Haveli

Haveli (Urdu: حویلی, Hindi: हवेली) is the term used for a private 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 centre. The old cities of Lahore and Delhi have many fines examples of Mughal-style havelis.

The term "Haveli" was originally used by the Vaishnava sect to refer to their temples in Gujarat. In the northern part of India havelis for Lord Krishna are prevalent with huge mansion like constructions. The havelis are noted for their frescoes depicting images of gods, goddesses, animals, scenes from the British colonization, and the life stories of Lords Rama and Krishna.

Later on these temple architectures and frescoes were imitated while building huge individual mansions and now the word is popularly recognized with the mansions themselves. Between 1830 and 1930, Marwaris erected [http://www.rajasthaninfoline.com/rinfo/marwarih.htm] buildings in their homeland, Shekhawati and Marwar. These buildings were called havelis. The Marwaris commissioned artists to paint those buildings.

The havelis were status symbols for the Marwaris as well as homes for their extended families, providing security and comfort in seclusion from the outside world. The havelis were to be closed from all sides with one large 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 largest havelis could have up to 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 embellished frescoes on the walls of their grandiose havelis. Such is the magnificence and artistry of these frescoes, that they attract tourists from all over the world. In this context, the Patwa havelis of Jaisalmer deserve special mention. Tourists from all over the world come down to Jaisalmer to glimpse the Patwa havelis' intricate stone-carved "jharokhas" (balconies). Though there are five havelis standing in a row, none the first one are maintained at all. This can be attributed to the executive apathy. The first one survived because of entrepreneurial 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 famous havelis

* "Khetan Haveli" in Jhunhjunu (now demolished and school built on that place)
* "Muraraka Haveli"
* "Hem Raj Kulwal Haveli"
* "Bhagton ki choti Haveli"
* "Chhauchharia Haveli"
* "Hira Lal Sarowgi Haveli"
* "Mantri Haveli" in Churu

Havelis in popular culture

"Haveli" the title is a young adult novel by Suzanne Fisher Staples and is a sequel to her Newbery Award-winning novel "Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind". Most of the book takes place in an old-fashioned haveli in Lahore, Pakistan.