Hotel Mandawa Haveli.

We chose Hotel Mandawa Haveli, a haveli built in the 18th century by a wealthy Marwari jeweller for our stay at Mandawa, Shekhawati, Rajasthan during our winter break.

Soaking up the winter sun in the outer courtyard of the haveli.

Entrance to the haveli.

The outer walls of the haveli framed by flowering trees.

The haveli has been restored and converted into a hotel by Dinesh Dhabhai. There are beautiful frescos painted all over the haveli and especially in the inner courtyard. The theme is of Lord Krishna and scenes from his life.

The inner courtyard being spruced up for the Christmas Eve celebrations...

The intricate rangoli design painted by a local grandmother & grand-daughter team...

The original intricately carved Rajasthani doors have been restored.

Lovely antique furniture line the courtyard.

The rooms have been named after the various names of Lord Krishna.

We stayed in 'Rasesh':-)

The inner view of the room.

The stunning view of the courtyard all lit up for Christmas eve and the melody of Rajasthani folk music just took our breathe away!

The friendly turbaned gate-keeper at the Mandawa Haveli:-)

Do stay at a restored haveli, when you visit Shekhawati to truly experience the local flavor of the region:-)

(images by Arch)

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Havelis of Shekhawati, Rajasthan.

The Sonthaliya Gate, Mandawa.

When we decided on our winter vacation destination as Rajasthan, we immediately knew it had to be in the lesser explored regions of Shekhawati. Shekhawati region is known for their heritage Havelis.

Haveli- Is a huge private mansion in India or Pakistan.

The Rajasthani havelis were constructed by the wealthy Marwari community in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan in the 19th century. A haveli typically has two courtyards one for the men and the inner one for the women, the walls were adorned with beautiful colourful frescoes painted by commissioned artists.

The themes were usually images of Gods, Goddesses & animals.

Mandawa, Ramgarh, Fatehpur are dusty little towns in the Shekhawati area that have many old havelis, which in their glorious days would have been a treat to the eyes, but even today have not lost their timeless beauty.

The huge old havelis in Mandawa.

A handful of these havelis are being restored and given a new lease of life by private organizations, historians & architects. Some of them have been converted into heritage hotels.

Nadine Le Prince is a french artist whose love for Indian cultural heritage has inspired her to restore a haveli built in 1802 by a rich tradesman of the silk road.

Beautifully restored courtyard at Nadine Le Prince Haveli Cultural Centre, Fatehpur.

Ramgarh Fresco, a restored haveli, earlier known as the Khemka Haveli is 100-years old and has been renovated by the Khandelwal family who wanted to showcase the beauty of the frescos and the architecture to the visitors.

Amazing hand-painted frescos at Hotel Ramgarh Fresco

We had a lovely thali lunch here:-)

The traditional haveli courtyard.

In my next post, will showcase another restored haveli~ A lovely place where we stayed, soaked in the winter sun and listened to the folk music of the desert...:-)

( Images by Arch)

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The rustic charm of a restored 'Haveli'

Restoration noun-The act of making new or as if new again.

This word brings immense happiness to my heart, whether it is rescuing the old door from a demolished Chettinad mansion and giving it a place in our living room or giving a new lease of life to antique dowry chest picked up from the bylanes of a village.
Arches frame the open courtyards
This Haveli built in 1776 on the outskirts of Delhi was restored by art historians Francis Wacziarg and Aman Nath. The Haveli which is a synthesis of Hindu & Islamic architectural style had been abandoned for 50 years.

The exteriors were left untouched, all the 46 windows were opened to view the open landscape outside and only the courtyard & rooms were renovated & painted.
White-washed walls with a charpoy as a bed and absolutely gorgeous red bedcover...Antique low folding Shekahawati chairs (which were once used by women while churning butter) on the open verandah...
A room off the central courtyard has minimum furnishings like this iron-bound dowry chest and an old low cot...
Oil lamps and a 19th century stone bull occupy the window recess...

I just can't get over this spectacular space of the central courtyard. This courtyard comes alive with the warm glow of lamps in the evening during the celebration of festival of Lakshmi.
What a romantic space to unwind on a weekend with friends :-)
Close-up of one of the corners of the courtyard.
Brass studded door with colourful applique work window shades and entrance to a raised shutter door leading to the veranda...Just look at this dining room*sigh*
The table is a high bed (Takht) which has been raised on four stone drums. So innovative!

What a great job done by Francis Wacziarg and Aman Nath. This fantastic 'Haveli' not only reflects the charm of the past but also accomodates the modern needs.

(Images from Indian Style-by Suzanne Slesin & Stafford Cliff)

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