Digital art print of the original artwork. 
Media: Giclée print on archival paper.
Size: A5
 
Once, Bikaner in Rajasthan was a thriving trade town on the Silk Route. Its rulers encouraged merchants to settle in this arid land, offering incentives that made commerce possible where water was scarce. The merchants responded by building grand havelis, homes that were also declarations of success.
At its peak, Bikaner had more than a thousand havelis. Many were clustered in Rampuria. Today, only about four hundred remain. Most stand shuttered. Their families have moved on, to other cities, other countries, leaving behind buildings that wait in silence.
Among them, the Rampuria havelis stand apart. A group of seven havelis built by three wealthy brothers of the Rampuria family. One of these is said to have nearly a hundred rooms. They were also among the first havelis in the region to be electrified, a quiet marker of modernity arriving early.
The havelis were built in the fifteenth century by Balujee Chalva, using Dulmera stone, which gives them their muted pink hue. They are richly carved, dense with detail. In Bikaner, ornateness was a measure of wealth. The more intricate the façade, the more prosperous the household. The same was true of doors and windows. Abundance was meant to be visible.
The brothers built their homes close to one another. The third brother’s haveli is the most unusual. Smaller, with about twenty or thirty rooms, it sits where the road forks, giving it a triangular shape. It has stained glass windows that catch the light differently from the rest.
These havelis line the narrow lanes of Rampuria, an amalgamation of Rajputana, European and British architectural influences. They are striking. And they are fading. Many now gather dust, heavy with memory, standing still while the life that built them has moved elsewhere.