For as long as we can remember, doors and windows have always held a strange fascination for both of us. Something we discovered about each other early on. To us, they were always things of great beauty and mystery. Often times as you walked down a street, be it in an old city in India, a souk in Morocco or a little village in Europe the thing that first hits you are the doors. This could be because they are usually the first things you notice as you took in your surroundings ambling along a narrow lane exploring a new place; and then if you liked what you saw you stepped back and expanded your view. Perhaps, we like to think, that it was the intent of the kings and lords of yore to bedazzle the visitor, with work so stunning, and thus projecting their influence and superiority over those who passed through or passed by. Or perhaps it is simply because the doors and windows of a home are literally the pathway to what lies beyond, beckoning the wanderer to come hither and take in the wonders that lie within. Practically they allow us to date a place, give the architecture a name and style and file it away with other similar places seen elsewhere. However for us, these door and windows represent the person who built them, the families that they harbor and the stories they conceal of generations come and gone.

1. Ibrahim Rouza, Bijapur, Karnataka

This window into the inner sanctum of the Ibrahim Rouza in Bijapur has seen better days but that does not take away from the effect it has on the viewer. The intricate carvings and lattice work transport you back to another era, when a sense of aesthetics ran through everything and when workmen toiled for days with hammer and chisel to tell stories from stone.

2. Old Town, Junagadh, Gujarat

One of our favorite places (most unexpectedly so) on our travels was Junagadh, an old princely state, where walking through the old town probably feels the same way it did a century ago. One particular stretch down from the Uparkot Fort to the main dusty thoroughfare is chock-a-block with old structures, full of character that one cannot help but doff your hat to the wonderful architects of the day.

3. Khusrau Baug, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh

This lovely garden in Allahabad’s old city hosts the tombs of Khusrau Mirza, eldest son of Jehangir, along with his mother and sister. As was common to the Mughal period, the maqbaras themselves (especially that of Khusau’s sister) are stunning, and the closed tombs ensure that you end up spending more time staring at the majestic domes and arched doorways replete with carvings, geometric shapes and verses from the Quran.

4. Old Town, Mandvi, Gujarat

The old town of Mandvi lies within the walls of the old fort and has interesting influences brought to this port town through sea trade with East Africa. You can see the influence of art and design from small town in Tanzania and Zanzibar, in the balconies and doorways of homes standing today, which are unique to this section of the western coast.

5. Udaygiri, Bhubaneswar, Odisha

The entrance you see here is to the caves of Udayagiri in Bhubaneswar. The lovely work on the arches seems strange as these were the homes of Buddhist monks who lived lives of austerity (as can be seen from the stone platform beds within). Nonetheless the carvings on the doorways are wonderfully intricate and expressive and have so many stories to tell.

6. Sarkhej Roza, Ahmedabad, Gujarat

Ganj Baksh’s tomb in the Sarkhej Roza outside Ahmedabad is a cool and calm place. The door is now a simple wooden structure, but is surrounded by high windows with detailed carvings and stone trellis work allowing light to seep into the inner sanctum. The work is a beautiful blend of the Indo-Saracenic style, with the pillars and brackets following the Islamic style and motifs along the Hindu design. 

7. Chowmallah Palace, Hyderabad, Telengana

The Chowmallah Palace of Hyderabad is one of the most beautiful palaces we have seen, with large airy halls and pavilions, stunning collection of furniture and art, intricately carved pillars and balconies, with particular detailing on the doors and windows.

8. Naulakha Palace, Gondal, Gujarat

While the Palace at Gondal in Gujarat is not as exquisite as the one in Chowmallah, the rulers were not as lavish as the Nawabs, what it lacks in flourish it makes up for in character, symmetry and attention to detail.

9. Ross Island, Andaman and Nicobar Islands

We particularly like colonial and European architecture, and look forward to finding the remnants of a bygone era tucked away in outposts across the country. Ross Island, a short boat ride from Port Blair is like nothing you have seen before. A British base, later captured by the Japanese, Ross Island once had all the trappings of a major administrative centre; however an earthquake in the early 1940’s lead to an exodus from the island and its eventual abandonment. Today nature has reclaimed the island for herself, with great trees growing through the doors and windows of the crumbling structures, and deer graze where British army officers and their wives once dinned and entertained.