Skip to main content

Featured Post

2023 - The Year That Was

Places impact you for a variety of reasons. And the same place impacts different people in different ways. This is especially true when it comes to spiritual experiences, where every single person’s experience is unique. And personally, every spiritual experience is unique, the same person can have different deeply spiritual experiences at different places, at different times. This thought has emerged because of my own experiences over the years, but especially so this year, with different and unique experiences at various places I have visited recently. I began this year with a visit to Baroda (Vadodara) with friends. It was meant to be a relaxed trip, a touristy trip, with our sons. We enjoyed ourselves to the hilt, but the highlight of that trip was a visit to the Lakulisha temple at Pavagadh. It was the iconography of the temple that I connected with, and I spent a few hours simply lost in the details of the figures carved around the temple. There was an indefinable connect with

The Havelis of Bikaner - A Photo Post

The lanes are narrow, twisting and turning amidst buildings old and new. Crumbling old structures with intricate workmanship stand side by side with art deco buildings, and more modern constructions, which follow no particular style. Autos, bicycles, motorcycles and vans rush past, blowing their horns as loudly as possible, while cows saunter past peacefully, completely unaffected by the noise. In the midst of all this chaos, children play by the side, and women go about their chores, as we explore these by-lanes of Bikaner, and its beautiful Havelis.

Facade of one of the Rampuria Havelis



The Havelis are homes of the rich merchants of Bikaner. Most of them are from the early days of the 20th century, when Maharaj Ganga Singh, the then ruler of Bikaner, invited merchants from far and wide to come and settle here, giving them a variety of incentives to ply their trade. The biggest incentives were the Havelis themselves, and it is said, that each Haveli was handed over to the merchants, at the nominal rate of one Anna, and one coconut!

Narrow lanes with Havelis on both sides


The most popular among all the Havelis are the ones belonging to the Rampuria families. The Rampuria Havelis are grand structures, their façades exquisitely ornate. They stand all around one chowk or junction, and each Haveli belongs to one branch of what must be quite a big family. The first Haveli we spot is a unique one, with stone faces of British Monarchs glaring down their noses at us.

King George and Queen Mary?


The couple, in all probability, are King George V and Queen Mary, and they present quite an incongruous sight in this small town. By their side is another queen, who appears to be an Indian, from the nose ring she wears, along with the other ornaments.

An unknown queen


She could probably be the then Queen of Bikaner, which gives rise to the question – Why isn’t the king of Bikaner represented here, along with all these others?

The other Havelis here are bigger, and grander, and tower over us. However, it is a surprise to see how narrow most of them are, and they seem to fit into the available space like a piece in a puzzle, and I wonder how they were first built. Were they intended this way, leaving little space for the narrow lanes, or did they perhaps replace existing structures, or built wherever there was space?

One of the most beautiful havelis


But it is infinitely more interesting to see the details, than ruminate over how they were built. Atop one of the biggest Havelis here are these painted medallions…

Painted Medallions


The central one depicts Krishna with Radha, and on the side are landscapes, which seem to resemble scenes from Europe. All of them seem to have been copied from prints, which would have been in vogue in the early days of the 20th century.

Radha and Krishna

Landscape



Once, medallions like these would have lined up the entire row on the second floor of this building. Sadly, only these three remain today!


If the medallions are an indication of western influence, the doors and the arches are, in sharp contrast, very traditional. They are covered with ornamentation, and, over the entrances, we can see Ganesha or Gaja Lakshmi. You can even see the name of the owners on some of them. 

One of the entrances, with the name atop the door

Notice the intricate work on the door arch, both in wood and in stone



Ganesha with two attendants atop one of the doors

Gajalakshmi over one of the doorways

Another intricately carved doorway with a beautiful grill



All these Havelis have a row of doors at the floor level, with separate entrances for the male and female members of the family. The other doors lead into small rooms, where the merchants would have sat to transact their business. The entry to the Haveli itself is at a higher level, and we have to climb a steep set of stairs to reach the main door.

Entry into the Haveli


These might be the grandest Havelis here, but along these lanes are so many more, all belonging to rich merchants. A little further away is another chowk, this one surrounded by the Havelis of the Daddas, another business family closely aligned to the royal family. They are said to have helped the king in so many of his ventures, that they were given special privileges usually reserved for royalty!

One of the Dadda Havelis


Riding in a horse cart or Tonga, arranged for us by the folks at Narendra Bhawan, I feel rather regal as we weave our way in and out of the narrow lanes. Children shout as we pass by, asking for a ride. Their huge smiles, when we oblige, brighten our day further. But these are mere distractions, for I have eyes for nothing but the curious hodge-podge of art which surrounds me.

Art deco buildings stand amidst profusely carved Havelis; there are structures built over others, extended to accommodate growing families perhaps. 

Concrete, stone and plaster.. together

One of the Art Deco structures, atop a traditional haveli, with a traditional one on the left and a new one on the right
Another Art Deco structure




But in the midst of it all are gems – like these intricately patterned parapet walls…

Krishna and the gopis

Krishna playing the flute

Lion faces


This gold and silver paper covered shrine, to some form of Shiva….

A shrine, decorated with paper...

A beautiful doorway to a Jain temple…

Entrance of a Jain temple


And this big wooden platform, seen at regular intervals. This is where the men gather every evening, to talk, to discuss…

One of the wooden platforms


Decorative tiles seem to have been popular with the owners. The most common pattern seen is that of a rose…. But there are more interesting ones too, such as these…

A tile covered wall of a haveli 


Covering the outer wall of one of the more derelict Havelis, these tiles are patterned with the figures of Lakshmi, Saraswati and Krishna, based on the paintings of Raja Ravi Varma. Here again is the influence of the new medium of print!

