rural-health-training-centre-fatehgarh-palace-naila-village-near-jaipur-jaipurthrumylens
Places To Visit Near Jaipur

Naila-A village tucked away in time | Walkthrough

When someone mentions “Naila” in Jaipur it usually means Naila school or night parties at Naila House, Club Naila.  Pool parties in Jaipur used to be associated with Club Naila. Where else can you find a party place in a heritage building? Naila House New Year Parties were popular among the party crowd in Jaipur; this is not the case, anymore. The city has more choices when it comes to party venues. There’s a history behind Naila House too but I will stick to Naila village in this write-up.

Everything You Want To Know About Naila Village

The Rajput family of Naila House is called Naila Thikana & has its origins in Naila Village. Technically, it was part of Jaipur state before India’s independence. Thikana-It was an estate assigned to a Rajput lineage. The family that is assigned an estate is called Thikanedaar in Rajasthan.

Where is Naila and what makes it special?

Naila village is located about 30 km from Jaipur. It first shot into the limelight when US President Bill Clinton visited Jaipur and this quaint village in the year 2000. Projected as a model village, the media highlighted Naila; now things are different.

This post is not a guide to Naila Village. It’s just a photo journey, a summary of my visit to Naila. You won’t find much of local life in the following pictures; just the surroundings and built heritage and architecture of Naila.

picture-naila-village-road-entrance-rajasthan
Approaching Naila Village, near Jaipur
naila-village-gate-hawa-bunglow
The beautiful gate of Naila was ruined by billboards and advertisements.

Surprisingly, the rampart which surrounds the village is still in good condition. Intended to protect the village from attacking armies as the first line of defense, the fortification runs all around the village, including the Naila fort perched on the hilltop.

Naila Fort History

Naila Fort was built to provide protection to the Naila village and the settlement around it. The Fort was built by Champawats after they moved to Jaipur in 1849 AD. They were part of the Rathore Rajput clan originally from Peelwa which was part of Jodhpur. In Jaipur court, Naila was an important and influential “Thikana”.  Thakur Fateh Singh Naila and Thakur Roop Singh Naila were influential and held important posts in the Jaipur court.

naila-fort-view-from-outside
Naila Fort on the hilltop
way-to-naila-fort-jaipurthrumylens-oberoi-property
A thin curvy road with a steep incline leads to Naila Fort. It’s a private property owned by the hotelier Oberoi group
picture-of-rampart-naila-fort-jaipurthrumylens

The Naila fort is now owned by Oberois; it was sold to the owner of the famous Indian hotel chain Oberoi by its original owners; it is referred to as The Oberoi Group. Though privately owned, the guests at the Oberoi Rajvilas Hotel in Jaipur can experience a visit to Naila Fort. I cannot verify this information as this was shared by the residents of the village. The hotel offers a sunset experience for its guests. Other than this, the fort is not accessible to the public since it is a private residence. The fort is built in an English-style castle.

Naila Palace

This is a picture of the palace in Naila village, constructed and once owned by the erstwhile rulers of the Naila estate. It conjures up two different sets of emotions.

rural-health-training-centre-fatehgarh-palace-naila-village-near-jaipur-jaipurthrumylens
The beautiful Palace in Naila village is now owned and managed by the government and is run as a primary health center and also a training place for aspiring doctors and medicos.

I was excited about finding a lovely heritage building dating back to 1875 AD. The second one is a feeling of letdown looking at its condition. Advertisement on its facade is a bummer. The saddest part is the fact that now it is run by the government as a primary health center. It could have rather been a beautiful heritage hotel; it’s just waiting for things to fall apart.

beautiful-palace-near-jaipur-in-village-naila-fatehgarh-jaipurthrumylens
Neglect and lack of attention are evident everywhere in this palace at Naila village

I’m not sure how this beautiful property ended up with the government but the current state of the building is quite sad.

