A minister's house in a troubled century
The builder: Amar Chand Badwa served as prime minister of Mewar from 1751 to 1778, under four Maharanas in turn: Pratap Singh II, Raj Singh II, Ari Singh and Hamir Singh.
Difficult years: the Mughal empire was breaking up, the Marathas were sweeping across central and western India demanding tribute, and Mewar was weakened by succession quarrels and debts.
Three jobs in one: a prime minister in such times needed to be a diplomat, a treasurer and a soldier at once. Udaipur remembers Amar Chand as one of the most capable men ever to serve the state.
- Built
- 18th century, extended in 1878
- Built by
- Amar Chand Badwa, prime minister of Mewar
- Open
- Museum by day, folk show every evening
- Allow
- 1-1.5 hours, plus about an hour for the show
- Best time
- Late afternoon, October to March
- Photography
- Rules differ for museum and show
- Getting there
- Short walk through the lanes, or by boat
- Close to his master: he built on the shore of Lake Pichola, at the water's edge just north of the City Palace, near enough to be summoned at any hour.
- What a haveli is: a grand townhouse built around inner courtyards. His was one of the largest in the city, with well over a hundred rooms.
- A whole household: here his family lived, his staff worked and his visitors were received, in the closed, inward-looking style of a great Rajasthani home.
- To the royal family: after his death the haveli passed to the royal family, and Nath Singh, a relative of the ruling Maharana, lived here.
- The Bagore name: in 1878 Maharaj Shakti Singh of Bagore, from a branch of the family named after its estate at Bagore, extended the house and built the triple-arched gateway on the ghat.
- A royal father: Shakti Singh was the natural father of Maharana Sajjan Singh, the young ruler who began the Monsoon Palace. From his time on, the house carried the Bagore name.
Gangaur Ghat, the stage outside the door
In old times the women of this house watched the Gangaur procession from the balconies above, and the Maharanas watched from the water. Sit on the steps for half an hour before you go in, and you will understand why a minister wanted his house at the edge of all this life.
The festival: for eighteen days after Holi, women and girls worship Gauri, the goddess Parvati, praying for good husbands and long marriages.
The procession: on the final days the women of the old city carry painted images of the goddess down the lanes to the lake, in their brightest clothes, singing as they go.
- Named after
- Gangaur, Mewar's great women's festival
- Festival length
- Eighteen days after Holi
- Goddess
- Gauri, a form of Parvati
- Busiest hours
- Dawn and early evening
- Right at the gate: the images are brought to the water here, at the foot of the haveli's gateway.
- At dawn: women wash clothes on the lowest steps, and men bathe and offer water to the sun.
- By mid-morning: pigeons crowd the arches and children jump into the lake.
- In the evening: families sit on the steps to watch the light fade over the water, and couples take photographs under the gateway.
- Shoes off: remove your shoes near the small shrines, as local people do.
- Privacy first: give bathers room, and do not photograph women washing or bathing.
- During Gangaur: the ghat is crowded and the procession has right of way.
Forty years of neglect, and a rescue
After independence: the haveli belonged to the state of Mewar until 1947. When the princely states joined India, the government of Rajasthan took it over.
Lived in hard: its rooms housed government employees. Families moved into the old apartments, partitions went up and paintings were whitewashed or covered.
- Until 1947
- Property of the state of Mewar
- After 1947
- Housing for government employees
- Neglect
- Around forty years
- Since 1986
- West Zone Cultural Centre
- Found beneath
- Murals in polished araish
- Slow decay: for around forty years the house was lived in hard and cared for little.
- The handover: in 1986 the state gave the haveli to the West Zone Cultural Centre, a government body that preserves the arts of western India and also runs the crafts village of Shilpgram.
- What lay underneath: restoration took years. As later paint and plaster came off, restorers found eighteenth- and nineteenth-century murals in araish, the polished lime finish of Rajasthan's best interiors.
- A museum of home life: rooms that had been dark offices became galleries again, arranged to show the domestic life of a Mewar noble household.
- Honest, not grand: we think it is one of the best restorations in the city. It does not pretend to be a palace, and shows the kitchens and storerooms as well as the painted chambers.
- Read more: our journal piece on what a haveli is explains the form, and our guide to heritage havelis lists those you can stay in across Rajasthan.
Walking through the haveli, room by room
The gate on Gangaur Ghat
- Start outside: Shakti Singh's triple-arched gateway of 1878 opens straight onto the steps, so the household could step down to the lake for bathing, prayer and festivals.
- Look back at the house: the long, pale facade with balconies and small windows tells you at once that this was a private world facing the water.
The first courtyard
Where business happened: visitors and business were once received here, with walls rising on every side in tiers of arches and balconies.
- Sudden quiet: the noise of the ghat drops away as soon as you step in.
- Tonight's stage: the evening show is held here, so imagine it full of lamps and music.
The painted chambers of the women
The zenana: climb to the women's quarters, where the restorers found some of the finest paintings in the house.
- The queen's chamber: a Mewar-style painting covers the walls, and frescoes run around the rooms of the royal ladies.
