The distinguished Kadri family are the descendents of the “Sufis” of Baghdad. A few descendents of the family migrated to Northern India and finally to Gujarat. The grandfather of the present generation that owns Divan's Bungalow was the “Divan of Radhanpur” (a princely State of Gujarat) and hence the name.

This ancestral home in Raikhad, which faces the Gaekwad Haveli, was designed by an English Architect. It is an interesting example of the lifestyle of a Muslim household where a fountain court led to a long and linear Divan Khana. This, in turn, led to a garden court at the back where the ladies could congregate, not far from the kitchens. The rest of the home had inter-connected rooms screened by verandahs and there was a side entrance for the staff from another street.

This is now the ancestral home of the renowned Mumbai Architect I.M. Kadri, who gave New Delhi the Taj Mahal Hotel and the Taj Palace as well as many distinguished architectural landmark projects in India and abroad.

Despite its colonial facade and two tower rooms with European-style tiled roofs on either side, it has two grand Gujarati wooden jharokha-balconies which lean out on elaborate brackets.

The multi-coloured Siraj Khana suite on the first floor, visible in the photograph above is decorated in the traditional style of furshi bethak.
The Divan’s Bungalow opened its doors in May 2012.

A structure that was built 150 years ago, now run by the Neemrana brand of heritage hotels in India, Divan’s Bungalow is an architectural marvel in its own right.