A haveli is a traditional townhouse, mansion or manor house of the Indian subcontinent, usually one of historical and architectural significance, situated in a town or city. The word derives from the Arabic hawali, meaning partition or private space, and was popularized under the Mughal Empire, though multi-story dwellings built around courtyards existed in the region long before that, with evidence reaching back to around 3300 BC. During the medieval period the term expanded beyond its original Indo-Islamic context, and some Vaishnava religious groups in Gujarat and Rajputana adopted it for their temples, while over time it became associated above all with the grand courtyard residences built by the subcontinent's merchant classes.
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