Rampuria Havelis of Bikaner: A stunning photo-story from Rajasthan

Built over a period of a few hundred years, Rampuria Havelis of Bikaner are not just a visual delight, but also a living example of the exquisite sense of aesthetics that our forefathers had, but we somehow lost. These havelis (large traditional houses from the Indian subcontinent) make you jump with joy with their beauty and splendor, but at the same time they also make you cry with grief because of their degeneration over the past few decades.

Built for the richest merchants of Bikaner, the Rampuria Havelis are the most opulent of them all, and despite the ravages of time, they still stand tall and proud.

A Rampuria Haveli in Bikaner

Havelis of Bikaner

I will certainly write more in detail about the havelis of Bikaner, but here is a quick overview. These mansions were commissioned by the King of Bikaner for the merchants of the city so that they make Bikaner their home and do business from here. It was a tactical move and played a huge role in making the city a major commercial center.

Front facade of a Rampuria Haveli

After independence, Bikaner lost much of it's sheen and merchants started migrating out of the city to the rest of the India, especially Kolkata (then Calcutta) as well as many parts of Maharashtra, like Pune. With time most of the big players were gone and with that started the decline and demise of the haveli culture of the city.

Read more: Historic Havelis of Bikaner

But why are they called Rampuria havelis?

Rampuria havelis belonged to one of the richest and the most powerful families of Bikaner - Rampurias, and so were named after them. Each haveli has it's own name though and I am sure this collective name came into use much later and was not an official name.

Walk through the Rampuria havelis

The best time to wander around the havelis is early in the morning when the city is still waking up. The roads are empty, the sky is blue (and full of pigeons) so you can get picture perfect shots easily. You can either do it on your own on foot, or on a horse-driven tonga if you are staying with Narendra Bhawan. The best part of doing it with Narendra Bhawan is that there will be a guide with you and he can tell you tons of stories and answer all your questions as well. I recommend a tonga visit with the guide, and later a solo visit in the morning.

Check out this video about the havelis from my walk in the city :)

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If you enjoy history and photography, keep about two hours for the havelis. They can be done in flat 15 minutes as well, so it's all up to you.

There are only 4 havelis, and they are all almost all connected. All, except one haveli, are no longer in use and are maintained only by a caretaker. The Rampurias still own these havelis and spend at least some money to provide security. I tried going inside one of these and was angrily shooed away by the guard inside. But the place looked hi-tech from inside - with CCTV cameras everywhere and lots of big monitors on the wall for the guard.

Exploring a Rampuria Haveli from inside

I was clearly not satisfied seeing the havelis from outside and was almost desperate to see them from inside, even if they were dilapidated and no longer looked their best.

My habit of picking up conversations with locals came to my rescue here, and over a casual conversation an old man told me that there was a hotel in one of the havelis. This was enough for me to conceptualize a plan to make a visit and see the place - as long as the hotel was there and accessible to it's guests, I was sure they would welcome me as well.

That's my chai table on the left :)

As soon as I was done taking pictures, I decided to have my morning tea and eat my breakfast at this (still unknown) hotel. Surprisingly, the entrance to the hotel is not on the main road, but on a back road, so you never really see it unless you know about it. It's called Bhanwar Nivas Palace and is housed in the last haveli on the right. I walked in confidently, told them I was a travel write and blogger and would like to eat breakfast there. Usually the breakfast is only for the guests, but they were happy to have me there. The spread wasn't as appetizing, so I settled for ginger tea which was superb. Without even asking for it, I was also given a tour of the property and I loved it. They did seem a bit more stiff, but I think I also took them a little off-guard with a sudden appearance :)

If you are planning a visit to Bikaner, or even passing by, these should be your number one destination. They are not just a visual delight, but also a lesson in history and a study of our illustrious past.

Curious to know? Check out my video on YouTube from my early morning walk at the haveli :)

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Disclaimer: I was in Bikaner on invitation of Narendra Bhawan. All views expressed are unbiased and my own, and based on my personal experience.