- Coloured light: glass set into some windows throws patches of red, green and blue onto the floor.
- The heart of the house: most of the household's life was lived in these rooms, and they are the most beautiful.
The glass peacocks
Two mosaic birds: look for two peacocks of coloured glass set into the walls, in the manner of the far grander peacocks in the City Palace's Mor Chowk.
- Smaller and homelier: to us they are the more charming for it.
- Why peacocks: the peacock is the bird of the monsoon in Rajasthani poetry, and it turns up in almost every great house in Mewar.
The rooms of daily life
Everyday objects: jewellery boxes, dice games, hookahs, betel and areca nut boxes, nutcrackers, hand fans, rosewater sprinklers and copper and brass kitchen vessels.
- Our grandmothers' things: these are objects our grandmothers still used.
- Ask the guide: ours love explaining them, from the fan pulled by a rope to the betel box passed round after meals.
The galleries of turbans and puppets
Changing displays: some rooms hold collections that change from time to time.
- The turban gallery: shows how the style, colour and tying of a turban marked a man's community, region and occasion.
- The puppet room: the other best-known display, alongside the turbans.
- Have one tied: our page on the art of the Rajasthani turban explains what you are seeing, and many guests ask to have one tied afterwards.
The balconies over the lake
- Finish here: the balconies and terraces look out over Pichola, with Gangaur Ghat below, the City Palace to the south and the hills across the water.
- An everyday view: the household saw this every day, and it is still one of the most intimate views of the lake in the city.
How a haveli works
Built around courtyards: each court is a small world of its own, with rooms in tiers around it and balconies looking down.
Outer court: near the entrance, for men, business and visitors.
Inner courts: deeper in the house, for the family and especially the women, who in a noble household of this period lived in purdah, out of sight of men from outside the family.
- Haveli
- Townhouse built around courtyards
- Zenana
- The women's quarters
- Purdah
- Seclusion from outside men
- Araish
- Hand-polished lime plaster
- Jharokha
- Screened projecting balcony
- Linked by stairs: narrow stairs and corridors join the courts.
- Natural cooling: the courtyards bring in light and air, and in summer they act like chimneys, drawing hot air up and out of the rooms.
- Plain outside, rich within: the best rooms are finished in araish, polished by hand until it shines, and painted with flowers, figures and scenes.
- Catching the light: coloured glass windows and mirror work brighten the inner rooms.
- Seeing unseen: the jharokhas project from the walls behind stone or wood lattice, so the women could watch the lake and street without being seen.
- The lake makes it unusual: most Rajasthani havelis face a lane. This one faces water, with its own ghat and gateway, so the family reached the lake without passing through the street.
- Go deeper: our guide to reading Rajasthani architecture explains the vocabulary, and our page on painted havelis is where to start for the great painted houses of the north.
The Dharohar show, in the evening courtyard
It is not a grand production, and that is its charm. The performers are close enough to touch, the drums echo off the courtyard walls, and the audience, half visitors and half local families, claps along by the end.
- Name
- Dharohar, meaning heritage
- Presented by
- West Zone Cultural Centre
- When
- Every evening
- Length
- About an hour
- Performers
- Folk artists from across Rajasthan
- Every evening: the West Zone Cultural Centre presents Rajasthani folk music and dance in the courtyard, performed by musicians and dancers from communities across the state.
- Brisk pace: the show moves quickly from one dance to the next.
- The programme varies: these are the dances we most often see. Our guide explains each one quietly as the show goes on.
Ghoomar, the whirling dance
- Rajasthan's most famous dance: women in long, full skirts turn in slow circles, faces veiled, and their skirts flare out like flowers.
- Where you'll see it: at weddings and festivals across the state. In Mewar and Marwar it is a mark of grace.
The dance of the brass pots
The finale everyone waits for: a dancer balances a tower of brass pots on her head, sometimes many high, and dances with them.
- Higher stakes: sometimes on the rim of a brass plate or on broken glass, while the audience holds its breath.
- Its roots: related to bhavai, a dance and theatre tradition of Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Terah taali, the dance of thirteen cymbals
How it works: women sit on the ground with small metal cymbals tied to their wrists, ankles and bodies, striking them in quick, intricate rhythms as they sing.
- The extra flourish: sometimes they hold a sword or a pot in their teeth.
- A devotional dance: often linked to the folk deity Ramdevji.
Puppets, music and the rest
Puppets: most evenings include a short act with string puppets of kings, dancers and horses.
- Desert songs: the show also has songs from the folk traditions of the desert.
- Read more: our page on folk music and dance explains these traditions, and our journal on kathputli puppets tells the puppeteers' story.
When to come
Late afternoon: our favourite time to bring guests, when the light is warm on the lake and the galleries are fairly quiet.
The ideal sequence: walk the house for an hour or so, sit on a balcony over the ghat as the sun goes down, then take your seats for the evening show.
