Shekhawati

This region in northeastern Rajasthan is renowned for its painted havelis and old forts. Shekhawati (literally "garden of shekha") takes its name from Rao Shekhaji, a Rajput king of this region, who was born in 1433. He was named after a fakir (Muslim holy man) named Sheikh Burhanby, who granted a boon to his parents that they would bear a son. In another unwitting contribution to history, the sheikh had come to India with the Mongol invader Tamerlane in 1398, dressed in a blue robe—hence the color of Shekhawati's flag. The region has had a turbulent history ever since, experiencing the conquests and defeats of Rajput princes, alliances with the Moghuls after Akbar, and finally suzerainty under the British Raj. The region is made up of smaller principalities, including Sikar, Lachhmangarh, Churi Ajitgarh, Mukundgarh, Jhunjhunu, Mandawa, Fatehpur, and Churu.

A regional center of trade between the 18th and 20th centuries, Shekhawati is now known as Rajasthan's open-air art gallery, thanks to the frescoes painted on the walls of ornate havelis throughout the region. Influenced by the Persian, Jaipur, and Moghul schools of painting, Shekhawati's frescoes illustrate subjects ranging from mythological stories and local legends to hunting safaris and scenes of everyday life. You'll even find illustrated experiences with the British and cars or planes. The introduction of photography in 1840 gave Shekhawati's painters still more to work with. The painters themselves were called chiteras and belonged to the caste of kumhars (potters). Initially, they colored their masterpieces with vegetable pigments; after mixing these with lime water and treating the wall with three layers of a very fine clay, the chiteras painstakingly drew their designs on a last layer of filtered lime dust. Time was short, as the design had to be completed before the plaster dried, but the highly refined technique ensured that the images would not fade.

The havelis that contain these masterpieces are themselves spectacular. These havelis have courtyards, exquisitely latticed windows, intricate mirror work, vaulted ceilings, immense balconies, and ornate gateways and facades. They date from the British Raj, during which traditional overland trading routes to Central Asia, Europe, and China were slowly superseded by rail and sea routes. In the 19th century, Marwari traders (Hindus from the vaisya, or trading, caste) who had once profited from the overland trading system, then migrated to Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras (modern-day Kolkata, Mumbai, and Chennai) to seek new fortunes. The wealthy Marwaris maintained connections with their ancestral homes, sending remittance from their new enterprises. Often this money was used to build lavish havelis, adorned with elaborate frescoes. Many of the havelis, as well as some old Rajput forts, are now open to the public. Some have been converted to Heritage Hotels. Stay in a few if you can, and take a day or two to explore the towns around them.

The golden age of fresco painting came to an end by the 1930s with the mass exodus of the Marwaris, who had left to resettle in the commercial centers. Since then, many of these beautiful mansions and their paintings have fallen into disrepair. Only a handful have survived—some have been restored by their owners, and a few have been converted into hotels. In Sikar, formerly the wealthiest trading center, look for the Biyani, Murarka, and Somani havelis. Lachhmangarh features the grand Char Chowk Haveli, particularly evocative of the prosperous Marwari lifestyle. A planned city like Jaipur, Lachhmangarh is home to a popular ayurvedic center, SPG Kaya Kalp and Research Center (Tara Kung, Salasar Rd.1573/64230), which teaches yoga, meditation, and various therapies. In the village of Churi Ajitgarh, unusually erotic frescoes are painted behind doors and on bedroom ceilings in the Shiv Narain Nemani, Kothi Shiv Datt, and Rai Jagan Lal Tibrewal havelis. The frescoed temples of Jhunjhunu make for interesting comparisons: visit Laxmi Nath, Mertani Baori, Ajeet Sagar, and Qamrudin Shah Ki Dargah Fatehpur. Mukandgarh has an excellent craft market, known especially for textiles, brass ware, and iron scissors, in addition to the Kanoria, Ganeriwala, and Bheekraj Nangalia havelis. Warrior-statesman Thakur Nawal Singh founded Nawalgarh in 1737, and the town boasts some of the best frescoes in Shekhawati in its Aath, Anandilal Poddar, Jodhraj Patodia, and Chokhani havelis, as well as in the Roop Niwas Kothi hotel.

You need at least two days to explore Shekhawati even perfunctorily; it cannot be accomplished en route between Jaipur and Delhi in a single day. Jhunjhunu, for instance, is 180 km (112 mi) northwest from Jaipur and 240 km (149 mi) west from Delhi. You would need to stop two nights in Shekhawati, perhaps one at Jhunjhunu and one at Dundlod, Mukandgarh, or Mandawa (55 km , 45 km , and 30 km southwest, respectively, from Jhunjhunu) or Nawalgarh (35 km southwest from Jhunjhunu). Alternatively, spend one night at Jhunjhunu and one at Neemrana if you're en route to Delhi.

Between Shekhawati and Delhi, just off the main Jaipur-Delhi highway (100 km southwest of Delhi, off NH-8, in Village Neemrana in the Alwar district) is the beautiful Neemrana Fort Palace, now a hotel and an outstanding example of imaginative restoration.