Ajay Kumar: Updated article

2023-08-09T09:05:12Z

Updated article

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:35, 9 August 2023
Line 11:		Line 11:
	== References ==		== References ==
	{{reflist}}		{{reflist}}

			{{Uncategorized\|date=August 2023}}

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article

2023-08-09T05:45:52Z

Created a new article

New page

{{Short description|Former heritage hotel in Nainital}}
'''Metropole Hotel''' is a defunct heritage hotel located in [[Nainital, Uttarakhand]]. Built in 1880 by the [[British Raj]], it is the oldest hotel in the city. It is best known for its Nainital-pattern-roofing, a type that uses flat non-corrugated, galvanized tin plates.

== History ==
Metropole Hotel was built in 1880 by the [[British Raj]]. Spread over 10-11 acres close to the [[Nainital Lake]], it was the preferred haunt for the who's who at the time. It soon became popular for its flat non-corrugated, galvanized tin-roof and soon the British decided to replicate it across the country. The roofing design came to be known as the 'Nainital-pattern-roofing'. It is known that former [[Pakistan]] founder [[Mohammad Ali Jinnah]] spent his honeymoon in the hotel in April 1919. Hungarian painter Elizabeth Sass-Brunner is said to have created the 'Last Winter' inspired by the hotel's surroundings while she was one of its guests.<ref>{{cite web |title=Haunt of celebs to parking lot, how a hotel's fortunes changed |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/haunt-of-celebs-to-parking-lot-how-a-hotels-fortunes-changed/articleshow/102241384.cms |website=The Times of India |date=30 July 2023}}</ref>

The hotel was later owned by [[Mohammad Amir Ahmed Khan]], the raja of [[Mahmudabad, India|Mahmudabad]] till he moved to Pakistan after the [[Partition of India|partition]]. According to multiple estimates, it had over 16 cottages, 75 rooms, and 5 tennis courts. According to author Ganesh Saili, before moving to Pakistan, the king handed the reins of the hotel to a Parsi couple who ran the property as a hostelry. It is during their management that Jinnah and other famous personalities stayed there as guests.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Post |first1=Garhwal |title=Some Swear by Fire {{!}} Garhwal Post |url=https://garhwalpost.in/some-swear-by-fire/ |date=19 May 2019}}</ref>

Once regarded as the finest hotel in [[Nainital]], it was designated an [[Enemy Property Act, 1968|enemy property]] in the aftermath of the [[Sino-Indian War]]. Subsequently, the hotel went into disrepair and began to be encroached upon. Its open lands were used by people to build makeshift homes. In 2019, the Uttarakhand state government decided to turn the hotel into a parking spot.<ref>{{cite web |title=Uttarakhand to put ‘enemy properties’ to public use |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/uttarakhand-to-put-enemy-properties-to-public-use/articleshow/78598062.cms |website=The Times of India |date=11 October 2020}}</ref> In July 2023, occupants of the hotel were asked to vacate the premises by the state high court for demolition.<ref>{{cite web |title=HC dismisses plea of Metropole occupants |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/hc-dismisses-plea-of-metropole-occupants/articleshow/102027240.cms?from=mdr |website=The Times of India |date=22 July 2023}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

Metropole Hotel (Nainital) - Revision history

Ajay Kumar: Updated article

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article