Havelis in Jaisalmer

There are a number of Havelis in Jaisalmer which feature different

types of architecture like Rajputana and Islamic architecture. All the
havelis are made using yellow sandstone and have beautifully carved
facades and beautiful oriel windows. The beauty of these havelis is
truly unmatched. The spectacular architecture of the havelis speaks
of the creativity and innovation of craftsmen of those times. Some
popular havelis of the city are Patwon Ki Haveli, Nathmal Ki Haveli
and Salim Singh Ki Haveli.
Patwon Ki Haveli Nathmal Ki Haveli Salim Singh Ki Haveli
 Patwon Ki Haveli

The Patwon Ji ki Haveli is an interesting piece of Architecture and is the

most important among the havelis in Jaisalmer. This is precisely
because of two things, first that it was the first haveli erected in
Jaisalmer and second, that it is not a single haveli but a cluster of 5
small havelis. The first among these havelis was commissioned and
constructed in the year 1800. The Patwon Ji ki Haveli is an interesting
piece of Architecture and is the most important among the havelis in
Jaisalmer.
Guman Chand Patwa, The
Owner Of the Havelis decided
to gift each of his five sons a
separate and elaborate
mansion After His Massive
Success In their business which
was spanned across banking &
finance, silver, brocade and
opium trade.
This is the largest Haveli in Jaisalmer and stands in a
narrow lane. This haveli is presently occupied by the
government, which uses it for various purposes. The
office of the Archeological Survey of India and State
art and craft department is situated in the haveli itself.

The havelis are also known as the 'mansion of

brocade merchants'.
The history of the
Kothari’s Patwa Haveli
dates back to early
eighteenth century, when
the patwas were
struggling to set up their
trade and business. On
the advice of a priest at
the Jain Temple, the
patwa brothers left
Jaisalmer with the
intention of never View of golden fort from Guman chand patwa’s
haveli
returning
(they were advised by
the priest that their
business could not
flourish in Jaisalmer). The
legend has it that the
patwas were immensely
successful thereafter and
their business spanned
across banking & finance,
silver, brocade and opium
trade.
Eventually, patwas rose to such heights that they were called
upon to finance the state deficit. This brought the clan back to
their old habitat. The then head of the family, Ghuman Chand
Patwa, in 1805 decided to gift each of his five sons a separate
and elaborate mansion, ignoring the advice of the priest. Thus
came up the five grandiose havelis facing the Jailsamer Fort
which took 60 years Of time for its construction.
Patwon Ki Haveli
It was well designed haveli , incorporates following rooms:
Drawing room, common courtyard, bedroom (female) with dressing room attached,
bedroom (male) with attached dressing room,
music room, game zone , dinning room ,kitchen, utility area.
Entrance
Rich carved doors ,windows, pillars
and balconies on entrance. They
store food for camel in basement .

Carved
door

Balconies, window
pillars

Common courtyard
Sheesh mahal
Walls and ceiling are decorated with glass and paint. Beautiful paintings were also there.

Drawing room Music room

Preparation Kitchen
area Water storage

Direct
access to
utility area
Game
zone

Small decorative holes over the

wall To allow the hot air from
inside to blow out .
Its size is small to get ride of hot
Climate Decorated
. ceiling
ceiling of top most floor is made with wood to keep the room
cool.

Balcony around
courtyard Walls were
95 degree to the floor
Nathmalji’s Haveli
Nathmalji-ki- Introduction
Haveli
Jaisalmer in
Rajasthan bears
relics to the rich
architectural
splendor of the
ancienttimes.
• A unique feature
of the marvelous
architectural
monument of
Nathmalji-ki-Haveli
is the giant
structure of two
elephants of
yellow sand stone
at the main
entrance of the
beautiful edifice.
 History
• Two brothers named Hathi and Lulu
were sanctioned to build the haveli
forDiwan Mohata Nathmal,with the
responsibility of the construction of
• this magnificent haveli.
They started building the haveli
simultaneously with each brother
concentrating on one side of the
haveli. The result of building it
simultaneously showed up with
•
different left and right sides when
work was completed.
However, it didn’t look tooobvious
and one notices it
only when one observes it a bit
closely.
 The walls and ceilings of the splendid monument are decorated with exquisite paintingsand
fine carvings that adds to the beauty of the historical structure.
• The rich architectural imagination of the two brothers is reflected in the various paintings of
modern ceiling fans and cars on the walls of Nathmalji-ki-Haveli.
• An architectural marvel of the by gone era, Nathmalji-ki-Haveli presents a harmonious blend
of indigenous architectural styles of the Rajputs and Muslims.
• Amidst the picturesque landscape of Jaisalmer, the giant architectural monument of
Nathmalji-ki-Haveli stands tall with it’s over imposing architectural structure.
 Plan
• The building is planned around two courtyards, the one in the frontis much
smaller than the rear one.
• The front part of the building is three storeys high and has themain living
quarters.
• The rear portion is two storey high and contains the ancillary accomodation.
Main entrance
 Left side of the facade Right side of the façade

