Where the Aravallis gather into folds of rock and thorn, Ajabgarh lingers — half in history, half in myth. The fort that crowns the village is centuries old, and just beyond it, ruins and stories of Bhangarh whisper of kingdoms that flourished and fell. This has long been a land of majesty and abandonment, of royal houses and haunting silences. To arrive here is to enter that duality.
At the valley’s base lies Ananta Spa & Resort, a property that does not try to rival the fort’s grandeur but instead folds itself into the landscape. “Sometimes luxury is also doing nothing,” says Ashutosh Goyal, Director of Ananta Hotels & Resorts. “Because in today’s world, when you’re doing so much, the mind is restless. Sitting idle is also a beautiful form of luxury — and that’s what we’re trying to promote.”
The sun sets over the hills, past the Fire Villas at Ananta Spa & Resorts, Ajabgarh
The choice of Ajabgarh was never obvious. For years, this was not a place on the traveller’s map. “People used to ask, why Ajabgarh? What is even there?” Goyal recalls. Yet, the family behind Ananta saw potential in its quiet fort, its forgotten stories, and its closeness to Sariska’s wilderness. “What we are trying to do is bring back that royalness and that reality to this place. Why not? Luxury can also mean reviving what once was.”
Ananta’s vision has always been to balance the international with the deeply local. “As a brand, we’ve been focused on giving a very international experience to a local crowd,” Goyal explains. “After COVID, people realised India itself has unmatched hospitality, and so many unexplored destinations. We wanted to bring those forward.”
That rootedness runs through the property. The villas borrow from elements — earth, bamboo, water — without reaching for imported gloss. “We’re not laden with Italian marbles. Almost everything is local — materials from Gujarat and Rajasthan. It suits the climate, it belongs here,” he says. Even the workforce reflects this ethos. “Rather than getting people from Jaipur, we trained and employed local villagers. In a way, it’s about bridging the rural and urban gap. Empowering locals is uncompromisable for us.”
A lush breakfast under the Chhatri
This sense of community extends from staff to guests. “We are a family brand. We don’t act like bosses — we act like leaders. You feel that culture when you walk around here,” Goyal shares. The approach is evident: hospitality here is warmth that feels lived-in.
For him, storytelling is an inseparable part of the Ananta experience. “Vacations are usually about unwinding, but we want them to be about learning too. There is storytelling across all our properties — because the land itself has stories.”
That narrative is not static — it continues to grow. “I’m confident that in six or seven years, you’ll see many more properties here. Ajabgarh has potential, the connectivity is improving, and even the tigers are returning to Sariska.”
The pride of Ajabgarh — its people
If nearby Bhangarh tells of impermanence — of royal cities turned to ruin — Ananta Ajabgarh offers the opposite: a quiet continuity. Its measure of luxury is not excess but belonging. “Stargazing can be a luxury. Clean air, clean soil — that’s luxury too. People don’t always get it until they experience it with their own eyes. But slowly, they are realising it,” Goyal reflects.
Ajabgarh’s fort may still keep its secrets, but Ananta reveals one of them: that true luxury is often found in stillness. As Goyal puts it, “Luxury, in its truest form, is not about what we add, but about what we protect. Here, our greatest achievement is in allowing Ajabgarh to speak for itself.”
Words by Meghna Mathew.
Featured image courtesy Ananta Spa & Resorts.
