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.
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