The largest and most elaborate of Jaisalmer's merchant mansions, Patwon ki Haveli is actually a cluster of five connected havelis built in the early 19th century by a wealthy brocade merchant and his five sons. The facades are covered in extraordinarily detailed jali (latticed stonework) — the craftsmen who built this spent years on carving alone. Two of the five sections are now museums; the others are still privately owned. Worth at least an hour.
Patwon ki Haveli
Five ornate merchant mansions with extraordinary stone lattice work
A story
The five connected mansions were commissioned by Guman Chand Patwa, a wealthy trader in brocade and opium, beginning in 1805. Each son received one haveli as a wedding gift, and the construction of all five took roughly 55 years — meaning the youngest son's haveli was not completed until after his father died.