AbhayI recently traveled to India with my family and fiance (her first trip!). It was an incredible two weeks that flew by far too quickly. During that time, we got to see so many cool and interesting things that I’m still reeling from it. I decided to sit down and write a bit about the trip, to help process and appreciate everything, but I soon realized that there was no way I could do this in a single post. This will be the first of (hopefully) a series of posts that share some of the incredible experiences we had.
This first post will be focused on the house (palace?) that we stayed at while in Jaipur. Now, you may be asking yourself if a house deserves it’s own post. Well this one certainly does–feel free to scroll through the photos here if you need convincing. This place was built by my aunt’s father: a self-made businessman with a passion for the arts. He truly came from nothing–when his parents passed away at a young age, he, as the oldest sibling, was thrust into a parental role from early in his life. Despite these circumstances, he managed to raise his siblings and start his own family while establishing successful hotel and real estate businesses.
His true passion, however, was always art. Over 3 decades ago he started an art business: hiring and training artists to produce sculptures and paintings for sale. While ostensibly a business, this was never really about the money. It was not a exactly a profitable venture, but that hardly mattered. It was about 30 years ago that he first conceived the idea to build a, at the time, hotel which encapsulated his love of traditional paintings/sculptures. This has been a continuous labor of love in the decades since, with artists painting and sculpting until this day.
The painted interior
Above are just a few shots of the intricate hand-painted ceilings that cover this 5 story mansion. Also shown is one of the artists who’s worked there for 25 years, painting countless rooms/halls, as he continues his steady and beautiful work. Each of the nearly 30 rooms in this building has a unique theme for its hand-painted door and ceiling. It’s hard to describe how wonderful it is to wake up and the first thing you see is one of these gorgeous painted ceilings.
While this place was first planned as a hotel, the vision changed over time. As decades passed and he grew older, Mr. Agarwal wished to spend more time with his family. In his old age, his dream became for all of his children and grandchildren to move here and live with him and his wife. While it took some extraordinary circumstances, this dream was finally achieved during the Covid lockdowns of 2020. He unfortunately passed away in 2021, but I like to think that he was content with all he had built: a successful business empire, an incredible monument to the arts, and, most importantly, a happy, loving family.
The sculpture garden
Almost more impressive than the building itself are the grounds outside. The beautiful garden is populated by a vast selection of stone sculptures. It became a habit of my time there to stroll through the gardens, cup of chai in hand, every morning. A few times, when I got lucky, I was even able to catch sight of one of the peacocks roaming these same grounds. On one of these morning strolls, I was inspired to write a haiku:
From a block of stone
Emerge countless expressions
Locked away in time
The antiques collection
As incredible as the displayed art pieces and the house itself, are the hidden gems of this place: a treasure trove locked away in the basement. Having never been to a museum basement, this is a bit like how I would imagine it. The two subterranean levels hold a vast collection of pieces ranging from inlaid stone tables to carved wooden cabinets and massive gates. While partially produced by the resident artists, the bulk of this comes from Mr. Agarwal’s purchases at estate sales. As such, quite a number of these are antiques.
The collection itself, which once was rapidly expanding, has now become a more or less untouched fixture. Day-to-day life continues overhead while these pieces sit below. The works here could populate a museum wing, but the amount of curatorial work necessary for that is quite intimidating. Who now could go through this large collection and identify these pieces or explain their history?
The workshop
Finally, adjacent to the house itself is the artist workshop. This managed and staffed by employees of the family and the resident artists. The workshop is filled with partially completed and ongoing projects–both for external clients and for the house itself. While work has slowed since its heyday, there is plenty of activity even now. More than a simple residence, this place seems to me like an institution from a time past.
One can’t help but think about how one man’s passion led to all of this. On the flip side, there is a nagging question of where things go next. His descendants are carrying on the work he started, including supporting the workshop he built for the resident artists. But where do things go from here? None of them really have the knowledge or interest to expand any of these institutions. It took a unique vision and appreciation, supported by an impressive team of artisans, to build this place, and that kind of artisanal work is rapidly losing its place in our modern/industrial society. Without new artists being trained, what is the long-term fate of this place? It’ll be decades before that is a real issue, yet I can’t help but feel a twinge of melancholy mixed in with my awe at the wonderful house/palace/institution that was built here.
