Heavenly Havelis

Tuesday 29th April

- Jaisalmer - the town and its havelis

our interest today were the streets of Jaisalmer, outside the citadel, a small warren of yellow sandstone streets less than a kilometre square who's tight thoroughfares hid a number of wealthy 18th and 19th century merchant's havelis that match the exquisite detailing of the Palace of the Maharawal in the Fort. their famous stonework was largely carried out by a specific community of masons called silivats and this work remains one of the town's key attractions and, for our money, a world leader in architectural detailing. pretty much every street as at least one or two buildings that totter over and down due to the weight of their carved latticework balconies and oriel windows. but there were several standouts in particular that we wanted to see.

the Indian pace of life is a slow one, and we have gradually adjusted to its horizontal, 'bothered' attitude to things. however, having the laundry over half a day late was a problem greater than that of a fussy tourist this morning, since we had no clean clothes - in effect, no clothes - to wear. we waited past our ideal leaving time for the morning's activities as we sought someone, anyone, who worked in the hotel, since reception was empty. it was a good thing that we didn't want to check out today! it is low season here, but surely one would take all of the business that one could in such quieter times?

a quick stop in the courtyards of the Fort before entering the city,
Philippa bartering for 'silver' ankle bracelets

in order to find the havelis we especially sought, we got half-lost in the town and allowed ourselves to browse the bazaars while aiming in their general direction. Philippa was again ensnared by the delights of more antique textile creations and we came across a welter of other interests, from tiffin box and metal stores to vegetable markets and tailors.

blessing a shop before the first customer

vegetable and spice market, Jaisalmer

the people of Jaisalmer are generally open and friendly, as in Bikaner; it's only really the greater number of touts that make you look on the place in a different way.

although there would have been more space available to its original planners, the town has been built in much the same way as the citadel. into these narrow confines, someone has also seen fit to add a cow for every two inhabitants. consequently, there are frequently more cows and dung to navigate than people.

corner building, Jaisalmer. notice just how bright the light is in Jaisalmer (no comments, please, photography experts!)

local buildings, Jaisalmer

the first of the three major havelis that we managed to actually find was Salim Singh's Haveli, a striking a multi-floored structure crowned by sprouting balconies with meticulous carved peacock adornments. even in the early sun, the blue sky turned to white-out through a camera lens, the intensity of the light bringing out the carvings in the golden stone in stark relief.

impressive though the Haveli undoubtedly was, we really wanted to find the Patwa Havelis, world renowned for the extravagance of their masonry work. they were ordered and constructed by local merchants in the brocade and opium trades at a time of famine to ensure everyone had jobs to do and regular incomes coming in. they took over 20 years to construct and, with their accompanying neighbours, form a street that is at times so narrow with the crowding of their beautiful balconies and facades that in places only a few feet separate the buildings.

the entrance to the Patwa Havelis, Jaisalmer

space is at a premium!

it was not easy to find them at first, but the Patwa Havelis out-trumped even the Palace of the Maharawal when locate them we finally did. its five separate entrances all face the same street, presenting a perforated wall of honeycombed carvings across their doorways, balconies and oriel windows.

we stood and looked at them for ages before we even went in. we were fairly sure that these are the buildings featured briefly in the film Baraka [though we may be wrong after all!].

peacock feather seller

we did eventually tear our eyes away to enter and found a cool and well designed building grouped around a central courtyard, with the working rooms at the top as they would be the hottest (we're not sure that would be much fun ourselves!).

inside, they didn't slack off with their work

inside were all the touches without which a home is not a home, such as a solid silver four poster bed and a similar drawing room furniture set. there was a fine selection of turbans, too, plus unbeatable views of the whole of the Fort from its roof spaces.

Jaisalmer fort, as viewed from the Patwa Havelis

one of our most amazing discoveries was the fact that the building was constructed without any mortar of any kind, each stone being cut from a metal template fashioned from the specific space in the building where it was to eventually fit. such detail, craftsmanship and planning by hand seems impossible in a world of computers, poor design and building project disasters.

we eventually exited and stood in the small cleared space opposite to admire the Havelis again for a while.

traditional Rajasthani puppets on sale outside the Patwa Havelis, Jaisalmer

then it was to more searching and looping back on ourselves until we found the third and final showpiece, the Nathmalji-ki-Haveli. like that of Salim Singh's, it is never going to beat the Patwa Havelis for its artistry or impact, and neither has Patwa's preserved and intact interior. but its frontage contains intricate carvings of not only figures and animals but also a bicycle and even a steam train.



its front courtyard space appears to be the home of about a herd of cows also, but this could not detract from the mastery of its design.

everywhere we went, we were hailed by shopkeepers. we remained two of the very few other Westerners we saw exploring the town. we caught a rickshaw to the railway station and back with a young driver and his attached mate who only took our ride because his silly first quote meant he would lost custom and face to his rivals who wanted our fare if he did not take our more realistic fare suggestion. he spent the journey picking his teeth, chatting on his mobile and driving very slowly indeed. we got our tickets at Jaisalmer's small station; it will be 2nd class sleeper again as we did not have enough money to get anything higher up the chain, but we are beginning to enjoy its simpler, unrefined charms.

it was much hotter than yesterday and we high-tailed it to the hotel to have the now mandatory afternoon siesta, broken only by phone calls home for birthday wishes and a dash down to the ATM and back. late afternoon, we had a fruit salad and toasted cheese sandwich in our rooms - oh, the decadent indulgence! - before enduring one of the slowest lime sodas in history on the roof. they took a whole thirty minutes to arrive and involved the sending of someone out to buy the limes, or possibly grow them first, the juice of less than one in a bag of about a dozen we finally received.

Jaisalmer Fort, as viewed from our hotel roof

life can be tough.

unexpected sight - you can send anything by India Post!

as the sun began to set, we strolled through the town's quieter evening streets and revisited the havelis in the evening, although the light remained super bright. their sandstone colours had changed to those of gamboges and old gold, while their myriad alcoves had become perches for a large number of pigeons.





we wandered happily up the bazaars trying to find somewhere to eat that was not closed.

no, i'm only looking, thank you - maybe tomorrow.

before having a simple meal, well made with good service and marvellous mixed fruit lassis at Natraj, right next to Salim Singh's Havelis. for dessert, we had to have some Jaisalmer sweets; chick pea ground flour mixed with saffron, milk and a lot of butter - fabulous. tired and sleepy, we made for home along the walls of gently illuminated Fort.

tomorrow sees another train journey, another new city, another home. it will be a shame to leave this beautiful place, somewhere to which we'd both gladly return.

toodlepip

edd & philippa