AFP
Bikaner
The resplendent mansions of Bikaner once hosted royalty and wealthy merchants passing through India’s deserts with their caravans, but centuries later these bygone architectural masterpieces are crumbling.
Made from distinctive red sandstone, these once grand residences known as ‘havelis’ were famed for their vivid facades engraved with intricate patterns.
First built in the 15th century by Bikaner’s bygone aristocracy, many boasted multiple levels, large balconies, and grand rooms built around a central courtyard, enclosed to escape the summer heat. But after decades of neglect, a large number lie in ruins.
"Many havelis have vanished in front of our eyes,” said Gopal Singh, who runs heritage walks in the old quarter of Bikaner, adding that in its heyday, the city had more than 1000 such residences.
"What exists is unique. Not just for its intricate architecture but just because of the overall concentration in one single place,” he explained.
Such decay is not confined to Bikaner, with historic residences falling apart in other major Indian cities where the old quarters have been felled by rapid urban development.
In India’s only Unesco heritage listed city, Ahmedabad, efforts have been made to preserve the clusters of settlements identified as having huge historic value. But there has been little cash or interest in saving the havelis of Bikaner, a once fabled desert outpost where the sands of Rajasthan skirt the city’s ramparts.
Bikaner
The resplendent mansions of Bikaner once hosted royalty and wealthy merchants passing through India’s deserts with their caravans, but centuries later these bygone architectural masterpieces are crumbling.
Made from distinctive red sandstone, these once grand residences known as ‘havelis’ were famed for their vivid facades engraved with intricate patterns.
First built in the 15th century by Bikaner’s bygone aristocracy, many boasted multiple levels, large balconies, and grand rooms built around a central courtyard, enclosed to escape the summer heat. But after decades of neglect, a large number lie in ruins.
"Many havelis have vanished in front of our eyes,” said Gopal Singh, who runs heritage walks in the old quarter of Bikaner, adding that in its heyday, the city had more than 1000 such residences.
"What exists is unique. Not just for its intricate architecture but just because of the overall concentration in one single place,” he explained.
Such decay is not confined to Bikaner, with historic residences falling apart in other major Indian cities where the old quarters have been felled by rapid urban development.
In India’s only Unesco heritage listed city, Ahmedabad, efforts have been made to preserve the clusters of settlements identified as having huge historic value. But there has been little cash or interest in saving the havelis of Bikaner, a once fabled desert outpost where the sands of Rajasthan skirt the city’s ramparts.
