A very long and tiring journey from Behror took us to the town of beautiful Havelis..The lanes and streets are quite dusty and narrow ,but the havelis are the glory of the old days ,a must see.We went by car,wandered on foot to the near and far havelis in search of the beauty within.Remembering the bygone eras.The stunning paintings,the gods and godesses captured our hearts and soul..As we walked along..dont forget to walk with us ..
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| the Sonthaliya gate,the main entrance to the town of Mandawa |
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| the most beautiful arches can be found in MAndawa |
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| as we walked... |
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| there were all heritage structures on each side of the road |
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| a peek into one of the havelis |
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| lot of old buildings ,some were closed for ever and most of them had the caretaker's family living there |
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| all havelis were distinctly different and none of them had the fresco paintings similar |
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| this haveli had aroom painted in gold,all had translations in french |
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| towering buildings |
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| there werent any striking colours ,but all of them were in pastel shades |
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| it was funny indeed to find a room for phone booth...converted a room..somehow,disappointing the peeling paints and plasters |
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| and finally into the MAndawa Haveli,where we stayed for the next two days... All images :Lakshmi Arvind,please do not steal nor copy.. |
Amazing town
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ReplyDeleteThese pictures tell stories. Great pictures, Lakshmi. Thank you for the tour.
ReplyDeleteAmazing if I had a few billion dollars I would buy up all of them and restore and preserve. Unfortunately our rich are building ugly skyscrapers to live in and show off. The one in pastel shades has a decidedly European influence. As we approached 1940's the rich gravitated more toward European influence as it is evident in the Falaknuma Palace of the Nizam of Hyderabad. The Elite gravitate very fast towards the prevailing economic order. I have nothing against Greek/Roman style buildings built in the early part of last century in India. But the complete abandonment of Indian sensibility in architecture is a very sad commentary of our national confidence. Again these Greek/Roman style architecture was and is still considered modern in India has nothing to do with modernism. I fact Europeans all around the world when they build public institutions still use that style to convey a link to their philosophical heritage from the Roman civilization. That is why the US capitol in Washington and the State capitols have similar architecture.
ReplyDeleteOur design sensibility has been relegated to the past to admire may be preserve but mostly neglect. Notice how the owners have defaced the building with signs to attract visitors couldn't they have put up boards away from the buildings?? It is as if they don't care anymore it is visitor interest which has any relevance.
Im sorry for venting it out here but something deep and raw is touched within me when I see such heritage being relegated to past. It is as if we are watching our collective dead body embalmed but with signs of wear at edges. It seems that it does not even deserve a glass case and a quiet museum room. Reviving it, making it alive and relevant to today world seems not even a dream.
The Leela hotel in Bangalore attempted to use the Indian motif in it design. The result was pathetic. In metros we will large homes with large 30 feet high Roman style columns are quite prevalent. Even Large apartment complexes have attempted to follow Roman columns style. I haven't yet come across a single major project which chooses to use our traditional architectural design elements. Apartments and Housing in the premium segment sells only if it has a Spanish name or evokes English feudal memory.