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| Street view of havelis |
The walled city of Bikaner was
founded by Rao Bikaji in fifteenth century. It is a part of the Thar Desert
situated in the north-west of Rajasthan state. The old city is marked with narrow
winding roads and abodes having sculptured facades. These abodes are well known
as ‘Havelis’ established by well off traders who live far off lands to earn
money. They come back to mother land for breather and enjoy their wealth in
these marvelous condominiums.
Most of the existing havelis
of Bikaner were constructed from seventeenth to early twentieth centuries in
red sand stone. They are phenomenal examples of architecture and stone carving.
The red stone is soft stone called dulmera stone, good enough for elegant and
precise carving. The diverse foreparts of havelis are decorated with different
patterns of casements (jharokhas), entrances, balconies and windows. They
exhibit impacts vary from Mughal, Rajput and British colonial architectural
designs to typical bikaneri style. Their gracefully carved pierced screens
(jalies), projections and overhangs keep visitors spellbound. Carving display different
forms on stone as flowers, leaves, animals, god-goddesses and even alphabets.
These marvelous structures of
their time are now deteriorating rapidly due to poor maintenance. Lack of
awareness, modern constructions and worse conditions of drainage system inside
the old city are magnifying the issue. It needs urgent attention to save this
fantastic work of art and culture in Bikaner.
