Asian Window

There is a flood of investors in Rajasthan, looking for royal homes that can now be turned into boutique hotels. From The Indian Express:

Artisans restoring an old haveli in Rajasthan

A six hour drive from Delhi, on a picturesque winding road off the Jaipur highway lies the Shekawati belt dotted with old, forgotten havelis and crumbling forts. Right alongside, in glaring contrast are several new buildings and the occasional Pepsi hoarding. Though most of the colourful frescoes and arches on the old houses are peeling off, a closer look shows the attention to detail in the painted mythological themes on the walls. One such haveli in the main bazaar of Nawalgarh was in wretched disrepair when it was bought by Kamal Morarka, a Mumbai-based industrialist. “I grew up in Mumbai but my roots are here,” says Morarka, 60, who then hired an archeologist from Archeological Survey of India, ASI to restore it. He also runs a non-profit foundation in organic farming to help farmers in this region.

Like Morarka, there are a surprising number of outsiders, Indians and foreigners, who are investing in Rajasthan, captivated by its arid beauty and magnificent architecture. And of course, the romantic notion of living in a 200 year-old structure that’s witnessed history and once belonged to Indian nobility.

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