Experience royal luxury at the awe-inspiring Noor Mahal, an “Incredible Indian Palace Hotel”…and with the wedding season upon us, what better place than Noor Mahal to exchange your vows
Gold leaf frescoes, high domed ceilings, ornate bright walls, traditional Lippan work with intricate design details, colourful murals, white Agaria marble flooring, alluring objects d’art at every corner, framed paintings of Maharanis and Maharajas and more, Mughal scalloped arches, sculpted pillars, everything spells royal splendour and grandiose at Noor Mahal in Karnal. You will be teleported back in time to the days of yore, an era of royalty, at this incredible Indian palace hotel, that combines a unique melange of traditional Mughal and Rajputana schools of architecture.
The 122-room five-star luxury property at Karnal, on the old course of river Yamuna traversing its way to Delhi, is surrounded by lush green farms and fields. The mood is set as soon as you enter the plush lobby of this five-star luxury palace hotel with a beautiful lotus fountain, overhead crystal chandeliers and opulent furnishings, inspired by India’s rich heritage. The royal abode of the modern-day maharajas and maharanis exudes an aristocratic air. The two courtyards are laid out along the East and West called the Deewan-e-Aam on the lobby level providing an access from all four sides and the Deewan-e-Khas on the first floor, surrounded by rooms and balconies with low jaalis and chajjas. The bold and impressive four HiranMinars or four Golden towers, stand 100 feet high with octagonal chhatris at the four corners on top and is nothing less than an epitome of intimacy and tradition. Evenings come alive with talented Rajasthani folk musicians, crooning some soulful renditions, in their traditional attire with colorful turbans.
A similar mood transcends across the 10 acres and 350000 square feet space, that welcomes you to soak in the old-world charm of heritage hospitality. The imbued rooms here clearly elevate the entire hospitality experience. Apart from the spacious and plush Presidential suites and heritage suites, Noor Mahal boasts of special royal sleeping chamber called the Khwabgah, which has two bedrooms, a living room, a dining room, separate bar and an office chamber with a private terrace that gives an overview of the city of Karnal. From the architecture, design, and service to the intangible atmosphere and modern luxury they engender, the rooms and suites are perfect for a royal staycation. Noor Mahal is also one of the most splendid options for romantic fairytale weddings.
Roop Pratap Chaudhary, Managing Director, Noor Mahal, Karnal, who completed his graduation and Majors in hospitality, overseas, worked with Kingdom of Dreams and ITC Maurya and then took the plunge and joined his parents in running the palace property at a very young age, states, “My father retired as a Colonel from the army. He had some ancestral land here, so a palace hotel was his vision. We have completed 12 years now. Our hotel called Jewels, was Haryana’s first registered and established hotel. Post which my parents (Manbeer and Binny Chaudhary) wanted to develop history in their own way and bring architecture from Rajasthan into Haryana, as our state didn’t really have its own unique style of architecture. So, they asked the distinguished architect Himet Singh to create this majestic luxury palace hotel. We started with 60 rooms, two banquets and a restaurant and now we have 150 rooms, three banquets and 20 indoor and outdoor beautifully designed spaces, each of them being a perfect celebration venue in itself. It’s the only five-star luxury property around after Gurugram. We are surrounded by the textile hub of Panipat and Kurukshetra, the land of Mahabharata at half an hour’s distance.” Roop has a keen memory and remembers details of every prized artefact that is plonked proudly and aesthetically at the palace hotel.
The palace hotel is popular, not only with those staying within a few 100 kms distance, but with connoisseurs, who appreciate the finer nuances life has to offer. Roop Pratap Chaudhary, shares, “Karnal is also the rice bowl of India. The grain is of such superlative quality that it is exported to many countries. The grain of this rice that breaks is sold in India as basmati rice. But all of the good rice that is unimaginably long, is exported at Rs 2,500 per kg. Many big rice millers stay around this area. There are also big oil refineries around. We celebrate all the festivals – be it Lohri, Valentine’s Day, Holi, Dasara, Diwali or New Year’s Eve. During Dasara we also have Nautanki and Raasleela shows, depicting the history of the festival and every guest has loved it immensely so far.”