Naila estate was part of Jaipur. Jaipur merged with other smaller states to form a bigger state called Rajasthan.fatehgarh-palace-in-naila-indo-european-architecture-style-building-jaipurthrumylens  The architecture is a unique amalgamation of European and Rajasthani styles which was prevalent post-1850 AD.

heritage-buildings-rajasthan-near-jaipur
Notice the beautiful fusion of Rajasthani and European styles. Naila Village
heritage-palace-in-rajasthan-near-jaipur-naila-village-jaipurthrumylens
The wild creeper adds to the dated look of this heritage palace. Naila village
heritage-buildings-jaipur-requiring-repair-village-naila
servant quarters…. probably. Naila village
heritage-araish-work-rajasthan-naila-village-near-jaipur
Beautiful stone carvings were influenced by the Mughals and Araish work in  Gokhaas. Naila village

You end up thinking about the sad state; destruction & decay of heritage, architecture, and history is no one’s concern unless it generates revenue. The Araish work as shown in the above picture (white marble-like polished surface with black border) is impossible to reproduce today to the same level even though we know the processes because of expensive labor and lack of skilled workers;  we are simply allowing it to decay!!

Read Sunrise in Naila 

naila-hawa-bunglow-view-from-naila-fort-jaipurthrumylens
New low-cost housing structures are being constructed just outside Naila village.

While the old Naila town has heritage houses and Havelis, new housing structures are coming up fast in the vicinity. As seen above, the vacant area next to the village gave way to residential quarters for the low-income groups.

colonization-baren-land-bhomia-ji-temple-naila-village-agra-road-jaipur-jaipurthrumylens
Bhomia Ji temple on the hilltop. Naila village

You can look at the surrounding views of Naila village in the above picture. Probably these views are short-lived as plotting for dwelling units has already started.

party-in-jaipur-hawa-bunglow-naila-village
Hawa Bungalow, Naila village
hawa-bunglow-kanota-naila-village-jaipur
Kanota Hawa Bungalow. Naila Village

Hawa Bungalow at Naila village is also referred to as Kanota Hawa Bungalow. It is well known among the party crowd in Jaipur. The owners of Hawa Bungalow also run a paintball facility and were the first to offer paintball in Jaipur. Of course, now even Tao Experiences also offer Paintball in Jaipur. Who offers the best paintball in Jaipur? I think the paintball in Naila village is the best paintball facility in Jaipur because of the terrain. More on Naila Village, Naila Fort, and Hawa Bungalow some other day. In Jaipur, when someone mentions the word “Naila” it generally means parties at Club Naila or the lounge elephant Naila Bagh.

Trekking in Naila

A few of my trips to Naila village were to trek in the hills around Naila. The hills in Naila were one of the toughest places to trek in Jaipur. The reason being the gradient was very steep and the surface comprised of gravel, the chances of skidding are very high. Also, the presence of brick manufacturing units in the vicinity meant very high air pollution. I still remember how unclear the air was with the presence of an industrial kind of smell. I have been informed about a commercial enterprise operating soft trekking in Naila, especially targeting children. If you want to trek and hike in Jaipur, check out my blog on trekking and hiking in Jaipur – The most popular hiking & trekking places in Jaipur.

You might want to check out this blog on sunrise in Naila during my first trek in Naila. Dawn Sky

Stay updated with Jaipurthrumylens!! Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

Naila Fort Nayla village Jaipur Jaipurthrumylens

Discover more from JaipurThruMyLens

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

204 thoughts on “Naila-A village tucked away in time | Walkthrough”

    1. Thanks Peter! I guess given the quantum of heritage sites we have and shortage of funds coupled with shortsightedness aggravates the scenario. Certainly, profit maximization is ruining it all! Thanks for sharing your views! 🙂

