Haveli

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View of a typical Haveli at Jaisalmer, Rajasthan

Haveli (हवेली)is the term used for a personal 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 also used by the Vaishnava sect for their temples in Gujarat.

Between 1830 and 1930, Marwaris erected buildings in their homeland, Shekhawati and Marwar, as evidence of their success. These buildings were called Havelis. The Marwaris commissioned artists to paint those buildings. The Havelis are noted for their frescoes depicting mythological themes. The frescoes include Images of Gods, Goddesses, animals, scenes from the British colonization, and the life history of Lord Rama and Krishna, profusely painted on the Havelis in this region.

The havelis were the symbol of the status of the Marwaris and a home for their extended family, providing security and comfort, in seclusion from the outside world. The havelis used to be closed from all sides with one big strong 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 biggest ones sometimes had 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 Patwa Haveli of Jaisalmer deserves a special mention. Tourists from all over the world come down to Jaisalmer to have a glimpse of the intricately stone carved "Jharokhas" of the Haveli. Though these Havelis are five in number, standing in a row but except the first one none is 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. Other havelis also charge entrance fees without having anything to show.