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HALVAD - The finest examples of wooden palace architecture

Halvad was a former capital of Dhrangadhra State and was ruled by Jhala Rajputs. It is an ancient fortified town at the southern edge of the little Rann of Kutch. The yellow earth of this semi arid area and buildings of local yellow sandstone makes the whole townscape glow a vibrant golden yellow at sunset and sunrise.

Halvad is famous for gourmet Brahmins and heroic warriors, who fought against past invaders to protect their hometown. Today, one can see several cenotaphs and hero-stones built of sandstone, at the gates of Halvad. They evoke the memories of women who committed sati to protect their honor and men who died fighting against enemies .Newly weds come here to perform the ritual of untying of nuptial knots and pay homage to their ancestors. Even today, once a year, an unusual competition of Laddu-eating is organized by Brahmins at Halvad.

The Chhatris (15 th century) resemble the architectural style of the smaller temple structures of Gujarat, with carved columns, high plinths and corbelled roof in a pyramidal shape. The vast arid landscape, dotted with chhatris, makes a picturesque setting.

At the edge of the town, on the bank of the Samatasar lake stands for finest example of wooden architecture of royal palaces of Gujarat. Other similar example of palaces on the lake-shore, in India are palaces of: Udaipur, Alwar, Datia and Mandu.

The Halvad Palace campus has all the elements of Rajput palaces-zenana, hall for public audience, temple of family goddess, pleasure garden and administrative offices.

The entry to the Halvad Palace is from the town-side. The beautifully carved entrance gate leads one to a huge courtyard. The formal square plan of two storeyed palace structure, adorned with exquisitely carved wooden columns, brackets, friezes and jails with geometric patterns defines the courtyard. Four raised pathways, from the center of each side, meet in the middle of the courtyard at the base of the seven storeyed, octagonal towers, with jharokhas overlooking all eight directions. From the top of this tower, on a clear day, one can see the surroundings villages, therefore it is popularly known as Jhalawad Darshan or Ek-Dandia Mahal.

The long facade, with carved stone jharokhas, brings in cool breeze as it overlooks the lake. The jharokhas were the favorite sir-outs of the royal ladies, while on the full moon nights the terrace was used for private riyal gatherings. Even today, one can see beautifully carved sit-outs of sandstone on the terrace. In short, the architecture of the palace is a perfect synthesis of two natural materials, stone and wood.

Halvad has four old step-wells and six Shiva Temples encircling the town. The Bhavani Temple and Bhuteshwar Mahadev at the cremation ground are at least 500 years old and are protected monuments. On the west bank of the Samatasar Lake, a famous pilgrim place of the Dawoodi Bohra community- a dargah of Maula Qazi, is located.

Halvad is a base to visit the wild ass sanctuary at the little Rann of Kutch. The Asiatic wild ass is a member of the horse family, with striking white under parts and a deep mane. It is a strong and powerful runner. Other animals spotted here are Nilagai, Chinkara and the birds seen are the Indian sand grouse, Hubara Bustard, Lark, Desert Warbler, Desert Wheatear, Indian courser and vultures.