The Sonaugi

Naggar

Naggar was a minor principality and the castle of local Rajah of Naggar is a tourist spot of sorts. Naggar Castle is a usual Govt-run ticketed Heritage Site but frankly does not hold much attraction. We prefer the walk from Nashala to Naggar Castle which is a good stroll through the woods.

Naggar came on the international map because of the Russian painter Nicholas Roerich. He arrived in Naggar and set up home/studio in the early part of the last century – after the Bolshevik Revolution. He and his wife Helena spent quite a few years in India. His son Svetosalav Roerich, the heir to the father’s art, married actress Devika Rani (vintage of earliest black & white films era).

Naggar has one of the two museums devoted to the Roerichs. The other one is in New York. Of late there has been a major revival of Roerich & his works worldwide. The Naggar Museum houses the Roerich works and other memorablia. Even though one hears controversy and scandal in the news, the Museum offers great insights into the Roerichs’ mystical Himalayan paintings.

http://www.roerichtrust.org/

http://www.roerich.org/nr.html?mid=bio_eng