The Judge's Court
Pragpur ,Code No - AT-HP17
The
Judge's Court is a 300 year old ancestral home that has been
restored using original techniques but with modern plumbing
and lighting. The property became famous as 'Judge Sahib Ki
Kothi', and hence it came to be known as The Judge's Court.
Located near the village courtyard with ornamental tank, and
approached by a cobbled street, this courtyard has captured
its original era, offering an unusual intimacy in the midst
of a medieval village.
It has a
private suite with a kitchen, sitting room, dressing room and study with an open
terrace overlooking the Dhauladhar mountains.
In keeping with
his pre-eminent status, Justice Sir Jai Lal built the splendid manor at Pragpur.
The building designed in the best Indo-European tradition was constructed by his
father Bhandari Ram Kuthiala and completed in 1918. It stands on an 8 acre
orchard, just a short walk from the village courtyard
The orchard
consists of mango, lychee, grape, plum, parsimon, citrus and exotic trees like
camphor, clove and cardamom. The milk and dairy products used in the kitchen
come from The Judge's Court dairy in the grounds. Water is exclusively piped
from an ancestral mountain spring
The Judge's
Court has 10 rooms in this larger building, one twin sharing set in an annexe in
addition to the suite in the ancestral courtyard. The rooms go by names such as
the 'Dhauladhar', 'Kipling', 'Hardinge', 'Kangra', and are tastefully decorated
in simple elegance. As the Judge's Court has been restored, and is being run by
the owning family, it offers a rare kind of intimate hospitality
