Things To Do

Watch a Chhau Performance

A semi-classical Indian dance with martial and folk traditions, the dance ranges from celebrating the martial arts prowess of the state army to stories enacted from the Hindu epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. In 2010 the Chhau dance was inscribed in the UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The Bhanj dynasty were patrons of art and culture and under their patronage the dance form reached its zenith.A popular historical anecdote is retold with enthusiasm in Odisha of the performance in 1912, when George V and Queen Mary visited India, Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo choreographed and presented the ‘War Dance’ with 64 Chhau artistes from the palace troupe at the royal couple’s reception in Calcutta. It was the first time the dance form was introduced to a global audiuence and received a dazzling ovation.

Almost 140 years ago, Maharaja Krushna Chandra Bhanja Deo introduced Chhau at the State’s most popular annual festival, Chaitra Parva, hosted inside the palace. The king and the queen would invite royal families of nearby kingdoms to come and watch the performances. It was also the only occasion when common people were allowed to enter the palace and its main purpose was to raise awareness on the dance form and encourage the arts as a form of livelihood. Today, with the same aim,we invite guests to be mesmerized by the beautiful art form.

Visit a Handicraft Village

Mayurbhanj is famous for sabai-based handicrafts and furniture. Guests can take a scenic drive to watch sabai grass crafts being made by women of the local self help groups. These clusters are formed by all women artisans weaving different products like bowls, trays, table mats and wall hangings all from the humble sui (needle) and dhaga (thread). A selection of these are available at our in house store - Beej.

Meet a Dokra Artist

Dokra is non–ferrous metal casting using the lost-wax casting technique. This sort of metal casting has been used in India for over 4,000 years by certain indigenous communities who still continue to practice this craft. Jaggannath, a 6 generation dokra artist comes to the Palace to showcase his crafts, narrate his story and give insight to this dying art form.

Visit the Simlipal National Park & its surrounding waterfalls

One of India’s most famous wildlife parks and UNESCO Biosphere - Simlipal Elephant and Tiger reserve is just 40kms away from the palace. Explore the picturesque waterfalls of Barheipani and Joranda, two of India’s highest waterfalls or enjoy a walk and picnic by the bubbling creek river near lulung, famous for birdwatching.

Understanding the Colonial History

Visit building and structures that were constructed before the British entered india and pre independence such as the railway, air strip, Rani’s Dharamsala (old hotel built in 1904 for pilgrims and tourists), palace temple built in the 1930s,original royal palace with a 106 rooms and multiple courtyards, Haripur which was the original palace of the bhanja kings.

Haripur comes within the Baripada subdivision and at a distance of 10 miles from Baripada. It was the former capital of the state of Mayurbhanj before it was shifted to Baripada. The vast ruins afford ample and interesting material for antiquarian research.It was named after the Maharajah of Mayurbhanj Shri Harihar Bhanja who founded this place as the Capital in 1322, shifted from Khiching and later on is famous as Haripurgarh.

Rath Yatra Festival

Rath Yatra, also known as Car festival of Lord Jagannath is a very prominent festival of Simlipal city. Rath Yatra is popular for its distinctive culture and feel. One of the unique customs of this Yatra is women pulling the Ratha of Maa Subhadra and the devotees gather from every corner of the country to enjoy this festival. Time of the year -July.

Bird Watching

The property is home to 15 species of birds which can be easily spotted with binoculars and on your morning walk. If you wish to avail of a guide that can be arranged as well. Lulung area which is inside the Simlipal National Park is excellent for spotting dozens of bird species such as the red junglefowl, hill mynah, peafowl, alexandrine parakeet, crested serpent eagle, grey hornbill, Indian pied hornbill, to name a few.

Note:- When booking an activity, do give us a day’s notice so that we may plan a memorable experience for you.Some activities are chargeable so please be sure to enquire about rates from our front office or guest relations team, or when making your booking.