This region in North Rajasthan is special, as it has produced the maximum number of millionaires and billionaires in India! The wealthy merchants of this region popularly known as Marwaris are spread all over the world but still own their ancestral mansions (havelis) in their native villages and towns. The five great deeds a marwari merchant is supposed to do are to build a haveli, a well, a school, a dharamshala (Caravanserai) and a temple. The merchants, flushed with money, competed with each other in building such structures.
Shekhawati is named after its ruler Rao Shekha of the 15th century. Strategically placed on the route between ports of Gujarat and Northern India.The most notable of these are their havelis, which were probably built between 18th and 20th century. Many havelis are huge with more than one courtyard, with dozens of rooms and balconies. The piece de resistance is the extremely fine depictions of various designs and characters in the form of frescoes covering all walls and ceilings.
Over and above everything is the sheer number of havelis that line the streets of these small towns. This makes the Shekhawati probably the LARGEST OPEN AIR ART GALLERY IN THE WORLD! Almost all havelis are vacant with one or two caretakers living in. As the residents have migrated for business, many Shekhawati towns look like GHOST TOWNS.Besides the havelis, the Shekhawati region also has few forts, minor castles and temples.
Prominent towns of the region are Nawalgarh, Mandawa, Mahansar, Mukundgarh, Lachhmangarh, Singhana, Parsrampura, Khetri, Baggar and Jhunjhunu.Few farm retreats have also recently come up with the idea of an eco-friendly stay. Tal Chhapar Sanctuary is a good excursion point; the sanctuary has an overwhelming population of Blackbucks.
Shekhawati Tours
