Travel Reference
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Historic Dawoodi Bohra Houses in Sidhpur
The Bohra are a third Sect of Islam, a minority in Sidhpur, and are not accepted by the
majority of the Muslim community. Bohra mosques are built in a different style, and their
women wear brightly colored burkas instead of the usual all black. Sidhpur is a major center
of the Bohra Muslims who primarily live abroad, and only visit their ancestral homes for
important social ceremonies. A caretaker looks after their houses.
The wealthy Bohra built these Victorian mansions in the late 19th-early 20th centuries,
emulating the style and existence of living in Europe. Walking down a street with Victorians
painted in pastel hues on both sides, we felt as if we had been dropped into England, or on a
movie set. The facades were gorgeous with intricate details in wood. Each house expressed
the owner's creativity and was painted in shades of lime green, pale pink, lilac, mandarin
orange, white. One empty, private home, built for one family, had 360 windows .
Wealth earned abroad allowed them to lay out row houses on paved streets with service
lanes, mosques, and community buildings for functions. The houses incorporated a wide
range of styles, facades, building materials and decorative treatments that are, unfortunately,
deteriorating and sold to antique dealers. The dealers completely dismantle them to sell their
decorative elements and teak wood.
An absolutely gorgeous street filled with lusciously colored Victorian row houses that one
would never expect to find in a small Indian town. Another surprise in Incredible India...
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