Patwon ki Haveli Jaisalmer: Unparalleled Architectural Wonder

It is hard not to fall in love with Patwon ki Haveli, the private residence of Patwonji, a rich trader, located in the narrow lanes of Jaisalmer. The word Haveli is of Arabic origin used extensively in India, Nepal, and Pakistan to define huge mansions.

Architecture of haveli and palaces in Jaisalmer infused with intricate details is captivating beyond words. When I first caught a glance of its façade studded with several jharokhas (balconies), my eyes remained glued for a while on the walls which seemed to be dipped in an enchanting shade of gold! Can you guess how many balconies this facade has? Read on to know the figure.

History of Patwon ki Haveli Jaisalmer

The huge mansion suddenly emerges out of nowhere dwarfing all other houses around it. The sight of its breathtaking architecture and impressive carvings on the outer walls will leave you gasping with appreciation. Huge corridors, lined with beautifully designed pillars all along will slow your pace as you tour the haveli.

Locals call it by the name Patwa Haveli. Patwa is a title of honor. It was bestowed on the Bapna family by Jaisalmer King. Guman Chand Bapna, as he was known before being decorated with the title, built five mansions in series for his sons Bahadurmal Bapna, Sawairam Bapna, Magniram Bapna, Johrawarmal Bapna and Pratapchand Bapna.

Patwon ki Haveli aka Mansion of Brocade Merchants

Patwon ki Haveli aka Mansion of Brocade Merchants

View of the lane from Haveli

The guide kept repeating everything here is hand crafted. No wonder why took around 60 years to build this Haveli. The colourful paintings and mirror work will melt your heart. I didn’t want to budge from the beautiful rooms.

Outer facade of Patwon ki Haveli

Outer facade of Patwon ki Haveli

Unfortunately for Guman Chand Patwa, the construction wasn’t complete during his life time. It took 60 years to complete the construction from 1800 to 1860.

Though famed for trading in gold and silver threads, for making brocade outfits for members of royal family, it is rumored that money for such elaborate construction by thousands of artisans came from opium trade. His business was not limited to Rajasthan, it had spread to Iran in west and China in east. He was known for having provided financial aid to rulers of Udaipur and Jaisalmer.

Pratapchand Patwa, the youngest of the five brothers is known to have constructed the beautiful Amar Singh Temple. Include this in your of Things to Do in Jaisalmer.

The fourth apartment is still a private residence, the third apartment is converted in to antique shop and the remaining part of the apartment are government run, displays old furnishings and household items.

Living Room inside Patwon ki Haveli

The interior is equally mesmerizing. Strikingly beautiful murals, paintings, dazzling mirror work leaves you gasping for breath. A shut window confused me. I wondered if it was a painting, turned out the window itself is painted with traditional Rajasthani paintings of floral patterns in bright colors. My window at home is so drab, I sighed.

Mohini Vilas in Patwa Haveli

Window painted with floral patterns

Window painted with floral patterns in one of the living rooms

The wall has a peacock, my daughters noticed. “We have a butterfly and sunflower on our walls,” my daughters said in chorus.

Notice how they have concealed storage space along the wall with such elaborately designed wall panels. These are pictures from Mohini Vilas in Kothari’s Patwa Haveli.

Living Room inside Patwon ki Haveli – interior wall

Silver Ceiling, mirror work, murals in Living Room inside Patwon ki Haveli

Jivan Vilas in the Haveli

Ceiling and Wall of Jivan Vilas

Living room of Jivan Vilas

Instagram-worthy Haveli

Whole of Patwon ki Haveli is instagram worthy. I visited for the first time in 2008 when insta crazy tourists didn’t exist. I don’t have a single picture of mine posing in this beautiful ambiance. Luckily I have one pic of my daughters posing in one of 60 balconies of the Jaisalmer Haveli.

Balcony of Jaisalmer Haveli

My daughters posing in Balcony of Jaisalmer Haveli

Other rooms of the haveli were equally elegant and well maintained. Some of the items for  their personal use in those years too are displayed.

The room with a radio. Residents would have sat huddled around it to keep abreast with what was happening in world, like we sit around TVs in our living rooms. It is called Munim Chamber. I suspect they had opium here 😉

Bedroom in Haveli – the furnishings are changed frequently, I was told. Look at that old gramophone, what an antique! 

Silver chandelier in bedroom of haveli.

There were enormous pots on display which indicated food was cooked in huge quantity to feed the whole family.

Dining room – display of their utensils

We then got to the rooftop, that is the balcony of fifth floor of the haveli. Spectacular views all around and the view of Jaisalmer Fort in its full glory greeted us. Our guide told us this interesting story:

Initially this haveli had seven stories. And at one point of time this mansion was taller than the palace of Jaisalmer. The Maharaja of Jaisalmer then got the top two floors demolished, ever since the haveli has only five floors.

The picture below is the view of the Jaisalmer fort from the fifth floor of Patwon ki haveli.

View of Jaisalmer Fort from Patwon ki haveli

Each of the havelis have a courtyard, there are rooms around them. This courtyard style can be seen in Chettinad mansions too. It was interesting to note that the theme of the courtyard decor was different for all five havelis. Peacocks, fountains, murals, artwork in marble… such varieties!

Kothari’s Patwa Haveli Museum

Rajasthan tourism is doing their bit to preserve and promote Jaisalmer Haveli and Patwon ki Haveli, the oldest ones among the several built in early 19th century. Rajasthan Art and Craft has turned one of the havelis into museum. There is so much to see.

Exhibition rooms are spread on different floors. The staircase leading you from one floor to another are narrow. Some of the rooms display collections like old locks, turbans, musical instruments with good sign boards. The collections give a good glimpse of the lifestyle of the people of 19th century.

Visit Patwon ki haveli for sure, if you are traveling to Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India.

Other sights nearby: Nathmalji ki Haveli, Gadisar Lake, Jaisalmer Fort

How to Reach: Patwon Ki Haveli is located near the Patwa complex in the heart of the city of Jaisalmer. There are plenty of public or private transports that will drop you at the Haveli. Best option would be going on foot as the streets are narrow.

Timings: Open daily from 9 AM to 5 PM.

Tickets: Foreign visitors Rs.100, Indian visitors Rs.20.

Camera Fees: Still – Rs.50, Video – Rs.100

Guide charges: Rs.100-200

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Patwon ki Haveli Jaisalmer Rajasthan

(Updated post. This was first published on Nov 17, 2008.)

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