The Judge's Court has maintained the imperial ambience of the time of the Raj and will carry you back in time to a life that was.
Imperial India left many legacies including built heritage. One of these is The Judge's Court, a Country Manor located in a small village, Pragpur, on the edge of the Himalaya Mountains, at an elevation of 2000 ft. in the cool Kangra Valley of the North Indian State of Himachal Pradesh.
The Judge’s Court, was built by Jai Lal, a 7th generation Sood resident of Pragpur, whose ancestors had migrated from Amarkot – now in Pakistan - & Sirhind, to found this village in the fiefdom of a Katoch (cadet of the Kangra rulers). The time was when the Raj was at its Apex (1914 to 1918) & India was as mirrored by Kim & Bhageera. The building is a perfect harmony of Hindu and Islamic architectural features mastered over with European techniques.
New-age amenities blende beautifully in tastefully appointed rooms and offer an experience of the best of Indian rural heritage supported by succulent culinary delicacies that add to the highlights of The Judge’s Court experience. Efforts have been made to create a healthy environment and a safe haven. With good connectivity it is ideal for long stays & “work away from office”.
During the Raj, privileged Indian families led a life where the traditional Indian seamlessly merged with the European. The elder son of Jai Lal graduated from the Manchester College of Technology; the second graduated from Cambridge and became a barrister from the inner temple, married an English lady and ended his legal career as a Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
The third son became a food technologist from Germany. A daughter was married to a son to the industrialist Dr. Sir Gokul Chand Narang – also a Minister of 1930’s Punjab Government & another to the founder of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.
Leisure was spent enjoying cars like Oakland, Lancia, Packard, Buick and ‘shikar’ with firearms such as Greener with a left double choke, H & H paradox, Westely Richards 450/400, Rigby 250 with a peep sight accurate to 400 yards.
A nook, a place of peace and quiet
The Judges Court is now a hotel where one finds the ambience of a bygone era. It is owned and run by the original family.
Every effort has been made to leave the originality whilst incorporating modern facilities for guest convenience. This has, in some places, created contradictory characteristics the quaintness of which only add to its charm.
Within its spaces imagination transports one to an experience of Lahore, Shimla, Berlin or London as in the time of the Raj. The hotel has 30 rooms of which 13 are suites. As a heritage property every room is different with a story to tell.
At the Judge's Court there are many public places including:
• The ‘Whiskey Priest Bar’ that guarantees liquidation of all problems.
• A dining room to accommodate a 100 with a bright verandah overlooking the greens for sunny breakfasts.
• Several meeting spaces such as the exclusive Uwan & Bhor in the Manor & other restful public areas where, in winter, flickering flames of log fires help to delve into a past full of history.
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The Judge's Court, with The Himalayas in the background
Breakfast 'al fresco'
New-age amenities blend beautifully in tastefully appointed rooms and offer an experience of the best of Indian rural heritage supported by succulent culinary delicacies that add to the highlights of The Judge’s Court experience. Reflecting the tradition of the Raj at its zenith, some of the rooms bear names such as Kipling, Harding, Connaught, Mountbatten and the like.
The Judge's Court's elegant accommodation in the orchard complex comprises of 30 Double Rooms, 15 of which are suites. These are in 3 clusters:
“Manor” – more than 100 years old, having 10 rooms each with a story to tell
“Residency” – 10 rooms
“Chambers” – 6 rooms
In addition, The Museum Mews has 4 quaint sets in a 300 year old complex in the heart of the Heritage Village, which comprises:
01 Apartment
01 Suite
02 Deluxe Room
As you can see from the photographs below, each room is entirely individual, not to say unique.
The Lounge in the Residency
The Whiskey Priest Bar
Pragpur has 5 distinct seasons:
• Winter – Cold, no snow, brilliant sun-filled days and long evenings before log fires. The orchard offers citrus and a large variety of winter vegetables.
• Spring – The garden is aflame with flowers - each corner of the orchard offers delectable aromas of different blossoms. One has to be truly blessed to be at The Judges Court at that time and partake of sun-ripened figs that are followed by Mulberries and a host of other fruit such as Peaches, Plums, Strawberries etc.
• Summer- Warm but not too warm. Loquat and Lychees ripen. These are followed by a variety of mangoes, many wild and others as distinguished as from the orchards of the Maharaja of Benaras. Evening dips in the plunge pool with gin and tonic under Mango trees surpass many other pleasures.
• Monsoon- The season of Love brings rejuvenation to the earth and life. Rains are well behaved – no landslides or road closures.
• Autumn- Turns the Green into Gold. Corn ripens and the land becomes ready to offer the winter bounty of wheat.
This large splendid country hotel is set in an exotic 12 acre orchard and offers an incredible experience amongst exotic trees like Camphor, Cloves, Lychee, Mango, Figs and Mulberry. It substantially grows it’s own fruit, vegetables, wheat, maize, oil seeds and high quality spices like ginger, turmeric & garlic. Water comes from an ancestral mountain spring that flows by gravity 24x7 and milk is from an owned dairy on the premises.
We invite you to come and enjoy all we have to offer.
Our Corn fields and Lychees
Milking cows on our Farm
With nothing to do except perhaps a book and music under one of the magnificent trees, wi-fi, and pristine sky, time quickly passes. The fresh air, salubrious surroundings, exquisite food with dinner under the stars in a rural ambience, being at the Judge's Court is experiencing the best of India as in the time of the Raj.
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