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The front facade of the Nathmal-Ki-Haveli home.
Haveli are Islam-inspired homes used in India to refer, most often, to mansions owned at one time by wealthy merchants. This particular haveli, located in central Jaisalmer, is a great example of the intricate facades of haveli design.
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A carved elephant of the Nathmal-Ki-Haveli home.
As I overheard from an English speaking tour guide, this outdoor elephant indicates that the home was formerly a residence of a prime minister. I also overheard the two merchant brothers that built this home supposedly had a competition to build one half of the house each. The photo above shows the slight differences (e.g. windows that flank the front door) that make this mansion asymmetrical. Cute story but I'm not sure I buy it.
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The front facade of the Patwa-Ki-Haveli home.
Each of the preceding photos were a combination of photos of differing exposures. A digital sensor is unable to capture such bright skies alongside dark shadowy areas. I layered the different exposures and painlessly applied a mask to expose the underlying layer. More often than not, the gradient tool is your friend in quick and seamless masking.
1 Comment - Merchant's Mansions
not inspired by islam.may be the guide told you wrongly.the culture is there before muslim invaders