A haveli is a traditional townhouse, mansion, or manor house, in the Indian subcontinent, usually one with historical and architectural significance, and located in a town or city. The word haveli is derived from Arabic hawali, meaning "partition" or "private space", popularised under the Mughal Empire, and was devoid of any architectural affiliations. [1] [2] Later, the word haveli came to be used as a generic term for various styles of regional mansions, manor houses, and townhouses found in the Indian subcontinent. [3]
The term haveli originates from Arabic word hawali, meaning "partition" or "private space", term which was popularized under Mughal Empire. [1] Early havelis served Muslim rulers of the Indian Subcontinent and became an important architectural component of urban environments under the Mughals. Although havelis originate from Indo-Islamic architecture, the existence of multistory homes and courtyards in the region is claimed as early as 3300 BCE. [4] [5] Courtyards are a common feature traditional houses in the Indian subcontinent with early examples dating back to the Neolithic period, whether they are mansions or farmhouses. [6] These, however, employ very different architectural styles from traditional havelis that were developed under Muslim rule with blend of local traditions and Islamic traditions. Traditional homes in the Indian subcontinent are built around a courtyard, and all family activities revolved around this chowk or courtyard. Additionally, the courtyard serves as a lightwell and helps ventilate the house in the hot and dry climates of the region.
During the medieval period, the term haveli was also applied by some Vaishnava sects to refer to their temples in Gujarat under the Mughal Empire and Rajputana kingdoms. The generic term haveli eventually came to be identified with townhouses and mansions of the merchant class. [3]
All these elements join to form an enclosure and give the chowk a composed, secured feel. The architectural form of havelis has evolved in response to the climate, lifestyle, and availability of material. In hot climates where cooling is a necessity, buildings with internal courtyards for airflow and cooling were considered the most appropriate; in rainy places the houses were built to be kept dry from humid air. It provided shade while also allowing light inside. The arcade along the court, or the high wall around it, kept the interiors cool.
Many of the havelis of India and Pakistan were influenced by Rajasthani architecture. They usually contain a courtyard, often with a fountain in the center. The old cities of Agra, Lucknow, Jaisalmer and Delhi in India and Lahore, Multan, Peshawar, Hyderabad in Pakistan have many fine examples of Rajasthani-style havelis.
In the northern part of India, havelis for Lord Krishna with huge mansion-like constructions are prevalent. These 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. The music here was known as Haveli Sangeet.
Later on, these temple architectures and frescoes were imitated while building huge individual mansions and now the word is popularly associated with the mansions themselves. Between 1830 and 1930, Marwaris erected [7] buildings in their homeland Shekhawati and Marwar. These buildings were called havelis. The Marwaris commissioned artists to paint those buildings, which were heavily influenced by the Mughal architecture. Nangal Sirohi in Mahendragarh district, 130 km from Delhi, is popular for its havelis and architecture within NCR. [8]
The havelis served as 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 designed to be closed from all sides with one large main gate.
The typical havelis in Shekhawati incorporated two courtyards — an outer one for the men which served 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, while others have been converted into hotels and tourist attractions.
The towns and villages of Shekhawati are famous for the embellished frescoes on the walls of their grandiose havelis, to the point of becoming popular tourist attractions.
The Ahirwati area also having some big Havelis specially in Rewari Rao Tej Singh Haveli, Rao Sawai Singh Haveli etc. The towns and villages of Ahirwal are as well famous for the embellished frescoes on the walls of their grandiose havelis depicting the Lord Krishan which was developed in late 17 Century to the point of still it will take time to becoming popular tourist attractions. Having some special frescoes on Solahrahi and Tej Sarovar make some thing very different from Shekhawati Frescoes.
