Deewanji ni Haveli

Also spelt Diwanji Haveli in some places this is an impressive haveli located in a narrow lane called Sankadi Sheri.

This haveli was once the residence of Shankardas Kantharia, an administrator for the Mughal Empire. It was restored by his descendent Motilal Diwan who was the Diwan (minister) in the court of the rulers of Kutch. There are many stories about the life of the Diwan in around 1875 that are shown on panels in the recently restored and renovated haveli managed by the City Heritage Centre (CHC).

The haveli is a four-storey building with woodwork on its façade. The haveli has been restored and renovated by a team that includes conservation architect Ashish Trambedia, consultant Jagdish Vyas, a carpenter Jethabhai Solanki who is expert in heritage craftsmanship, Spanish restoration experts Pilar Gonzales and Daniel Ponce, among others. The key feature of the haveli is the use of lime plaster, woodwork and stuccowork replicating the original crafts skills that went into the building of the haveli.

This haveli offers an insight into the water harvesting system of tanks, wells and tunnels that prevailed in Ahmedabad’s pol houses. The Chowk or central courtyard has a water collection tank below it which is part of a three-tier water harvesting system.

Deewanji ni Haveli is now the headquarters of the City Heritage Centre that is a community-based resource Centre that supports the community in preserving, sustaining and promoting their architectural and cultural heritage through technical support, awareness programmes and coordination with the related authorities.