Haveli Dharampura, boutique bolthole in heart of Old Delhi
Escaping the sensory overload of the bustling, historic quarter of the Indian capital for the tranquil, elegant interior of this restored Muslim nobleman's mansion feels like crossing a border and a time zone. Plus it's handy for the Red Fort and Jama Masjid, writes Amrit Dhillon
On the Indian subcontinent, the word roughly means "mansion". Haveli Dharampura is more than 100 years old and used to belong to a Muslim nobleman - Old Delhi is the Muslim quarter of the Indian capital. It was in ruins when local lawmaker Vijay Goel, and his son, Siddhant, bought the three-storey building seven years ago. They have since renovated it while preserving the original features and have just opened Haveli Dharampura as a 13-room boutique hotel.
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The courtyard, with its pillars and scalloped arches, used to be the centre of family life. The ground-floor rooms all run off from the courtyard and, from the upper floors, it's possible to lean over the balcony and watch the comings and goings below. Several generations of one family would have lived here together, along with servants and retainers, yet the space feels compact and intimate.
Easy - the location. For the first time, it's possible to stay in comfort in Old Delhi.
A sensory overload. The quarter is packed with people and all manner of vehicles. It's here you will find the huge Red Fort and one of the largest mosques in India, the Jama Masjid, both built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. It's here, in the crowded, chaotic bazaar that you get India distilled, India enlarged, India concentrated, India essentialised. Escaping into the tranquil, elegant interior of Haveli Dharampura feels like crossing both a border and a time zone.
