Destination Features

What you know about Shekhawati is that it is famous for havelis painted in the Rajasthani style, what you might not know that it is the seat of the business clan of the Marwaris and that some of the most famous business families have their roots in the region. The Bajajs, Birlas and Khetans of the country all originated in Shekhawati. It is the mixing of these cultural and economic milieus that have given us the fantastically painted havelis which granted the region the nick-name of the “the open-air art gallery of India”.

It was the aristocracy of the area, the Shekhawati Rajputs, who first introduced the tradition of painting miniatures on the walls of forts and palaces. In the 18^th century, the Marwari business families of the area started becoming prosperous and gained a prominent social standing. In a bid to display their upward mobility they started imitating the Rajput fashion of painted havelis. Most of these buildings were constructed in 18-20^th century and they mark the changes which time wrought upon contemporary society. For example, with the coming of the British, the murals also changed in character. Along with the traditional scenes painted from the life of Krishna, they now featured English mems listening to gramophones, gowned ladies and suited sahibs. The most recent ones have incorporated telephones, cars, trains and even airplanes.

Shekhawati is located in the north-east part of Rajasthan and is located 150 km from Jaipur while Delhi lies 230-odd km away, in the north-east direction. Formally, it incorporates the Sikar and Jhunjhunu districts of Rajasthan. The towns of Nawalgarh, Fatehpur, Mandawa and Dundlod also fall within this area and are famous for the various havelis, bawdis, forts and places located there.

The best time to visit the area is in the winters, when the arid north-Indian summer has finally ended. Once there, do not miss out on the traditional Rajasthani thali of daal bati choorma or the locally famous lahsun ki kachori (a particularly fiery preparation).