DAY 4 (2/5): ARCHITECTURAL JEWEL OF RAJASTHAN, Patwon Ki Haveli Part 1, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India, 2018.11.27

Below the Golden Fort of Jaisalmer, the town flourished in the Medieval times as merchants and desert caravans brought considerable amount of activities and wealth into this remote city at the heart of the Thar Desert. Nowhere else is more convincing than Patwon Ki Haveli to see the legacy of these wealthy merchants. Built in the first half of the 19th century, Patwon Ki Haveli was the oldest and largest haveli (grand mansion) in Jaisalmer. Guman Chand Patwa, a renowned trader of his time, commissioned the construction of five multi-storey townhouses for his five sons. Splendid wall paintings, mirror mosaic, and most ostentatious of all, the amazing sandstone carving on the building facade, have made the haveli an icon for the city comparable to the Golden Fort. One operated by the government and the other privately owned, two out of five havelis are open for the public today. The first haveli we visited was the privately owned mansion located at the right side of the row.

The Patwon Ki Haveli occupies a narrow lane which can be entered at either end. We entered the lane through a beautiful archway.

Upon entering the archway, we were in awe of the intriguing stone carving on the haveli facade over our heads.

Above the archway, the Patwon Ki Haveli extends over to the opposite side of the pedestrian lane.

Along the lane, there were two open spaces across from the Patwon Ki Haveli for us to stand back and admire the beautiful sandstone facade.

Moving closer to the haveli, the balconies and facade details looked stunning.

If we looked closer, we could see the slight differences between each house.

We walked by a house with its doors opened for visitors. It turned out that this was the privately owned haveli opened to the public.

Once stepped into the entrance vestibule, we were immediately overwhelmed by the richly decorated interiors.

At the core, we could look up the lightwell to appreciate the height of the building.

Walking up the haveli, one of the first rooms we encountered was the fascinating private Hindu temple. Though small, the intriguing details of the temple interiors revealed the beautiful craftsmanship of the old Rajasthan.

Across from the small temple facing the street, another small chamber was ornately decorated with paintings and carvings.

Singing from a child musician mingled with laughter from tourists could be heard through the balcony windows.

Another level up were a series of vacant rooms. Small windows for communication and tiny wall niches for candles allowed us to imagine what the space would be like a century ago. Despite there were no furniture and paint restoration, we highly appreciated the vintage and authentic feel of the interiors.

Occasional wall paintings gave a touch of vivid colours to the generally yellowish sandstone building.

At the top level we reached what looked like to be the master bedroom with large windows facing the Jaisalmer Fort on one side.

And balconies looking down to the lightwell on the other side.

A door from the master bedroom led us to a small chamber with an attic and another small room.

We reached the roof terrace near the end of the visit. The view of Jaisalmer Fort was quite amazing.

After a fruitful tour of the old mansion, we walked downstairs and returned to the entrance vestibule, where a beautiful peacock feature guarded the house for decades, welcoming and bidding farewell to visitors.