Notice the difference in the pattern of grill, the pillars, and the design and shape of the
tiny windows.
Left side of the facade Right side of the façade

notice the beam pattern below the gallery on bothsides

 Right side of the façade
Left side of the facade
 Building material
• The material used for walls
in this haveli is mostly light
sandstone whereas
limestone has been used
for the upper storeys and
façade since it can be easily
carved .
• The stone joints are made
without mortar and are
held together using iron
cramps.
• Due to thick walls andmud
plaster, it reduces the
thermal load on the
building.
 Building form
• The entire building is of unequal heights with wind pavilions and highparapet
walls , creating an uneven skyline and shading in the process.
• At the second level they have a number of projections like sunshadesand
balconies.
• At the lowest levels, the flats parts of the building façade are deeply carved
creating finned surface.
 Building form
• Uneven building forms also influences radiative heat loss from walls.
• Also increased wall area of the uneven building mass radiates a greater amount of
heat to the sky and consequently stays cooler than a more compactmass.
Section
• The courtyards provide the necessary light and ventilation for allthe
surrounding rooms.
• While the front receives some sunlight during the summer, the rearcourtyard
is completely exposed to sun.
• The streets and the two narrow shafts are completely protected from the sun.
• The differential heating of the vertical ducts ensures continuousairflow
through the house .
Inner court
 Courtyard effect

Air duct
 Windows
• Windows and balconies are generally fitted with jallis or lattice windows (shutter
like windows) for privacy as well to restrict dust but at the same time let inwind.
• Doors are built with stone frames and fitted with timber doors.
 Roofing
• The roof is made of closely spaced timber beams and then is covered by a layer of
reed or grass matting and finally laid by a layer of earth on top .
• These are then finished with stone floorin or mud plaster.
• The layer of earth and grass matting keeps the interiors cool.
• The drawing room of the family is located on the first floor above the entranceway.
• This richly decorated room is two storeys high.
• There are timber shuttered window openings towards the street and alarge
number of small ventilation holes in the upper part of the room.
• Together, these openings ensure heat removal by ventilation .

Drawing room in the upper storey

Interior view
Interior view
• The room in the basement were designed as strong rooms for valuables.
• The temperature remains constant throughout the year due to the absence ofany
heat load and due to rapid decay of the ambident temperature wave in soil.
 Air shafts
• Vertical ducts and stair shafts direct the wind direction into the building and
accelerate the ventilation through thye courtyards.
Salim Singh Ki Haveli
 Salim Singh Ki Haveli

Salim Singh ki haveli has been built on the remains of an older haveli
built in the late 17th century. The new building was built in the year
1815 and was occupied by the Mehta family of Jaisalmer. They were
the most influential family of their time. This haveli was commissioned
by Salim Singh, the then Prime Minister of the kingdom when Jaisalmer
was the capital.
The haveli has a distinct architecture. The roof has been constructed
in the form of Peacock. The haveli is situated beside the hills near
the Jaisalmer Fort. People claim that Salim Singh made two
additional floors in order to make it as high as the fort but the
Maharaja did not take this attempt in good spirit. He ordered the
extra floors to be torn down. Nevertheless we do not find enough
evidence to corroborate the story.
Like other havelis in Jaisalmer, this too has tuskers guarding the
gateways. These are made of sand stones and look very close to the
original in appearance. The haveli consists of as many as 38
balconies and they all have distinct designs for themselves. The front
facet of the haveli resembles ship stern and thus this haveli is also
sometimes referred as Jahazmahal