Naggar (Kullu), June 10
The 551-year-old Naggar Castle and the 120-year-old plush 75-acre Palace Hotel, Chail, will soon be on the national and international heritage tourist circuit.A seven-member heritage committee of the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs has given in-principle approval for declaring these as “heritage buildings of national importance”.

The Naggar Castle and the Palace Hotel are being run as heritage hotels by the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC). Now, these are set to figure on the country’s list of heritage hotels and properties. This, in turn, will propel the Kullu-Manali tourist and the Chail-Shimla circuits into the hitherto lesser-known elite tourism arena, giving Himachal a prized leverage in the high-end tourism market.

The British made the castle a hotel for dignitaries. Later, the state government took over it and has been running the 15-room heritage hotel since then. It houses a restaurant, Himachal dham, a museum and Jagatipat temple of Athara Kalrus, the 18 deities that are believed to govern religious destinies of people in the valley.

HPTDC general manager Yogesh Behl said, “The team gave in-principle approval for the heritage hotels after inspecting these recently. He said the committee would visit these hotels again for the final approval.