Savista’s History : A Unique Story Line
Savista Retreat is a passion project of the Rishyasringa family, a family of royal lineage with strong spiritual and intellectual underpinnings whose origins run deep back into an ancient time. The present descendants of this lineage who own Savista and are actively involved in the setting up and upkeep of this boutique property, are an academic couple with impressive output in their subject specialities into environmental, developmental and cross-cultural aspects in the evolving world context, and work experience at some of the most reputed global institutions are in residence at this estate. Their places of study and work include Jaipur, Mumbai , New Delhi and Ahmedabad in India; Sussex and London and in the UK ; Geneva and Stockholm in Europe; and, Boston and Washington in the USA. Their intellectual kit and value-based approach to hospitality has shaped Savista Retreat`s dominant characteristics of eco-responsibility, community integration, experiential travel and wellness. The intention here is to make a definitive statement on all these aspects and on what constitutes a lifestyle model. Aspects that you do not have to accept just on trust but are there for you to witness.
The Ancient Royal lineage and the Spiritual and Intellectual Edifice
The twin identities that enlighten the course of life for the family are its genealogical order or bloodline, called Kula, and the spiritual and intellectual edifice encapsulated in what is called Gotra. The former, i. e. , dynastic roots. start with the first patriarch of the family. His name was Ikshvaku, a legendary king who, when faced with a catastrophic event, was able to come out of it because of a reciprocal gesture from the ecosystem that he provided support to. His grandson, Raghu, became a legend for creating a value system in his kingdom where mutual trust based on an honour code took root among his citizenry. An epic written in the classical language Sanskrit by the famous poet of ancient times Kalidasa – the Raghuvamsa – is devoted exclusively to this genealogical order. Other ancient texts such as the Puranas also carry reference to this dynastic order. Raghu was the grandfather of the legendary king Lord Rama, on whose standards of governance and ethical behaviour every ruling dispensation in India swears by, while canvassing for popular support.
Following Lord Rama, a total of 52 generations of the same dynasty continued to rule the Kingdom of Ayodhya in northern India. The last ruler of this lineage in Aodhya was Sumitra. His eldest son was Kurma, which also means Kachha. He and the others of this genealogical order who succeeded him established smaller kingdoms all over northern and central India, and finally arrived in the Dundhar region of of Rajasthan. There they set up rule in Amber (Jaipur) in the 12 th century A. D., and are known as the Kachhawa dynasty. Historically, there have been a total of 36 ruling dynasties in India, and the Kachhawas are one of them, wherein the rulers of Jaipur occupying a prominent place. They enjoyed tremendous clout throughout the medieval period of Indian history, and more so during the Mughal empire.
One of these early Kachhawa rulers in the Dundhar region devised, as a measure of administrative reforms meant to strengthen the kingdom, a mechanism of vassal units called bada kothi (a hierarchy of noble families). It was a three-tier decentralised structure of power and administration. A vassal unit covered a large area, almost the size of a present day Rajasthan district, and was sub divided into what were called jagirs (each comprising a varying number of villages). It, too, was administered by a member of the ruling family who was called a Jagirdar.
Savista Retreat sits in one of the vassal regions of the erstwhile Jaipur Kachhawa kingdom, and is owned by a scion of this dynasty. The family carried the hereditary title of Jagirdar over several centuries, with a deep connection to the land and surrounding communities. The region comprising this vassal unit is rich in its physical features; its legendary tales of valour of great kings; as the abode of ancient seers and sages; and the scene of significant historical events. It embraces the ranges of the Aravali Mountains (created around 1.5 billion years ago and among the most ancient in the world); the Sambhar Lake which is India ‘s largest salt water lake and an internationally protected wetland site for thousands of migratory birds from northern Asia and Siberia; and is rich in other water bodies and varieties of flora and fauna.
Savista has a unique and fascinating storyline of its own. Way back in the year 1840, one of the sons – Pratap Singh – of the then Jagirdar of the village of Sanjharia – Dev Singh – decided to renounce his hereditary role of participating in matters of local governance.
The village was located on the banks of a river called the Sadaria. It was a seasonal river, that carried excess water during the rains from the foothills of the ancient Aravali ranges near Samod. The source was the Chambal, one of India’s large and ancient rivers originating from central India, whose tributary – the Bandi – flowed through the Dundhar region. The flow and gush of water was enormous, and created a large water body, the Jovlai bandh (water body) near the village of Natlalpura. It was the overflow of water from this water body that resulted in yet another tributary, the Sadaria. As the Sadaria cut its way across this micro-region, mounds of sand got formed along its banks which, due to their porous nature, created streams of perennial water in the riverbed. The land on which the present Savista estate rests overlooked one of these streams. It supported a large variety of flora and fauna, horses and cows came to graze on its perennial grasses, and it was regularly visited by herds of sheep, goats and camels and migratory birds.
When exploring this landscape, Pratap Singh was enchanted by all of the above and its scenic charm, and felt strongly drawn to it. He was at the time all of 26 years old, and his marriage was being planned by his family. Unable to conceive of himself as a householder or administrator, he realised in a flash that the protection and sustenance of this tranquil natural beauty and eco-system was what was his true calling. To the horror of his family he refused marriage, renounced his comfortable lifestyle, gave up all material possessions and sat down at this spot to meditate. That spot is where Savista stands. The present owners are in possession of a manuscript that was written at that time, and which details this episode. From then on he led the simple life of a wandering ascetic (sanyasi). The vision that he resolved to work towards was of a pristine habitat for local animals and birds, including migratory birds, and the aquatic life that flourished the shallow river beds and streams that flowed there. In the mid-1950s the last title holder to the jagir of Sanjharia honoured his memory by establishing a landholding of nearly 250 acres just in the name of cows where they could graze freely, and about 25 acres of land for the upkeep of the village temple dedicated to Lord Rama. Towards the end of the 19 th century when India was hit by successive famines, the then family patriarch opened up his granaries for his population. Simultaneously, he created work for them to do – the construction of a country mansion. The present haveli and associated structures at Savista Retreat are a restored and modified version of that effort. And, notwithstanding the inexorable march of urban lifestyles and environmental degradation, Savista stands as a lifestyle destination even in these changing times.