      Like

      Reply

  7. Excellent piece. I felt joyful viewing such heritage structure but at the time was disappointed to see the advertisements. Actually, in India we have too many , so we are least bothered about them.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks Amitabha! what you have mentioned is true. It’s a problem of plenty. And if you have plenty, you stop caring! I feel the government doesn’t have a vision and plan to maintain and develop these gems. compared to what countries are doing, it’s not enough. These could actually be money spinners which can support it’s maintenance in few years time. Thanks for sharing your views!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Thanks Sudhir. It’s not really on tourist map and we have many such locations. I never recommend these places to someone unless they are looking for something specific or I have complete understanding of their preferences. The reason is simple, these are rustic places with no developed infrastructure for tourists. Let me know if you like to visit such places will forward all details and other options. Thanks for checking it out! 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

  10. Great post! It is dismaying to find a lack of sensitivity or sense of importance for heritage sites. Nobody seems to revere the stories or historic importance of these places. Left to vandalism, billboards, and replacement by modern structures these will remain a memory only through pictures like these. Good description. Thanks!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. I feel our countrymen haven’t been taught about importance of heritage sites which is why it’s ‘khandhar ‘ for them. I wish people could understand that it’s important aspect of our culture, life and who we are. They have no knowledge of how such sites can turn into money spinners. we are searching for our future in glass facade buildings….I wish we could infuse right perspective! Thanks for reading and sharing your views 🙂

      Like

      Reply

    1. True. these buildings are amazing. It is a peek into the rich history of bygone era. It was time of uniqueness in comparison, today we have similar buildings everywhere.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Cannot SOMETHING be done? Oh I don’t know what ….I guess it would take some kind of project between local government and big business to fund and employ local tradesmen in restoring then marketing to bring in a consistent revenue to maintain ….although you seem to be doing a good job of the latter with your blog Arv ….I for one would LOVE to visit Jaipur ….getting local government and investors to speak to each other is a tricky one tho …we have a similar problem here with the old mill buildings …we did secure some ‘development’ money through European funds …but now with the outcome of the U.K.referendum that will be no more:(

        The problem is it’s cheaper to knock buildings down and replace …that’s why they all end up looking the same ….not much by way of imagination …..it’s all about maximising profit for the sake of it …very short sighted tho ….look how well built and architecturally interesting these buildings are not to mention the history:)

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Fijay! Some of the government -private partnerships have worked, but it’s a difficult proposition. It’ll need separate discussion as to bottlenecks. I would love to know more about this mill stuff that you mentioned. I think we have lost the great architectural heights achieved by our predecessors with our current architecture styles.
        Come do visit Jaipur. 🙂
        Great to know about your thoughts.

        Like

  15. Great write up on another treasure in Jaipur! Beautiful pictures too…I particularly love the one with the wild creepers
    I agree with you Arv, the advertisements just ruin the beauty of the place!
    Sad to hear about the Araish work not being maintained…I admire the artistry in Rajasthan and this is not good news…

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Divya, even though we have rich heritage legacy but I’m not sure how much will survive. I’m appalled at our attitude towards our built heritage. thanks for reading and expressing your views Divya.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Thanks Ashwini. it’s not really on tourist map, nor do I suggest it for tourists. it’s strictly for those who dig history and love exploring. There are many such hidden gems. I’m happ that you liked it. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  18. Pingback: Naila-A village tucked away in time/ walk through – connectwithalicia

  20. It’s sad to see so many wonderful buildings falling into disrepair, but it’s something that happens to so many once fabulous structures. Fortunately, here in the UK, many old buildings have conservation orders placed on them, and others are taken over by English Heritage or the National Trust. I can see from your photos how beautiful some of those buildings in Naila actually were. I’ll look forward to hearing more about Naila. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. We do have some authorities who restore and maintain these heritage structures but given the quantum of properties the resources are limited. this building was handed over to primary health Services which is not apt for handling such heritage building. I feel this was a wrong move on government ‘s part. nothing much one can do! 😦
      I’m happy to know that you have some authorities to take care of heritage buildings in UK! Thanks for sharing your views!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.