Bagore Ki Haveli – Udaipur

For two straight days, I was trying to locate Bagore Ki Haveli in Udaipur and I just could not locate it. If I Google it then nothing was showing up and when it did it had nothing out there. I had almost given up hope trying to track Bagore Ki Haveli until the last day when we were supposed to catch our flight back to Kolkata. After having our breakfast we wanted to stroll around Lake Pichola as we had already checked out of our hotels thus had some time in our hands to kill. We just wanted to sit by the lake and enjoy the bright sun as the winter chill was freezing us.

Finding Bagore Ki Haveli

As we strolled casually, towards Gangaur Ghat something caught my eye on the left and there it was the grand entrance to Bagore Ki Haveli. Finally, I had found Bagore Ki Haveli without even trying to look for it. It was early in the morning so there were no other tourists and we were the only two souls. Even the ticket counter had no attendant as it was early in the morning and they were not expecting any visitors.

History of Bagore Ki Haveli

All over Rajasthan around big forts and palaces, you are sure to find some fantastic Havelis, which are like grand mansions. Usually these belonged to ministers or important people belonging to the local ruler or the king. You will find similar mansion in Jaisalmer also and these are usually have very beautiful architecture.

This particular mansion was built by Amarchand Badwa who was the prime minister to the king of Mewar Kingdom from 1751 to 1778.

After his death, it was taken over by Maharaja Nath Singh younger brother of Maharana of Mewar.

However, the name of the haveli “Bagore” came from the next owner Maharaj Shakti Singh of Bagore (biological father of Sajjan Singh) who made much changes to the haveli around 1878.

In 1930, this haveli was taken over by the Mewar state and converted into a Royal Guest House. After the independence in 1947, Rajasthan Government used this haveli to be used by government servants.

In 1986 this haveli was up for restoration and after five years the haveli was renovated and converted into a museum. The restoration work involved laboriously scraping away the outer layers and then applying a fresh layer a lime plaster to strengthen the structure.

What to see at Bagore Ki Haveli

Every evening there is a cultural evening, which comprises of dance, music and traditional Rajasthani puppetry. This is known as Dharohar Dance Show and is the prime attraction. This starts are around 7 PM and lasts upto 8 PM every day.

I would however request you to visit the haveli in the daytime to see its architectural beauty. The haveli was converted into a museum and there are few interesting places that you can check out.

Bagore Ki Haveli – Weapons Section

As you enter after going past, the ticket counter on you right will be a small section with traditional weapons from the kingdom of Mewar.

Bagore Ki Haveli – Wedding Section

If you want to see traditional Mewari wedding without actually visiting one then this is the right place. Various traditions and functions of a traditional wedding is depicted with the use of dolls and mannequins.

Bagore Ki Haveli – Puppet Museum

This section particularly interested me a lot, nearly a hundred puppet were neatly presented to depict a scene from the court of a maharaja. You can see the king sitting on one side and queen on the other side. All around were various subjects like dancers, ministers guards etc.

Bagore Ki Haveli – Terrace

In order to see the rest of the museum you have to go to the terrace and then access the other sections. You might think this is a waste of time but here lies the actual killer view. From the terrace, you get one of the best view of Lake Pichola and Gangaur Ghat. I spent an hour basking is the winter sun and soaking in all the beauty.

Bagore Ki Haveli – Lifestyle of the Rajput’s Museum

The whole first floor of the museum is dedicated to depicting the traditional lifestyle of the Rajput’s. Traditional room with all the decors, metal pots, board games that they played, the silver beds, wooden trunks, swing etc. There is also a room, which shows the state of the haveli before restoration. You will be able to see the base stonewalls and some old photographs before restoration.

The rest of the museum sections are located in the ground floor.

Bagore Ki Haveli – Turban section

If you though there were just a dozen style of turbans in Rajasthan then you were so wrong. Once you visit this section, you will come to know that each community has a different style of turban and the type changes from one occasion to another.

Bagore Ki Haveli – Musical Instruments Museum

This section has all the different type of musical instruments like sehenai, dhool, tabla, esraj, sarod etc.

Bagore Ki Haveli – Polystyrene Models

This is a unique section as it has scale models of the wonders of the world like Taj Mahal, Leaning Tower of Pisa etc. This section also hoses a scale replica of the Bagore Ki Haveli along with other important structure of the Mewar kingdom.

Gangaur Ghat

Gangaur Ghat was built by Maharaj Bhim Singh who succeeded Maharaj Nath Singh in 1878. Maharaj Shakti Singh built the palace with exquisite glass inlay work on the Tripolia (Three arched gate) at Gangaur Ghat.

Location of Bagore Ki Haveli on Map

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Places To Visit In Chittorgarh