NEW DELHI: Cusp-arched gateway, old-style jalidaar balcony, green doors with glass arches, rooms named after Jahan Ara and Mahatma Gandhi and an additional terrace on the fourth floor giving a 360-degree view of the Jama Masjid, Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib, Jain Mandir and Red Fort.
This briefly describes the ‘Golden Haveli’- the second haveli in the heart of Old Delhi restored by Vijay Goel — a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Member of Parliament, this year. With just a dozen suites, Golden Haveli which is 100 metres away from the Haveli Dharampura in the Gali Gulliyan of Chandni Chowk, opposite Jama Masjid police station, offers an intimate escape in the heart of Delhi.
Goel’s daughter Vidyun shared that while Haveli Dharampura had started off as a six-month project but had ended as a six-year project, the ‘Golden Haveli’ took more than three years and the work was reportedly delayed owing to the covid situation in 2020 and 2021.
It is a 12-room mansion with three rooms on the ground floor, five rooms on the first floor and four rooms on the second floor. While the ground floor has a room dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi, the first floor has two rooms named after Jahan Ara and the second floor also has two rooms named after Mumtaz Mahal. There is a variety of rooms- basic rooms are available at Rs 12,000 plus taxes per night while the upper-level rooms are available in the range of Rs 14,000-16,000 plus taxes per night.
Interestingly, this haveli will offer spa services as well and will house a small café soon. Vijay Goel said that these two things in the haveli are yet to be made operational. Since the Golden Haveli doesn’t have its own kitchen now, the visitors or the ones staying in the haveli have to walk to the Haveli Dharampura for meals.
Sharing the challenges faced in restoring the havelis in the congested lanes of Old Delhi, Goesl’s daughter said, “There were days when the contractors ran away and we literally had no technical support. Without precedence and no trained artisans, no model structure, we still made it. For us it was a trial and run method and our aim to raise the building from the ruins was accomplished.” Recently, the Golden Haveli hosted the 9 US Senators during the G20 Meet.
