Kanad Sanyal, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Salim Singh ki Haveli
Thirty-eight balconies under a roof that flares outward like a peacock — built by a prime minister the town had reason to fear.
The house that overhangs
The upper storey is wider than the ones beneath it and curves outward in carved brackets, so the building appears to open as it rises. It is the strangest silhouette in Jaisalmer and it belonged to a man who effectively ran the state and was widely detested for it.
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What to look at
A smaller building than Patwon and a more dramatic one, and the whole effect is in the upper two floors.
The peacock roof
- The top storey is carried on tiers of carved brackets that spread outward, and the arched screen along it is usually described as a peacock's tail. Seen from the lane below it is genuinely unlike anything else in the town.
The balconies
- Thirty-eight of them, each with a different jali pattern. They are the reason to look slowly rather than photograph once and move on.
The blue-tinted stone
- Parts of the upper structure carry a bluish cast against the yellow sandstone below, which makes the overhang read as a separate building stacked on the first.
The story
- Salim Singh was the diwan, or prime minister, and the local account of him is not flattering — a man who taxed hard and died poisoned. Guides tell it with relish and it is part of the building's character.
Getting there
A short walk from the other haveli and from the fort gate.
On foot
- Roughly ten minutes from Patwon ki Haveli through the lanes, and about the same from the fort's first gate.
By road
- A vehicle gets to the end of the lane. As everywhere in the old town, the last stretch is walked.
The order
- Most people do Patwon first and this second, which works — it is the smaller building and does not need as long.
When to go
The overhang casts its own shadow, so the hour matters more here than at a flat facade.
Season
- November to February, as with everything in Jaisalmer.
Hour
- Mid-morning or late afternoon. Directly overhead sun puts the whole upper storey into its own shade and the brackets stop reading.
How long
- Thirty to forty minutes, including the roof. It is the shorter half of a haveli morning.
Worth knowing
Small building, few complications.
Look from across the lane
- The overhang only makes sense from a few metres back. Standing directly beneath it, which is where the entrance is, you see almost nothing of what it is famous for.
The interior is modest
- Rooms are sparse and much of the appeal is structural rather than furnished. Go for the exterior and the roof and you will not be disappointed.
Stairs
- Narrow and steep, with low headroom, as in every haveli here.
Combining it
- Patwon, Salim Singh and the fort lanes make a complete morning on foot with no transport needed between them.
Nearby
Within walking distance.
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