- Oct to Mar
- Cool, pleasant evenings, the best months
- Dec and Jan
- Bring a shawl for the show
- Apr to Jun
- Hot days, comfortable evenings, smaller crowds
- Monsoon
- Heavy rain can affect shows
- Gangaur
- March or April, crowded and joyful
- Arrive early for the show: the best seats near the front go quickly, especially in winter.
- To see the house alone: come in the morning, then return for the show another evening.
- The most special time: the spring festival of Gangaur, when the women of the city bring Gauri to Gangaur Ghat, right outside the haveli's gate.
How to visit Bagore ki Haveli
Getting there: your car can drop you only nearby, as the lanes to Gangaur Ghat are narrow. Expect a short walk through the old city, or arrive by boat across the lake.
Seats: arrive early for the Dharohar show to sit near the front.
- Museum
- Allow an hour to an hour and a half
- Show
- About an hour
- Access
- Steep stairs; courtyard easier
- Dress
- Modest, comfortable shoes
- Show times
- Change with the season
- Times and tickets: show times and ticket arrangements change with the season, so we confirm them on the day.
- Mobility: the museum has many narrow, steep stairs and uneven floors, and is not easy for wheelchair users. The ground-floor courtyard, where the show is held, is more accessible.
- Tell us your needs: let us know about any mobility needs and we will plan around them.
- Photography: rules differ between the museum and the show, and may change, so check at the gate.
- What to wear: comfortable shoes and modest clothes. The ghat outside is a place of prayer and bathing.
- After dark: be careful on Gangaur Ghat, where the steps can be slippery and unlit in places.
What most visitors miss
The house by daylight
- Daylight rooms: the painted rooms and coloured glass are at their best when the sun comes through the windows.
- Do both: come back for the show, but do not skip the museum.
The view of Gangaur Ghat from above
- Straight down: the upper balconies look onto the steps of the ghat and the arched gate.
- Late afternoon life: watch the bathers, pigeons, boatmen and children below.
The kitchen and the storerooms
- The working rooms: the grand rooms get the attention, but these show how many people it took to run a great household.
- Ask about the staff: your guide can tell you about the cooks, the water carriers and the women who ground spices by hand.
The haveli from the water
- Slow the boat: on Lake Pichola, ask the boatman to slow down as you pass Gangaur Ghat.
- The old picture: from the water the haveli and its gateway look exactly as they do in old paintings and photographs.
An evening in the old city, the way we plan it
Late afternoon, a boat on the lake
Set off early: take a private boat about an hour before sunset.
- The route: drift past the City Palace, the Lake Palace and Jag Mandir as the light turns gold.
- Land at the ghat: ask your boatman to bring you back towards Gangaur Ghat as the sun goes down.
Dusk, the house and the ghat
- Last light: step ashore and walk the galleries in the last of the daylight.
- End on the balconies: watch the lamps come on across the water from above the ghat.
Early evening, the show
- Front seats: sit near the front of the courtyard for the folk dance show.
- With a guide: ours sits with you and explains each dance and song as it begins.
Night, dinner above the lake
- A rooftop: walk a few minutes through the lanes to a terrace facing the lit City Palace, or take a boat back to your hotel.
- Where we eat: our rooftop dining page lists the terraces we trust, and our journal on the best rooftop restaurants in Udaipur has our favourites.
What to pair with it, and where to stay
- The lanes around it: our heritage walks through the old city take in painted doorways, silversmiths, temples and the ghats at dawn.
- Fitting it in: our Udaipur itinerary shows how to fit the walks and the haveli into three days.
Jagdish Temple and the City Palace
- Up the lane: a short walk from Gangaur Ghat brings you to the seventeenth-century Jagdish Temple and the gates of the City Palace.
- Timing: see them in the morning and the haveli in the late afternoon.
A boat on Pichola
- Last hour of light: take a private boat, then step off near Gangaur Ghat and walk straight to the haveli for the show.
- Our favourite first day: it is the way we most like to end a first day in Udaipur.
Shiv Niwas Palace and Fateh Prakash Palace
A few minutes' walk: the two hotels inside the City Palace are close by.
- Shiv Niwas Palace: curves round a courtyard pool with views of the lake.
- Fateh Prakash Palace: home to the Durbar Hall and the Crystal Gallery.
Taj Lake Palace and the havelis of Lal Ghat
On the island: the Taj Lake Palace is a short boat ride away.
- Simpler and closer: several heritage havelis on Lal Ghat and Gangaur Ghat have rooms over the water.
- Compare them all: our guide to luxury hotels in Udaipur covers every option.
Who will love it
Families: love the evening show.
History lovers: love the house.
- Families
- The evening show
- History lovers
- The house and its rooms
- First evenings
- Lively, easy, close to hotels
- Crowd-shy
- The museum by day
- The curious: anyone who has wondered how ordinary life went on behind the great facades of Rajasthan will find answers here.
- A first evening: a good choice when you are tired from travelling and want something lively but easy, close to your hotel.
- If you dislike crowds: see the museum by day and skip the show in peak season, or book seats early and arrive in good time.
- More ideas: see our things to do in Udaipur.
