Unlike the forts and palaces of Rajasthan, the Rambha Palace is a Colonial Period structure built by the British in the late-1800s. In early 2018, the site was an abandoned ruin with the Ficus family having penetrated their roots well into the timber rafters and the lime-surkhi walls.

Upon driving 2 hours from Bhubaneshwar Airport, one arrives at a sprawling swathe of calm sitting majestically on the edge of the Chilika Lake, the second largest brackish water lagoon in the world. A grand staircase connects straight down to the palace jetty providing seamless access to the Chilika, the largest wintering ground for migratory birds in the Indian subcontinent and a nesting site for the endangered olive ridley turtles.