With 13 beautiful banquet halls, state of the art conference rooms, boardrooms and unmatched facilities and attentive service, Noor Mahal has gained the repute of hosting the finest weddings and is also a popular MICE destination. The iconic architectural marvel with royal ambience and modern comfort has also hosted bigwigs of the likes of Parineeti Chopra, Sameer Gehlaut, His Royal Highness Osei Tutu II, Capt. Amarinder Singh, Hema Malini, Sunny Deol, Girish Luthra, Randeep Hooda, LK Advani, Rahul Gandhi, Pandit Jasraj, Bhupender Singh, Abhinav Bindra, Prince Hans Adam II of Liechtenstein, the entire team of the movie Dangal, including Aamir Khan and others, Yami Gautam and Vikrant Massey who shot their upcoming film Ginny Weds Sunny here and Jagjit Singh, to name a few. Infact, there is a room named after Jagjit Singh at Noor Mahal, as his last performance before he passed away, was at Noor Mahal. I was informed by the friendly staff who carried my bags to the Presidential Suite, that Bollywood’s dream girl Hema Malini had just checked out from this same suite a few days, before I was checking in.
Frontier Mail: Picture yourself sitting in a train that your forefathers would have sat in and having a meal you’ll remember for a lifetime. The Frontier Mail restaurant carries forth the story of royal luxury. This award-winning royal fine-dining restaurant has been designed, recreating the legendary Frontier Mail that operated between Mumbai and Peshawar during pre-independence days, with elements taken from the actual train. The menu comprises of cuisines from the regions through which the train made its initial journey. Roop Pratap Chaudhary, Managing Director, Noor Mahal, Karnal reveals, “Frontier Mail is an adaptation of the train that went during the pre-independence era from cantonment to cantonment. It was India’s first AC coach. A chef would get on at every cantonment and another chef would board the train. The menu is also a copy of what was served during those days.” Each of the dishes served here are delicious, flavourful and lip-smacking to say the least.
Brown Sugar: An all-day dining restaurant with modern design offers an international dining experience that is quite unforgettable.
Polo Bar: Raise a toast at the Polo Bar that serves a drink for every mood. A colonial style English hip bar, that Manbeer Chaudhary wanted to dedicate to the sport of the royals, Polo. “When the word went out that the bar was being set up, his friend, Arjuna Awardee Col. RS Sodhi, a polo player and Nafisa Ali’s husband sent us his entire collection of valuable polo photographs of Maharani Gayatri Devi, Capt Amarinder Singh, the Chief Minister of Punjab, Billy Sodhi and others.” These rare photographs are framed across the walls of Polo bar with a billiards table at the far end.
The 7th Heaven Spa: The calm and soothing spa provides an array of services like facials, invigorating body massages, scrubs, special couple retreats, hydrotherapies and a variety of other treatments. For those who want a little pampering, rejuvenation or a makeover for their special day, Noor’s Makeover Studio by celebrity hair artist Tarun Kapoor is the place to go to. Highly sought after and award-winning makeup expert, Tarun Kapoor holds extensive amount of knowledge on latest makeup and hair trends and beauty techniques and can transform any plain Jane to a beautiful princess.
The entire Chaudhary clan, Roop’s parents Manbeer and Binny and his sister Noor, are involved hands on, looking after every single aspect at Noor Mahal. No wonder everything runs seamlessly here, the way any Maharaja’s palace would. A mix of royal grandeur and rich modern hospitality makes this beautiful palace a dream destination for memorable celebrations.
Where: Noor Mahal, Noormahal Crossing, National Highway 1, Sector 32, Karnal, Haryana.
Call: 0184 713 3333. Log onto: www.noormahal.in
