Jasdan royal family undertakes restoration: 17th-century Rajkot castle to get face-left

Vika Khachar, the founder of the princely state of Jasdan, had the castle built in 1665 and named it after Goddess Hinglaj. The three-storey castle, famous for its Italian mosaic roof tiles imported from Italy, used to be the monsoon retreat of the rulers of Jasdan state.

“The castle is an old building. It is built at a height of 1,100 feet from the mean sea level. Hence, weather forces like winds and rains affect it more than other normal buildings. Therefore, it requires repairs from time to time. We used to carry out such repairs inside the castle periodically. But this time round, we have undertaken a complete restoration and repair of the castle by plastering the outer walls of the building, wherever required, and applying a fresh coat of paint as well as the interior of the castle,” Satyajit Khachar, the patriarch of the royal family of Jasdan says.

Satyjajit Khachar, the 11th generation descendent of Vika Khachar, assumed the family title of ‘Darbar’–as the rulers of the Jasdan state were known–in 1989.

The castle has a temple of Goddess Hinglaj. Satyajit Khachar said that Vika Khachar went on a pilgrimage to the temple of Goddess Hinglaj in the Baluchistan province of present-day Pakistan and founded the state of Jasdan after winning the territory on his return from the pilgrimage. Vika Khachar got the castle built as a defence fortress against attacks from the princely states of Bhavnagar and Nawanagar-Jamnagar. Therefore, it has a granary, huge water tanks, an armoury, tunnels acting as escape routes, Ranivas (queen’s bedroom) with windy balconies, a hall acting as the king’s courtroom, a prison, etc.

There is a small garden inside the castle that has gothic windows and arched gates. The water tanks are filled through rainwater harvesting as well as pumping from a well in Bavalvadi, a farm around two kms away and tubewells recently dug at the foot of the hill.

“The building is a stone-and-mortar structure and therefore, we are using the same material in restoration work. Also, the interior, like the tapestry and furniture, needs repair, and we are doing that as part of the restoration. We have engaged local artisans for the job,” Satyajit Khachar says, adding his elder son Raviraj is looking after the restoration project.

The Hingolgadh castle is among the residential buildings at the highest altitude in the Saurashtra region. The royal family converted the castle into a heritage museum 11 years ago. “On an average, 20,000 people visit the museums annually,” Satyajit Khachar says, adding “We keep the castle open to tourists from July 1 to December 31. However, this year, we have kept it closed due to the ongoing restoration work,” Khachar says, adding, “We started the restoration work in 2020 but not much could be done due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, now, the work is going on in full swing and it is likely to be completed within the next six months. Once the restoration work is over, we shall reopen the museum to visitors.”