each year.

Who will love it, and who won't

• Readers and writers: love the quiet and the story of the desk.
• Couples: love the evenings on the battlements.
• Rural Marwar: if you want to understand it, not only its cities and forts, there is no better introduction.
• Want palace interiors, a full spa or a bar: stay at Umaid Bhawan Palace and visit Rohet for a day.
• Want level floors and identical rooms: an old fort may frustrate you.
• Want a large suite with your own pool: its sister Mihir Garh may suit you better.
• Compare: our guide to luxury hotels in Jodhpur sets out all the options.

How Rohet fits our journeys

• After Jodhpur: in Mewar and Marwar, we often add a night here.
• Breaking the road south: on the way to the marble temple at Ranakpur and on to Rawla Narlai.
• Our favourite pattern: two nights in Jodhpur, at RAAS or Umaid Bhawan, then two at Rohet. The fort and bazaars first, then the horses, villages and lake.
• The road south: our route guide to Udaipur and Jodhpur via Ranakpur has more.

Getting there

• Heading south: Ranakpur is about two and a half hours further on, and Udaipur about four hours.
• From Jaipur: about five and a half to six hours, often broken in Jodhpur or Pushkar.
• Each leg: our guide to road distances and drive times helps plan them.

What we tell friends before they stay

• Linger over dinner: the family's stories are part of the stay.
• Bishnoi manners: never smoke, never bring meat, and keep well back from the animals.
• Photos and gifts: ask before photographing anyone, and don't hand out sweets, pens or money to children.
• Tipping: once, at the end of your stay, through the common staff box, so the kitchen and laundry teams are included.
• Pack a shawl: for winter evenings and early rides.