AUTHENTIC DWARIKA HOTEL

A true Nepali cultural experience…

Some hotels eventually make history, but few preserve history from centuries past. Dwarika's Hotel is one such place. It’s a treasure trove of Nepal's most intricate and culturally significant architecture and exists both as a mecca of heritage and as a luxurious oasis amidst Nepal's boisterous capital, Kathmandu. 

 The story of Dwarika immediately sets this property apart. Dwarika Das Shestha, the creator of Dwarika christened his hotel 60 years ago. One morning while jogging, Dwarika stopped in his tracks when he observed carpenters sawing off parts of intricate woodwork in order to access "good wood." The detailed carvings were to be burned. Spurred by the horror of seeing some of his country's artistic ancestry set ablaze, he bought the carved woodwork on the spot.

Over the years Dwarika collected door frames, window settings, and any 13th century works he could acquire from buildings being "modernized" in Nepal's new era of democracy. The cost of preserving and acquiring his collection mounted over time, and Dwarika realized tourism could support, in part, the conservation of Nepal's "cultural ecology and aesthetic environments."

Today, the hotel holds one of the world's biggest private woodwork collections in the world and continues to fund projects that foster preservation and understanding for the people of Nepal. Dwarika's Hotel, for instance, operates a primary school in the Chitwan district for low-income students and is a pioneer of zero-waste, chemical free systems within its properties.

Dwarika’s Hotel has an immediate sense of home, perhaps simply because it still remains the home of Dwarika’s family. Approaching Dwarika’s Hotel is an intriguing, if not suspicious, experience.

Just inside the dark wood doorways and terra-cotta tiles is an incredible escape. Tucked beneath the wooden window sills and baskets of cascading flora is a massive courtyard where an inviting pool, bar, and fruit tree shaded tables beckon to be enjoyed. Within the courtyard, the sounds of horns and motor exhaust are substituted for bird twitters and fountain patter. The warm and attentive staff is well versed in serving an international menagerie of guests.

The guest rooms may be their own mini-explorations of Nepali culture. Each custom room affords glimpses inside the courtyard through multiple windows, each framed with wood carvings seen similarly across Nepal's World Heritage Sites.

 

D.C.

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