The havelis in and around Jaisalmer Fort (also known as the Golden Fort), situated in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, of which the three most impressive are Patwon Ki Haveli, Salim Singh Ki Haveli, and Nathmal-Ki Haveli, deserve special mention. These were the elaborate homes of Jaisalmer's rich merchants. The ostentatious carvings, etched in sandstone with great detail and then painstakingly pieced together in lavish patterns, were commissioned to put on show the owner's status and wealth. Around Jaisalmer, they are typically carved from yellow sandstone. They are often characterized by wall paintings, frescoes, jharokhas (balconies) and archways. [9] [10]
The Patwon Ji ki Haveli was the first erected in Jaisalmer. It is not a single haveli but a cluster of five small havelis. The first in the row is the most popular, and is also known as Kothari's Patwa Haveli. Commissioned and constructed in the year 1805 by Guman Chand Patwa, then a rich trader of jewellery and fine brocades, it is the biggest and the most ostentatious of the five. Patwa was a rich man and a renowned trader of his time and he could afford and thus order the construction of separate stories for each of his five sons. These were completed in a span of 50 years. All five houses were constructed in the first 60 years of the 19th century. [11] Patwon Ji Ki is renowned for its ornate wall paintings, intricate yellow sandstone-carved jharokhas (balconies), gateways and archways. Although the building itself is made from yellow sandstone, the main gateway is brown. Another notable haveli is Seth ji ri Haveli in Udaipur city; now known as Shree Jagdish Mahal, it is 250 years old.
A number of historically and architecturally significant havelis survive in Pakistan, most of which are situated in the Punjab province. The most significant in Lahore, the Haveli of Nau Nihal Singh, dates from the Sikh era of the mid-19th century, and is considered to be one of the finest examples of Sikh architecture in Lahore. [12] It is the only Sikh-era haveli that preserves its original ornamentation and architecture. [13]
Some other historically and architecturally significant havelis in Pakistan:
Lahore is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Punjab. It is the second largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and 26th largest in the world, with a population of over 13 million. Located in central-eastern Punjab, along the River Ravi, it is the largest Punjabi-speaking city in the world. Lahore is one of Pakistan's major industrial, educational and economic hubs. It has been the historic capital and cultural centre of the wider Punjab region, and is one of Pakistan's most socially liberal, progressive, and cosmopolitan cities.
The Lahore Fort is a citadel in the city of Lahore in Punjab, Pakistan. The fortress is located at the northern end of the Walled City of Lahore and spreads over an area greater than 20 hectares. It contains 21 notable monuments, some of which date to the era of Emperor Akbar. The Lahore Fort is notable for having been almost entirely rebuilt in the 17th century, when the Mughal Empire was at the height of its splendor and opulence.
The Walled City of Lahore, also known as the Old City, forms the historic core of the city of Lahore in Punjab, Pakistan. The city was established around 1000 CE in the western half of the Walled City, which was fortified by a mud wall during the medieval era. It is the cultural centre of the Punjab region.
Mughal architecture is the type of Indo-Islamic architecture developed by the Mughals in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries throughout the ever-changing extent of their empire in the Indian subcontinent. It developed from the architectural styles of earlier Muslim dynasties in India and from Iranian and Central Asian architectural traditions, particularly Timurid architecture. It also further incorporated and syncretized influences from wider Indian architecture, especially during the reign of Akbar. Mughal buildings have a uniform pattern of structure and character, including large bulbous domes, slender minarets at the corners, massive halls, large vaulted gateways, and delicate ornamentation; examples of the style can be found in modern-day Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.
Shekhawati is a semi-arid historical region located in the northeast part of Rajasthan, India. The region was ruled by Shekhawat Rajputs. Shekhawati is located in North Rajasthan, comprising the districts of Neem Ka Thana, Jhunjhunu, Sikar that lies to the west of the Aravalis and Churu. It is bounded on the northwest by the Bagar region, on the northeast by Haryana, on the east by Mewat, on the southeast by Dhundhar, on the south by Ajmer, and on the southwest by the Marwar region. Its area is 13,784 square kilometers.
