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- Rajasthan Havelis
Rajasthan Havelis
Rajasthan plays host to stunning architectural sensations showcasing an exceptional architectural heritage. The overwhelming monuments and havelis are speckled all over the majestic land of Rajasthan. These monuments have been successful in reliving the past, yet attractive culture and traditions of this state. The glorious and gaudy havelis bear testimony to the magnificent royal history of Rajasthan. The yellow sandstone walls, alleys and elegant buildings with intricate carvings enthrall everyone visiting this unique land. The colorful and intricately carved havelis are impeccably harmonized in the lively spirit of fanfare, festivity and celebration of the populace. These buildings display the perfect incorporation of rich cultural history and vibrant modern designs. The enormous forts, palaces and wonderful havelis amalgamate both Mughal and Hindu styles with delicate carvings on walls, graceful facades and convoluted balconies.
The sophisticated havelis bring back the historical magnificence offering treasured memories and interesting experiences for the tourists. Built over the hills, in the desert, in the wild waters, these buildings narrate the story of an altogether different world.
» Salim Singh ki Haveli: A Golden Bridge between Architecture and Grandeur
Salim Singh Haveli is named after its first owner, the Jain diwan Salim Singh Mohta, who was known during his time for his Machiavellian shrewdness. The most stirring facet of the mansions is pavilions that seem to float atop the building and a brilliantly arched roof with fabulously carved brackets in the form of peacocks. Stroll on the balcony, glance up at the wall, and you will surely find a man looking back from under his turban. It is a black and white photograph from some time gone by, set in floury plaster amidst a traditional Mughal design. In its antiquity, the image looks like it is only beginning to form, floating up from ambiguous liquid depths to meet your eyes. As you walk outside to the capacious courtyard, a staircase leads up to the room on top, still shimmering with its walls of blackened, befogged mirror where dancing damsels once created newer harmony every evening. The walls of many recesses maintain traces of artwork which show the expertise of atr craftsmen. Though its fascia is comparatively grave, the haveli is topped by flamboyant chhatris and jaalis, whose complicated geometric patterns are prominently Islamic. But it also has quintessentially Hindu features, like bell-shaped stone pandals fringing the balconies. The mansions are undoubtedly exclusive examples of the harmony that existed between sects and varied belief, in these corners during the medieval times.
» Patwon ki Haveli
The Best a Man can Fabricate Walk along the paved stone alleyway to reach the most sophisticated and superlative of all the Jaisalmer havelis. There are actually five different houses, conglomerated in a capacious courtyard, built for the five sons of Guman Chand, a trader of jewelry and fine brocades. Even during those days, the family was famed for being wealthy. Interestingly, no edifice constructed for human habitation anywhere in the world features carved stone decoration that outshines the fragility and classiness of the Patwa haveli fascias. The havelis are malodorous of pleasures lost, wealth and easy living gone. In one Patwa recess, the bare rooms are crowned with gild ceilings. On the walls you witness faded paintings of women in colorful gaudy attire, men with broad moustaches and multihued turbans, battles and hunting trips. To walk up the five stories is to imagine a house filled with verve, now swapped by the flurry of pigeons and the screeching of bats. Another incredible paradigm of the cordial harmony that existed is a room which has a crescent moon beside the central jharokha, with an oval sun complementing it across the window. The interiors are bearable even on very hot days because of the high proportion of stone to open space (stone heats up very slowly, air very fast) and good ventilation through the jaalis.
» Nathmal Haveli: A Dream Come True
The synchronization of collectively owned culture and privately owned property can sometimes be cacophonous. Standing in sharp contrast to this proposition is the Nathmal Haveli, a 19th century mansion and a 21st century curiosity. The architectural design and the decoration of this lace-like house are attributed to two brothers, Hathi and Lalu, one of whom carved the left side and the other the right. The Nathmal Haveli is in many ways representative. Since his descendants still live here, you will find signs of use everywhere. They might not allow you beyond their ground floor shop, but you can still catch a glimpse of the magnificent structure’s delicate facade, taking in minutely carved jharokhas and jaalis singing the opera of glory of the 1880s.
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