Bikaner - Haveli

Haveli

Haveli is the term used for a private residence in Pakistan and North India. The word haveli is of Persian origin, meaning "an enclosed place". The havelis of Pakistan and north India follow the Islamic style of architecture and usually contain a courtyard often with a fountain in the center. The old cities of Lahore and Delhi have many fines examples of Mughal-style havelis.

The term HAVELI is used by the Vaishnava sect to refer to their temples in Gujarat. The word has a sanskrit origin and refers to vaishnav temples , /a temple built for Lord Krishna. Typically in the northern part of India temples for Lord Krishna are prevelant with huge mansion like constructions. Thoughout north india such exclusive temples for Lord krishna are called havelis. The havelis are noted for their frescoes depicting mythological themes. The frescoes frequently include images of gods, goddesses, animals, scenes from the British colonization, and the life stories of Lords Rama and Krishna.

Later on these temple architectures and frescos was followed while building huge individual mansions and now the word is popularly recognised with the mansions themselves Between 1830 and 1930, Marwaris erected buildings in their homeland, Shekhawati and Marwar. These buildings were called havelis. The Marwaris commissioned artists to paint those buildings. The havelis were status symbols for the Marwaris as well as homes for their extended families, providing security and comfort in seclusion from the outside world.

The havelis were to be closed from all sides with one large main gate. The typical havelis in Shekhawati consisted of two courtyards - an outer one for the men which serves as an extended threshold, and the inner one, the domain of the women. The largest havelis could have up to three or four courtyards and were two to three stories high. Most of the havelis are empty nowadays or are maintained by a watchman (typically an old man). These havelis are major attraction for tourists in Rajasthan. The towns and villages of Shekhawati are famous for the embllished frescoes on the walls of their grandiose havelis.

Such is the magnificience and artistry of these frescoes, that they attract tourists from all over the world. In this context, the Patwa havelis of Jaisalmer deserve special mention. Tourists from all over the world come down to Jaisalmer to glimpse the Patwa havelis' intricate stone-carved jharokhas (balconies). Though there are five havelis standing in a row, none the first one are maintained at all. This can be attributed to the executive apathy. The first one survived because of entreprenureial nature of the owner. He has converted the haveli in to a museum show casing the lifestyle of the erstwhile Patwas. This has added to the charm of the haveli and consequently a small amount is charged as entry fee.

Famous Havelis

1. Khetan Haveli in Jhunhjunu (now demolished and school built on that place)
2. Muraraka Haveli
3. Hem Raj Kulwal Haveli
4. Bhagton ki choti Haveli
5. Chhauchharia Haveli
6. Hira Lal Sarowgi Haveli
7. Mantri Haveli in Churu