Jaisalmer Havelis, India

Founded by Prince Jaisal Bhatti, Jaisalmer is one of the most remote towns of India, located deep in the heart of the Thar desert. On either side of the narrow lanes are the sandstone havelis, with stone carvings, screen windows, delicate pavilions & balconies. These beautiful mansions were built by Jaisalmer's wealthy merchants and several of these fine sandstone buildings are still in beautiful condition. Patwon ki Haveli is the most elaborate and magnificent of all the Jaisalmer havelis. Salim Singh ki Haveli was built about 300 years ago and is still partially lived in.

Salem Singh ki Haveli
Salim Singh ki Haveli was built about 300 years ago and is still partially lived in. Salim Singh was the prime minister when Jaisalmer was the capital of a princely state and his mansion has a beautifully arched roof with superb carved brackets inn the form of peacocks. The mansion is just below the hill and, it is said, once had two additional wooden storeys in an attempt to make it as high as the Maharaja's Palace.

Patwon ki Haveli
It is the largest and most elaborate haveli in Jaisalmer. The five Patwa havelis were the first ones to crop up in Jaisalmer and are known locally as the Patwon-ki-haveli. The first was constructed in 1805 by a merchant called Guman Chand Patwa and is the biggest and the most ostentatious. The five-storeyed complex which reportedly took 50 years to finish. The unsung heroes as far as the Patwa mansions are concerned are the unnamed stone carvers who wielded the chisel with as much skill as a surgeon handles a scalpel. The havelis are built in yellow sandstone with a different design on every window and arch. There are extensive corridors and chambers all supported by exquisitely carved pillars.

Nathmal-ki-Haveli
Nathmal-ki-Haveli is the third of its kind supposedly built in AD 1885. Characterized by intricate architecture and craftsmanship, it belonged to later-day prime minister Nathmal, who gifted it to the Rawal. The haveli has two wings left and right, which were carved by two brothers with splendid miniature paintings. The jharokhas are the specialty of the haveli as they seem to emerge from a book of poetry because of the fine stone carvings. It is not Haveli but a stone garden carved in all flowers and in creeper motifs which has the most interesting workmanship. Their main carvers were Lalu and Hathi who carved front alleviation in their artistic presentation which can be seen clearly on the front side.