Starting price: 20,000 INR/night

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Bari Kothi is a beautiful 18th Century palace, a heritage home built by the Dudhoria family more than 250years ago that was sensitively restored to its former glory over a period of 5years with a team of over 150 local artisans to preserve and share the story of this region’s heritage for generations to come. Still owned by descendants of the family that founded Bari Kothi, the Dudhoria family originally hail from Rajasthan. Successful textile merchants, they moved to Murshibadad in Bengal and built their palatial home, Bari Kothi, in Azimganj as at the time this region was a major international centre of business.

Incredibly

Murshibadad was generating more than 5% of the world’s GDP from its industrial output, this vibrant economy attracting entrepreneurs and business people from around the world, notably English, French, Dutch and Danish companies setting up here from the 1750s. And hard-working and entrepreneurial Sheherwali families like the Dudhorias were quick to take advantage of this gateway to the world and achieved great wealth and business success as a result, leading to the building of palatial family homes and estates like Bari Kothi.

Over time the business centre moved from Murshibadad to Kolkata, so the families followed. By the mid 1900’s, many Sheherwali families had left their palatial homes in Murshidabad and moved, with the business, to Calcutta (modern day Kolkata). As with many other family homes in Murshibadad, Bari Kothi was left empty and unoccupied, slowly falling into ruin over a period of more than 50years until in 2015, Darshan and his sister Lipika took it upon themselves to revive the grandeur of their family home to pass it on to the next generation.

The 15 suites in this beautiful home are decorated with original antique pieces and art, sharing with guests the sense of very much staying in a well-loved and seasoned grand family home.



The property houses 3 beautifully kept gardens, 7 courtyards, terraces, a library, a music room, lounge, a riverside café and a wonderful restaurant where the predominantly vegetarian local cuisine is prepared with farm to table locally grown vegetables, fruit, herbs and spices. There is so much to see and do in this region which is famed for its cuisines, traditional arts and crafts, time served silk-textile industry, and the wonderful architecture that tell the story of this region in its rich heritage of carved stone and stucco palaces, temples and mosques.

Working closely with the local community the team at Bari Kothi have created a variety of experiences, more than 35 in fact, that provide guests with a unique opportunity to experience this richly historical and culturally significant region. Be as active or as inactive as suits you, the experiences include heritage walks, culinary classes, traditional pottery making, bird watching, story-telling that brings Bari Kothi’s long history to life, cultural evenings and sunset dining on or beside the river. A stay at Bari Kothi truly is an immersive experience one that will share with you the history, the culture, the flavour and the beauty of life in this fascinating region of West Bengal.

Mr Darshan Dudhoria

Your Host and The Team

“It is perhaps surprising to hear that Murshidabad, now a part of rural Bengal, once contributed to 5% of the GDP of the World during the mid-1700s. Yes, 5% of the world’s business was generated in Murshidabad, a humble district in Bengal located 4 hours from the City of Joy, or Calcutta as it was known then.



And in light of this business boom, many families saw great success and built excellent homes and palaces as testament to their family’s wealth and business acumen.

Over time fortunes rise and fall, and sadly with the decline in importance of Bengal on the world’s business stage, many great family homes and palaces, perhaps too expensive to maintain, fell into ruin and Bari Kothi was one such palace.”

Lawyer turned entrepreneur and heritage custodian Darshan Dudhoria worried that his children and the generations to follow would not know of their heritage if these great houses were left to disappear and working with Mr Sudip Kumar Sing Dudhoria a dream project was born to revive and breathe life back into the palace of Bari Kothi. Lead by a Canadian restoration specialist architect, Dr.

Samar

Chandra, and assisted and project managed by Darshan and his sister, Lipika, with a dedicated team of 150 local artisans, Bari Kothi was sensitively restored over 5years to its former glory. From the outset the 3 keys to this restoration and the high ideals of the project were Heritage, Hospitality and Humanity. It was never the goal to simply create a wonderful heritage boutique hotel, though create one they have, but to connect to the community, to celebrate, preserve and share the heritage, and at the same time return to being an integral working property within the community, providing livelihoods and support to local families, offering opportunity and inspiration, as well as providing a wonderful heritage boutique hotel to share the stories of Bari Kothi and Murshidabad with the travelling world.

Itineraries in India

“Bari Kothi Heritage Hotel is a rare gem of Indian hospitality where, through its unique curated experiences and wonderfully atmosphere of this seasoned family palace, guests can really connect with the soul of Murshidabad and its people.”

Kim, the discoverer.

📌 Darshan Dudhoria (Kolkata Metropolitan Area)
🏢 Secret Retreats
📍 Kolkata Metropolitan Area