As far as Udaipur’s waterfront facades go, Gangaur Ghat is one of the most elegant and noticeable, with its charming triple-arched gateway leading onto a broad lakeside piazza. What is not so well known and therefore not so well visited is that to the side of this gateway there is one of the finest havelis (noble houses) in the city named Bagore-ki-Haveli.
Some of the chambers have been laid out with objects reflecting the original uses of those rooms. There are attractively presented displays in the durbar hall, music room, recreation room, pantry, and kitchen (arranged to look as though the original inhabitants have just popped out for a while). There is even one room that apparently existed for the sole purpose as a den of lust! The erotic frescoes around the base of the walls were perhaps painted to spur on those who needed a little extra titillation. Other rooms have been utilised as more formal display areas – namely, a ‘turban’ exhibition and a display of colourful Mewari ladies costumes.
[As far as Udaipur’s waterfront facades go, Gangaur Ghat is one of the most elegant and noticeable, with its charming triple-arched gateway leading onto a broad lakeside piazza. What is not so well known and therefore not so well visited, is that to the side of this gateway there is one of the finest havelis (noble houses) in the city, Bagore-ki-Haveli; all the more splendid due to recent, extensive restoration work.
Shri Amarchand Badwa, who was the Prime Minister of Mewar from 1751 to 1778, throughout the reigns of Maharanas Pratap Singh II, Raj Singh II, Ari Singh, and Hamir Singh respectively, built this haveli. Following the death of Amarchand, the edifice came under the domain of the Mewari Royal Family and Bagore-ki-Haveli was occupied by Nath Singh, a relative of the then maharana.
Whenever kings of Mewar were left without a male heir of their own, they would search for a suitable noble boy to adopt; to groom as the future maharana, and Maharanas Sardar Singh, Shambhu Singh and Sajjan Singh all sprang from Bagore Thikana during the 19th Century.
In 1878, the natural father of Sajjan Singh, Maharaj Shakti Singh of Bagore extended the haveli and built the triple-arched gateway, and the property remained in the possession of Mewar State until 1947. After Independence, the Government of Rajasthan used the buildings for housing Government employees, but, as with other nationalised properties, where there was nobody with a vested interest in the standards of maintenance, damage and neglect went unchecked, and for almost forty years, the haveli’s condition deteriorated to a deplorable extent. The Government was eventually persuaded to relinquish their hold on the haveli and in 1986; it was handed over to the West Zone Cultural Centre.
Under the exacting supervision of the WZCC, plans were made for the dilapidated structure to undergo a process of faithful restoration. The work has been slow and precise, because, as with any ancient and intricate piece of art or architecture, hurried work results in expensive and sometimes devastating blunders. However the restoration and conservation is now virtually complete and this beautiful building has been returned to its original pristine glory. There are 138 rooms, as well as numerous corridors & balconies, courtyards and terraces. The Chambers of the Royal Ladies still bear fine frescoes of the Mewari style and there are glorious coloured-glass windows in some of the rooms as well as two peacocks made with coloured glass mosaics that display the superb skills of the finest craftsmanship.
Some of the chambers have been laid out with objects reflecting the original uses of those rooms. There are attractively presented displays in the durbar hall, music room, recreation room, pantry, and kitchen (arranged to look as though the original inhabitants have just popped out for a while). There is even one room that apparently existed for the sole purpose as a den of lust! The erotic frescoes around the base of the walls were perhaps painted to spur on those who needed a little extra titillation. Other rooms have been utilised as more formal display areas – namely, a ‘turban’ exhibition and a display of colourful Mewari ladies costumes.
The basement has been converted into a stylish art gallery, displaying quite a wide variety of fine arts produced by local artists. There is some excellent work down there, though the rather narrow, confined exhibition areas don’t really do justice to some of the larger works. One of the strangest exhibits is a collection of miniaturised models of such architectural landmarks as the Tower of Pisa, the Victory Tower at Chittorgarh, the Eiffel Tower and the Taj Mahal; all executed in exquisite detail.
All in all, the result of the haveli’s restoration is wonderful, and is a model for what could be achieved with investment, planning and skilled workmanship in many other instances around Mewar.]
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