Fatehpur is a city in the Sikar district of Indian state Rajasthan. It is part of the Shekhawati region. It is midway between Sikar city and Bikaner on National Highway 52. It is also the land to Havelis built by Marwari Seth's. It also has many Kuldevi Temples of the Agarwal community for Bajoria,Bindal, Saraf, Chamadia, Choudhary, Goenka, Lohia, Singhania, Saraogi, Bhartia Families. It is famous for its extreme weather conditions throughout the year. In winters, the minimum temperature falls below 0 °C at night for many days making it the coldest town in India in non mountainous region. In summer the temperature rises to 50 °C in the afternoon making it one of the hottest places in India. 1985 Bollywood film Ghulami starting Dharmendra, Naseeruddin Shah, Mithun Chakraborty and Smita Patil was extensively shot here in many of its havelis and the railway station.
Chhatri are semi-open, elevated, dome-shaped pavilions used as an element in Indo-Islamic architecture and Indian architecture. They are most commonly square, octagonal, and round.
Marwar is a region of western Rajasthan state in North Western India. It lies partly in the Thar Desert. The word 'maru' is Sanskrit for desert. The word "wad" literally means fence in Rajasthani languages. English translation of the word 'Marwar' is the region protected by desert.
Old Delhi is an area in the Central Delhi district of Delhi, India. It was founded as a walled city and officially named Shahjahanabad in 1648, when Shah Jahan decided to shift the Mughal capital from Agra. The construction of the city was completed in 1648, and it remained the capital of Mughal India until its fall in 1857, when the British Empire took over as paramount power in the Indian subcontinent.
Jaisalmer district is the largest district in the Indian state of Rajasthan, and the third largest district in India. Located in Marwar, the city of Jaisalmer is the administrative headquarters of the district. It is around 289 km (180 mi) from the city of Jodhpur, and around 559 km (347 mi) from Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. As of the 2011 population census, it is the least populous district out of all 50 districts in Rajasthan.
Jaisalmer Fort is situated in the city of Jaisalmer, in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is one of the very few "living forts" in the world, as nearly one fourth of the old city's population still resides within the fort. For the better part of its 860-year history, the fort was the city of Jaisalmer. The first settlements outside the fort walls, to accommodate the growing population of Jaisalmer, are said to have come up in the 17th century.
Begum Shahi Mosque, officially the Mosque of Mariyam Zamani Begum, is a 17th-century mosque situated in the interior walled city of Lahore in Punjab, Pakistan. Constructed by Mughal empress Mariam-uz-Zamani, chief consort of Akbar. The mosque was built between 1611 and 1614 during the reign of Jahangir.
The Badshahi Mosque is a Mughal-era imperial mosque located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It was constructed between 1671 and 1673 during the rule of Aurangzeb, opposite of the Lahore Fort on the northern outskirts of the historic Walled City. It is widely considered to be one of the most iconic landmarks of the Punjab.
Bedi Mahal, also known as Khem Singh Bedi's Haveli, or simply known as Babay Da Mehal, is a palace situated in Kallar Syedan some 40 kilometres away from Islamabad in Rawalpindi District, Punjab, Pakistan.
Manawala is a city in Sheikhupura District, Punjab, Pakistan. It is situated on the Lahore-Sheikhupura-Faisalabad road.
The Neevin Mosque, or Neevin Masjid, is a 15th-century mosque built during the Lodi dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate. It is located in the ancient Walled City of Lahore, in Pakistan's Punjab province. It is notable for its foundation 25 feet below street level. The mosque is further noted for being one of Lahore's few remaining pre-Mughal monuments.
The Shrine of Mian Mir is a 17th-century shrine located in Lahore, Pakistan, that is dedicated to the Sufi mystic Mian Mir. The shrine is one of the most celebrated in Lahore, and has historically been revered by both Muslims and Sikhs.
The Haveli of Nau Nihal Singh, officially known as Government Victoria Girls' High School, is a haveli that houses a government school located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Dating from the Sikh era of the mid-19th century, the haveli is considered to be one of the finest examples of Sikh architecture in Lahore, and is the only Sikh-era haveli that preserves its original ornamentation and architecture.
Lakhori bricks are flat, thin, red burnt-clay bricks, originating from the Indian subcontinent that became increasingly popular element of Mughal architecture during Shah Jahan, and remained so till early 20th century when lakhori bricks and similar Nanak Shahi bricks were replaced by the larger standard 9"x4"x3" bricks called ghumma bricks that were introduced by the colonial British India.