A closer look at the tiles. Notice the variety of roses, and Saraswati at the centre


The same influence is seen inside the Havelis too. The one we enter has these paintings on the walls of one of the rooms.

Paintings inside a Haveli.. from left: Krishna defeating Kaliya, Krishna at Nathdwara, Saraswati and Lakshmi




The rooms of the Haveli are small and intimate, perfect for a small family. This sounds surprising, till we think of the number of Havelis belonging to the same family here. These might have been the earliest set-ups for nuclear families.

View inside the Haveli


Settling down for a traditional Jain meal, a thali, it takes us a while to realise that there is no fan, no air conditioning, and we don’t need it! The small room is naturally cool, with cross ventilation and its placement taking care of the air flow.

The arrangement for lunch


Completely at ease, after a wonderful meal, I stretch out on the cushions, look up at the beautiful wooden ceiling….

The sun, on the wooden ceiling


…and I can just close my eyes and imagine myself here, with a book in my hand, a pot of tea by my side. It is a tempting image, one that makes me want to stay here forever. It is so easy, up here, away from the clamour of the streets below, to forget the outside world, for a while at least.

As we finally rouse ourselves, and step back down into the street, the chaos hits us again, and once more, as we make our way towards our car, my eyes are drawn upwards – to the brilliant art that surrounds us. Siddharth points out something I have missed – a painting of a train….

The train


The train is painted on the outer wall of one of the smaller Havelis. It is shown passing on a bridge over a river or canal, between two stations. The painting indirectly highlights two of the greatest achievements of Maharaj Ganga Singh – the railways, and the Gang Canal!

Full view of the train


It strikes me, as I click the photograph, that the Haveli this is painted on, itself is an achievement of the king, who managed to bring in traders and businessmen to Bikaner. As for the Havelis, they themselves are symbols of the changing times, of new techniques coming in, of the influence of art from far and wide, of new forms of architecture, yet retaining many aspects of tradition. Which is what makes them unique!


Disclaimer: I visited the Havelis of Bikaner with Narendra Bhawan. The ride on a horse cart or Tonga, followed by the traditional Jain thali in one of the Havelis is part of their ‘Merchant Trail’ experience. The experience is heightened by the conversations during the ride, the many stories, and the food of course. It is the perfect way to see these Havelis and experience a different side of Bikaner. While the experience was courtesy Narendra Bhawan, the words, needless to say, are my own. 

Related Posts:

Comments

  1. Fascinating! The carving and tile work are quite something - there were some talented craftspeople who put a lot of effort into their work.

    I might get run over if I visited since I would probably be standing in the middle of the road for way too long, staring upwards at all the details to be seen! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is fascinating, Natalie. And there is so much more to see! This is just from the outside. So you can imagine how the interiors must be!
      As for being run over, there are higher chances of you going deaf thanks to the incessant honking that will ensue if you stand in the middle of the road!

      Delete
  2. Compelling designs and carvings,what kind of patience people had then,love that dining room ,makes me think even today if we could keep our interiors cool without the use of AC

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Absolutely, Ani. Their attention to detail is commendable, both when it comes to artistry, as well as practicality.

      Delete
  3. Great art and piece of history.!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great article just keep on posting this.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks so much for stopping by. Please leave a comment for me so that I will know you have been here....

Popular posts from this blog

Gokarna Part II – The Five Lingams

We continued our Gokarna trip by visiting four other Shiva temples in the vicinity, all connected to the same story of Gokarna. The story of Gokarna mentions the Mahabaleshwara Lingam as the one brought from Kailas by Ravana, and kept at this place on the ground by Ganesha. (See my earlier post- Gokarna – Pilgrimage and Pleasure). However, the story does not end here. It is believed that, in his anger, Ravana flung aside the materials which covered the lingam- the casket, its lid, the string around the lingam, and the cloth covering it. All these items became lingams as soon as they touched the ground. These four lingams, along with the main Mahabaleshwara lingam are collectively called the ‘ Panchalingams’ . These are: Mahabaleshwara – the main lingam Sajjeshwar – the casket carrying the lingam. This temple is about 35 Kms from Karwar, and is a 2 hour drive from Gokarna. Dhareshwar – the string covering the lingam. This temple is on NH17, about 45 Kms south of Gokarna. Gunavanteshw

Rama Temple, Gokarna

To my right , the waves rush to the shore, eager to merge with the sand. To my left, the same waves crash against the rocks, their spray diverting my reverie as I ponder over the beauty of nature, and wonder what first brought people here. Was it this beauty that encouraged them to build a temple here, or was it the fresh, sweet spring water flowing from the hill here that made this place special? No matter what the reason, I am glad my auto driver brought me here. We are at the Rama temple in Gokarna, just a few minutes away from the Mahabaleshwara Temple, yet offering so different a perspective.

Pandharpur Yatra 2023

The first time I visited Pandharpur was back in 2007 . The names Vitthal and Pandharpur, were just names to me. I had heard of them, but that was about it. Seeing the lord standing on the brick, hands on his hips, was memorable, but more memorable was the sight that greeted us as we walked out of the main sanctum of the temple. In the mandap just outside were a group of devotees singing abhangs , and dancing. This was the first time I had heard abhangs , and even almost 15 years later, I can remember the welling of feeling within me, listening to the songs, and how fascinated I was by the sight of the devotees dancing, lost in their love of the Lord. Over the years, as I have read more about Vitthal, and participated in Ashadi Ekadashi programmes at Puttaparthi, that first experience has stayed clear in my mind and heart. Every time I tell my Balvikas students of the saints who sang of Vitthala, it is that experience that I re-live. I visited Pandharpur again, in 2010, but that experie