One is writing this from the cool comfort of one’s garden facing room at the luxurious Bijay Niwas Palace at Bijaynagar in Rajasthan. After having visited bird sanctuaries extensively including Bharatpur, Nalsarovar, Khijadiya and Chilka bird sanctuaries, it is difficult to believe that 5 km. away from Bijaynagar Bus Station, there is a birding lodge which can rival the bird sightings of these large bird sanctuaries. Bijay Niwas Palace is the flagship property of Dushyant Singh Masuda. One has just returned from Bijay Niwas Palace after completing a trek through the gardens leading to Bijay Niwas Farm located near from my heritage cottage. One can find small wooden houses, shops selling kachoris and narrow streets with heritage havelis and several traditional Rajasthani dhabas at Bijaynagar. Bijay Niwas Palace is located 5 km. away from Bijaynagar Bus Station.

One must start one’s morning trek at 6:00 a.m. and evening trek at 5 p.m. so that one can enjoy the beauty of sunrise and sunset from Bijay Niwas Palace itself. The area is home to fruit orchards and farms growing vegetables and pulses which surround the palace. The drive from Bijaynagar town to Bijay Niwas Palace takes about fifteen minutes. Bijay Niwas Palace is a quaint little luxury resort, tucked away in the quietest corner of Bijaynagar and is located five kilometres away from the town. One can trek to the fruit orchards in ten minutes from the resort to watch the sunrise and sunset.

As one heads towardsone walks under the canopy of giant trees that surround my suite. One passes several farm houses along the way. The hillocks on the drive from Beawar to Bijay Niwas Palace have a rocky face and look impressive from a distance. As we near the hills it appears as if several large rocks have been placed one on top of the other and which are held in place by invisible threads. It takes ten minutes to reach Model Farm from my garden facing room.

The journey is at an easy pace but one has to walk carefully through the papaya plantation to reach the fruit orchards. Mango, Papaya, Chickoo, Jamun and Jujube trees can be seen in the fruit orchards. One alights at the steps infront of the garden and walks up a series of steps to see the luxury cottages surrounding Bijay Niwas Palace.

The most exciting part of the walk from my garden-facing room till the orchards, is the large number of birds sighted during the trek. For those who are averse to trekking, Bijay Niwas provides cycles. The cycle trip around the resort takes only ten minutes. However, more number of birds can be spotted if one ambles along the gardens on foot and waits near the pool, as lots of birds come to drink water from the pool.

One starts one’s trek or cycling trip in the early hours of the morning at the break of dawn. One gets to see and hear the sounds of birds as one makes one’s way up through the garden path. One can see several Brahminy Starlings and peacocks during the trek. Black drongos, Rose-ringed Parakeets, Cattle Egrets and Red- wattled Lapwings can also be seen on the lawns.

The trek from Bijay Niwas Palace takes you through dry deciduous forests and farms and one can see several giant trees vying with each other for space, outside the main palace. The trek is a gentle and one can return to the cool confines of one’s room in about 20 minutes, having photographed several species of birds!

After taking some well deserved rest and munching on walnuts and raisins to recoup one’s energies, one returns to Bijay Niwas Palace. The view of Bijay Niwas Palace from the lawns, is nothing short of breath-stopping. Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. I had experienced my breath-stopping moment at Bijay Niwas!

Sunset seen enroute Bijay Niwas Palace from Raipur Fort Watching the sun set enroute from Raipur Fort to Bijaynagar is definitely a special moment. Bijay Niwas Palace is miles away from the nearest village as it is surrounded by hundreds of acres of orchards and farms. Bijay Niwas Palace is an island of tranquility, surrounded by a river of peace, enveloped in serenity. It is a powerful place relax to the tune of nature. One can cycle around the resort. Do yoga in the lawns at dawn and dusk. Have a leisurely swim in the afternoons. Curl up with a book in your room or just let Bijay Niwas Palace weave its magic on you.

Parrot clicked at Bijay Niwas Palace More than a thirty species of exotic birds can be seen within the Bijay Niwas Palace premises in summer. Being an experienced bird watcher, I can certainly recommend Bijay Niwas as a birding lodge for both amateur and professional bird watchers alike. The other major attractions at Bijaynagar include village safari, visit to local potter and safari to photograph Blue Bulls. Fruit bats are found flying around the mango trees near Bijay Niwas Palace at dusk.

Hugging a giant Palm tree inside Bijay Niwas Palace. There are several giant trees inside Bijay Niwas Palace. One can meditate under these trees at dawn and dusk, to recharge one’s energies. Peacocks and parrots are found on the trees surrounding this droplet of tranquility. I could see Neem, Banyan, Peepal, Wood- apple, Date Palm, Chickoo and Tamarind trees among numerous others.

There are several other tourist attractions around Bijaynagar including ethnic villages.. Local handicrafts, bangles, handicrafts and traditional clothes are sold at the bazaars of Bijaynagar. One of the highlights of one’s visit to Bijay Niwas Palace is to wake up in the early hours of the morning and hear the chirping of birds. This melody starts at 5 a.m. and lasts till 6 a.m. and reaches a crescendo the moment the sun peeks out of the sky.

Where to eat?:

The vegetarian breakfast at Bijay Niwas Palace includes Alu Parathas drizzled with olive oil. There are one or two pure vegetarian dhabas at Bijaynagar who dish up simple fare like roti, dal, aloo ki sabzi etc. Fresh fruits including bananas, papayas and musk-melons are available at streetside kiosks outside Bijaynagar market. Purchase seedless dates, walnuts, raisins and cashews enroute to Bijay Niwas and store in an airtight metal tiffin as I did, to recharge yourself during the long walking meditation treks inside Bijay Niwas Palace. All staff members at Bijay Niwas are courteous and are always smiling!

Where to stay at Bijay Nagar?:

Bijay Niwas Palace is the best place to stay. A deluxe room in the Garden wing costs approximately. Rs.9000/- per night (for two persons including breakfast but exclusive of taxes). High spending Indian and foreign tourists frequent Bijay Niwas Palace at this time of the year. The rooms are spacious and can comfortably accommodate a family of three (with one extra bed). The bathrooms are luxurious, with hot and cold water showers. If you want to pamper yourself and friends, Bijay Niwas Palace is the place for you.

Another way to get there:

One can drive down from Beawar to Bijaynagar in under an hour. Bijay Niwas Palace is located 47 km. away from Beawar.

Rock formations seen on the return drive from Bijay Niwas Palace to Raipur Fort

Every good thing must come to an end and I bid my gracious host Dushyant Singh Masuda adieu, to return to Raipur Fort luxury Homestay at Raipur.