Fodor's Expert Review Patwon-ki Haveli

Outside the fort, about 1½ km (1 mile) from the Gopa Chowk entrance, are the Patwon-ki Havelis—literally "five mansions"—a string of connected grand, ornately carved homes built by the Patwa brothers in the 1800s. The Patwas were highly influential Jain merchants who dealt in brocade (although it was rumored that they actually made their money on opium) back when Jaisalmer was an independent principality. The Patwa brothers forbade the repetition of any motifs or designs between their mansions, so each is distinctive. The first of these is arguably the most elaborate and magnificent of all—in addition to exquisitely carved pillars and expansive corridors, one of the apartments in this five-story mansion is painted with beautiful murals.