Jaisalmer Havelis - Ornamented Gallery of Mansion !!!

... Jaisalmer Fort

There are clusters of impressive havelis in the sand dunes of Jaisalmer, which were once build by the wealthy Jain merchants, decorated with rich-carvings, stone inlays, ornamental lattice, tracery works and some of them are still in excellent condition.

Patwon ki Haveli
It is one of the most engrossing and elaborate haveli in the dusty dunes of Jaisalmer, build by wealthy merchant Guman Chand Patwa, who used to owns more than three hundred trading centers from Afghanistan to China. The haveli comprises of 5 storey building, courtyard and some of it roofs are now used as bustling shops, where you can look for original Rajasthani crafts, mirror work and miniature paintings. A tourist must pay visit at the rooftop for dazzling view of the golden city and delicately chiseled balconies, where the motes of dust dance on the beam of light. This enchanting haveli is located near the City Center of Jaisalmer, from where the tourists can hire taxis, local buses, rickshaw and tongas to access Patwon Ki Haveli, whereas the local Bus Stand: 1 km, Railway Junction: 2 km from outside the City Center and the entry ticket for tourist is Rs 2.

Salim Singh Ki Haveli
Salim Singh was serving Jaisalmer as a Prime Minister, in the time when Jaisalmer was the capital of princely state. It is one of the most alluring haveli ever constructed in the history of Jaisalmer, build in 1815 A.D. As you enter this bewitching haveli, you will first witness a stone image of elephant, as if guarding the aesthetic haveli of Salim Singh. Inside the haveli you can see florishing wealth of merchants, beautifully arched roof capped with blue cupolas and the carved brackets in the form of peacocks. This imposing haveli is just below the hills. The tourist are allowed to visit the royal residence of Salim Singh daily between 8 am to 6 pm and the entry is Rs 15.

Nathumal ki Haveli
The engrossing haveli of Nathumal was build around late 19th century, it was also a prime ministers house in the times of yore. The left and right wing of the complex, carved by two architect brothers are much similar, but not equivalent. The front door of the building portrays the great work of art and architecture, it has lavish interiors with antique flooring, number of paintings in miniature style can be seen with brilliant colours formation. Here the tourist can look for glittering yellow sandstone elephant, which is very much eye popping, as if guarding the old haveli. According to legends, In medieval times, its prosperity was due to its location on the main trade route linking India with Arabia, Persia, Egypt, Africa and most of the west countries. Beside these marvelous havelis, The golden city houses number of other royal residence, that are comparatively as old as the antiquities of the wealthy havelis. Hordes of travelers try to quench there past, once they visit the royal mansions.