The House That Was....

I spent all of today exploring two wonderful places, Dhami and Arki. In this post, I'm going to you pictures of the old "palace" of Dhami. I love old buildings, especially crumbly ones with character. One wasn't allowed inside, but walking around this old structure was a treat in itself! Every grand edifice has a spirit, an emotion. I sensed a deep nostalgia and a wistfulness around this building..... The palace seemed a little meditative, a little forlorn, but not wholly disconsolate!

Dhami, an old pricely state, is also known as Halog. Initially, it was a part of Bilaspur, it became an independent state in 1815. Dr. Usha Bande, who has undertaken extensive research on the forts and palaces of Himachal Pradesh, informs that Dhami is famous for its "patthar ka khel" (a game of stone-throwing) held shortly after Diwali. The village divides itself into two parties and each participant from each party must simultaneously throw sotnes at the other's and dodge the stones chucked at it by the opponents. Sounds gruesome, but apparently, the game is greatly enjoyed by locals. No fatalities have been reported.

Of the old house, only a few crumbled

Courses of brick, smothered in nettle and dock,

Or a squared stone, lying mossy where it tumbled!

Sprawling bramble and saucy thistle mock

What once was firelit floor and private charm

Where, seen in a windowed picture, hills were fading

At dusk, and all was memory-coloured and warm,

And voices talked, secure from the wind's invading.

Of the old garden, only a stray shining

Of daffodil flames amid April's cuckoo-flowers,

Or a cluster of aconite mixt with weeds entwining!

But, dark and lofty, a royal cedar towers

By homely thorns: whether the white rain drifts

Or sun scorches, he holds the downs in ken,

The western vale; his branchy tiers he lifts,

Older than many a generation of men....

~ Lawrence Binyon ~