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Shekhawati
Travel Guide
The
area of Shekhawati covers several villages and towns in north eastern
Rajasthan, which can be approached from Bikaner, Jaipur, and Delhi and
comprises the Sikar and Jhunijhunu districts. Small towns dot these two
districts and contain within themselves some of the most elaborate havelis,
stepwells, and temples. When you travel around this region, you stumble
across some truly marvelous treasures. Even today, the entire region of
Shekhawati is known for its exquisite frescoes and popularly called the "Open
art gallery". No other region, anywhere in the world, has such a large
concentrationof frescoes.
This is even more interesting as the
landscape here is totally bare- flat and colourless. Rao Shekha, the founder
of Shekhawati, came topower at the young age of 12 and established a reign
that lasted 43 years. His power grew steadily and he became a force to
reckon with in a very short period. The Rajput nobles who ruled over the
small thikanas, or fiefdoms, became great patrons of art and financed the
frescoes ontheir havelies. Up to the early 19th century the themes were
largely religious.
Other historical events, personages, battle
scenes, and folk heroes were also painted in great detail. These paintings
were a record of those times. By the end of the 19th century, there was a
slight change inth patroage. The business community, Marwaris, found itself
in a position of strength. When the East India Company began to make its
presence felt in this part of Rajasthan, it opened several avenues for the
hardworking and enterprising Marwari.
The volume of trade
increased and the Marwaris began to spread their branches all over the
country. Even after spending several years away from their homeland, these
now successful and wealthy businessmen remained true sons of the soil. While
they lived austerely in their adopted cities,they sent back huge sums of
money to their families. They spent large sums on the welfare of their
community -wells, reservoirs, schools, colleges, dharamshalas and gaushalas
were financed. Most of them had left their families behind and they returned
to build some huge mansions for them.
They were in a position to
show off their new status and there was no better way of doing this than
commissioning the most intricate frescoes on their havelies. Very soon it
became customary to have a painted haveli and the artists were kept busy
moving from one village to the next. The demand for these painters kept
growing and very soon unskilled painters and masons too began to get
involved in the paintings.The themes of these paintings, as mantioned
earlier,reflected those times and very soon the purely mythological themes
gave way to western influences.
Cars,trains,aeroplanes,ships,telephones,foreigners
in hats, suits and gowns began to appear on the walls with scenes from Lord
Krishna's life. Most of the villages of Shekhawati have kept their rustic
charm intact and a drive around these painted towns can be a wonderful
experience. While the painted mansions are certainly the focal point here,
don't miss the unique architectural style of the havelis. They are marvels
of goods design.Several countryards and inner chambers were designed to keep
the women folk safe and comfortable but segregated.
From the
outside these havelies looked like huge blocks but were so ingeniously
planned that they provided adequate protection from the harsh summers. Other
monuments to look out for are the step wells, the four-pillared wells,
temples and the dharamshalas. Some of the important towns that should not be
missed are Sikar- where the temples of Gopinath,Raghunath and Madan Mohan
are intersting as are the Biyani havelies with their unusual blue and white
colours. Two other important temples in the vicinity are the Harsh Nath
temple and the Jeen Mata temple.
The fort for Lachmangarh is one
of the most impressive and imposing in Shekhawati. Try to get a bird's eye
view of the town below- it has been designed to resemble the planned city of
Jaipur. Ramgarh is famous not only for the havelis of the Poddars but also
for its rustic wood furniture. Fatehpur has some beautiful frescoes in the
Indian as well as western styles. Particularly noteworthy are the Chamariya
and Singhania havelies. Khatu Shyamji is more famous for its temple of Shri
Shyamji and draws devotees throughout the year. People walk several miles to
offer homage at the temple from all over India. Nawalgarh is home to some of
the leading merchant families of the country.
This is also the
place to find some of the finest frescoes in the entire region. Look for
Roop Niwas, Poddar haveli, Saat Haveli, a few old temples,and forts and a
heritage hotel. Dundlod is known for its fort and a palace that has been
turned into a heritage hotel. The Goenka havelis are also famous. The fort
of Mandawa dominates the town and it was one of the earliest heritage hotels
in this area.
The Chokhani, Ladia and Saraf havelies should be
will find something to fascinate you and hold your interest. If carrying
excess baggage does not daunt you, then buy the rustic, carved wooden
furniture and other items for your home. Quaint little wooden things that
belong to the late 19th century, or may be the early 20th century,can be
found all over this region. If pots and pans interest you then do look out
for some traditional cooking vessels in the markets.
