In the rugged landscape of Gujarat’s Kutch, just 30 kilometres from Bhuj, stands a 120-year-old fort with a story of reinvention. The historic Darbargadh in Devpur village, built in 1905, has transformed into not just a heritage homestay but also a centre for education.
Royal roots in modern times
“My great-great grandfather, Thakore Sahib Verisalji Bawasaheb of Roha, built Darbargadh for his younger son,” explains Krutarthsinh M Jadeja, the current custodian of this ancestral property.
Picture courtesy: Krutarthsinh Jadeja.
The manor, constructed in the classically ornamented Kutch-Roha style of architecture, survived both the 1956 Anjar earthquake and the devastating 2001 Bhuj earthquake, which damaged over a million structures.
“There are at least 85 palaces and forts recorded in Kutch, and we were possibly one of the few to survive the earthquake back then,” Krutarthsinh adds.
From family home to heritage haven
The journey from family residence to homestay began serendipitously during Diwali 2007, when Krutarthsinh and his wife, Nitu Bharti, met a French couple.
“They mailed us in 2008 saying that they would like to stay with us, but only if we accepted something in return,” he recalls. “I agreed and left an envelope on their desk and was pleasantly surprised to find that they had left Rs 12,000 for their four-day stay with us. That’s how Devpur Homestay got conceived.”
A living museum
Each room tells a story — from Sorthamba with its 16 pillars and cross-vaulted arches to the Gulabi Mehdi (pink room) adorned with Raja Ravi Varma’s Chromolithograph pictures.
“The house will take you back to 1905 and is very precious to us,” Nitu shares.
Picture courtesy: Krutarthsinh Jadeja
The property features Swedish false pine ceilings painted with natural dyes, Belgian chandeliers, and traditional jharokhas (overhanging enclosed balconies), through which the women of the household once viewed courtyard festivities from behind purdah.
Education at the heart
Perhaps the most significant transformation is the establishment of the White Eagles School on the grounds — the first CBSE residential co-ed English medium school in Kutch, teaching up to Class 10.
“My late father, Mahipatsinhji, was a school teacher. When he retired as the principal of Hyderabad Public School, he had the opportunity to enter hospitality. Instead, he decided to start the school,” explains Krutarthsinh.
Classes are held on a 12-acre organic orchard named Vijaya, home to nearly 1,000 Kesar mango trees and various vegetables that supply both the school and homestay.
In a region where tourism is seasonal, this 120-year-old fort stands as a model of sustainable heritage conservation — where ancient walls nurture future generations while preserving the rich tapestry of Kutch’s royal past.
Edited by Khushi Arora
