Diwan’s Bungalow

Located near the Gaekwad Haveli, Diwan’s Bungalow is an attractive two-storey heritage house. The property is owned by the extended Kadri family, and some of the family members still live on the premises. The family traces its history to Bagdad. They run a school and maintain a public park nearby.

Diwan’s Bungalow was built in the mid-1800s by the minister (Diwan) in the court of the Nawab of Radhanpur. The house is said to have been designed by an English architect. Much of the architecture is Indo-Gothic but there are some Gujarati elements like a wooden jharokha.

From the entrance gateway, the driveway leads around a garden with water features, including a fountain-fed pond. House sparrows are often seen in the bushes. The white façade is eclectic in style with Corinthian capitals over the pillars, Gothic windows, arches and the large wooden jharokha balcony.

The door leads to a reception with colonial-period furniture. From here one accesses the dining room which has carved wooden furniture, a marble basin and a huge chandelier. The rear hall of the house has old photographs and an open side facing the courtyard garden. Upstairs there are good-sized bedrooms.