An opulent odyssey on Maharajas’ Express, one of the world’s most luxurious trains, is the stuff of royal dreams
BY POONAM GUPTA
Set for a ride on the Maharajas’ Express like a tourist through the vibrant colors, smells, and taste of India? We check out the royal train, which has recreated the regal era of Indian royals and travels on a luxurious adventure from Delhi to Mumbai on an eight-day journey, through the eyes of Tricia Welsh.
Launched in 2004, Maharajas’ Express takes tourist through the vibrant colours, smells and taste of India. This royal train has recreated the regal era of Indian royals and travels from Delhi to Mumbai in eight days.
Spanning 1,400 km approximately, the trip could physically be done in a few hours by air or, approximately 15 hours by road. However, today Maharajas’ Express isn’t just means of commuting; it is an imperial train, where opulent, delectable and romance come together providing a voyage one will never forget.
During the journey, passengers can see the cultural features of Jaipur, make a beautiful ride on a motorboat and a boat on Lake Pichola and visit the City Palace. Though today you can get from Delhi to Mumbai in matter of hours sparing no luxury, nothing is more enchanting than traveling like Maharajas once did on one of the most lavish trains in the world.
Safdarjung is an amazingly simple station in Delhi and people get red carpet welcome and flowers and French champagne is served to passengers before seating them for the journey. The 22-carriage train company can accommodate a maximum of 88 passengers with different kinds of cabins ranging from the luxurious cabins, the standard cabins and the Presidential Suite, which occupies an entire body of the train.
All the accommodations are luxurious; they include hot shower, writing desks, comfortable facilities among others. Styling of the restaurant takes its inspiration from the period of British rule in India when Maharajas travelled with great opulence having their own carriages on trains.
The actual railroad carriage has 43 full and partitioned compartments, 20 of which are deluxe cabins, 18 are Junior Suites, and four are main luxury suites The largest of all is the Presidential Suite, which is the biggest suite of all the trains in existence. The entire rail car setup has been designed by Taj Hotels, and appears as if it has been crafted for 1920’s Maharajas and the English vintage clubs.
Junior Suite is very large and comprises twin beds, area with chairs, large bathroom with a shower partitioned with the glass and full value with the sink. We also have valet service every time; the valet is always awake unlike most people to ensure that they provide us with the best service in the provision of comfortable and timely vehicles for every trip.
The dining and refreshment also seem to be no less lavish when you are on board Maharajas’ Express. These are two greatly designed dining cars – Mayur Mahal and Rang Mahal – serving international and Indian food under the culinary guidance of international culinary professionals.
The cuisine served on the train is excellent and the branch is managed by the full spirited executive chef. It doesn’t matter if the food is classic Indian curries or special occasion dishes; all dishes are made from scratch every day. These are what we call our thali courses; for instance, one may have smoked salmon or lobster thermidor; depending on one’s sweet tooth, they offer a delightful jalebi, kulfi, or strawberry panna cotta. It is even more spectacular that one can have an authentic masala dosa at breakfast.
As with the rest of the train, interiors of these dining cars will take one back to the era when Indian royals travelled in style.
This royal and exquisite eight-day tour on the Maharajas’ Express starts after we leave Delhi for Agra, the city of the Taj Mahal. As one may have noted in our grand performance of the red-carpet entrance from Delhi, we are soon to be acclimated to the regal form of our evenings. Everywhere we go there are musicians and dancers to greet us when leaving and to welcome us back and then we are bid farewell by our neatly uniformed staff whenever we leave to tour a site or village.
The tour is actually full of memorable sights, like the Taj Mahal. Leaving early in the morning, we are among the first to explore this site as a world heritage. This monstrous monument was erected in the 17th century by Emperor Shah Jaham for his beloved queen, Mumtaz Mahal; evidently famous for the white marbles that change colour from pink in the morning to that of gold at night.
Later we visited Agra Fort’s red sandstone and marble palace and fortification facility built on the banks of Yamuna River. Here, Shah Jahan spent the last years of his life looking into his wife’s tomb from the windows of this building.
Travelling through the center of Rajasthan, the train opens the sights of Jaipur, Bikaner, Jodhpur and Udaipur, with a sightseeing of ancient fortresses, palaces and colourful bazaars. In the current era when technology provides a swift mode of transport other than utilising a luxury train that emulates the British Raj in India there is no other appealing way to explore a country or civilisation like how this luxurious train promises a discovery of what feels like timeless India.
Forget haphazard train travelling – this is like a royal voyage into the kingdom’s history of India.
The next destination is Jaipur, the Pink City, where we visit the honey-hued Amber Fort, perched atop a hill, reached by a jeep ride. The day concludes with an elegant outdoor dinner at Rambagh Palace, once the Maharaja’s hunting lodge. Continuing north-west, we arrive in Bikaner, known for its camel-rich desert surroundings. After exploring the ornate Junagarh Fort, we enjoy a camel-cart ride into the sand dunes, where we are treated to a sunset barbecue, cocktails, and a performance by gypsy folk dancers.
Our travel goes on to one of India’s famous wildlife destinations, the Ranthambore National Park focused on the Tiger of Bengal. Seeing a tiger is never assured, however, the park is packed with a myriad of other wildlife and stunning views that make the trip an excellent game drive adventure. Besides the tigers, we also sight deers as well as crocodiles thus making the trip even more thrilling.
Every station of this royal journey fuses the exotic flavours of Indian history as well as timeless royal pomp with the royal taste of Maharajas’ Express. From evening dinners under the open sky of Rajasthan to watching the sunrise while exploring the creations of Mughal architecture, everything holds the essence of romance of India’s royal residents.
In the case of Jodhpur, we set off into the Thar desert visiting a nomad Bishnoi village rich. Here the hospitable inhabitants offer visitors a traditional poppy-seed based drink. This community is barbaric yet authentic; people don’t eat animals and do not chop trees, and can provide a rather fresh insight into life in the desert.
From the terrace of Mehrangarh Fort we admire the view of Jodhpur Blue City houses in the form of cubes and see the Umaid Bhawan Palace which belongs today to the heirs of the last Maharaja of Jodhpur, believed to be among the largest private residence in the world. Some of this enormous edifice is managed by Taj Hotels, hence, considered among the best hotels to find accommodation in.
Next stop is Udaipur, the so-called the city of love also known as the Venice of the East located around the serene Lake Pichola. The City Palace, the largest and grandest of forts in Udaipur, boasts of fine balconies and towers that over look the lake. In the centre of the lake, Taj Lake Palace hotel, originally designed for Maharana Jagat Singh as a pleasure palace, has a new look like a fairytale wedding cake. We are also surprised to see the Crystal Gallery set up with beautiful crystals bought by Maharana Sajjan Singh and having lunch in the royal Satkar Hall below the stately crystal chandeliers.
Specific stop overs and other points of interest of the tour are: the Blue City in Jodhpur and the Mehrangarh Fort, magnificence of the sunrise viewed at the Agra Fort and the ultimate city of romantic significance, Udaipur. In Bikaner, we can witness a spectacular concert of a wandering group in the middle of dunes which is very inspiring. And, finally, the journey concludes in the City of Dreams i.e. Mumbai.
The Maharajas’ Express has been voted the “World’s Leading Luxury Train” – and deservedly so – for seven years at the World Travel Awards. Its competition was the other luxury trains in India that were established at around the same time; it is modern luxury trains and gives some of the best food on board. All in all, this a royal journey like no other.
