Anticipation, not knowing what surprise awaited us around the next bend, heightened the thrill of our safari drive through Madhav National Park in Madhya Pradesh. And it was a rewarding adventure in terms of wildlife sightings: a cheetal stag with an impressive set of antlers; monkeys that had colonised an abandoned watch tower; crocodiles sunbathing on the banks of a lake; colourful birds, a peacock….

No! It was no illusion—we had stumbled upon an English castle right in the middle of a thicket of trees. We looked at the four muscle-flexing turrets of a solid stone structure with a sense of wonder. “The castle was built by the maharajas of Gwalior for the king of England when he visited India,” our driver-guide droned as though it was the most ordinary thing one would see on a safari. He might have driven on if we had not stopped him and got down to explore the castle.

The caretaker of this little gem of a building was more forthcoming. According to him, the castle was built as a hunting lodge for King George V when he toured the country in 1911. The Scindia maharajas of Gwalior had hoped to host a grand tiger hunt for their royal guest. However, by the time King George reached Gwalior he had already shot over 11 tigers and had got bored with the sport and took a rain check on the hunting party. The castle, also known as George Castle, was abandoned and the royal trimmings were either stolen or corroded with age. No tiger sightings for us that day but we were not complaining. How often do we get to see an English castle, lassoing fabulous views of the forest, on a safari? Madhav National Park, Shivpuri, where the marble inlay cenotaphs of the Scindia maharajas of Gwalior are located, is one apex of the tourist triangle that includes Gwalior and Orchha.

www.mptourism.com

Text & Photos: Gustasp and Jeroo Irani
Featured in Harmony — Celebrate Age Magazine
January 2018

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