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History
The compact and busy
little market town of
Mandawa was settled and
fortified in 18th
century by the dominant
merchant families of the
region. The wealthy
businessmen of the
village constructed many
havelis and baolis with
colored painting
adorning their walls.
Later on, with the
migration of these
merchant families, their
old settlements remained
in total obscurity with
no one to look after
them. Despite the time
lapse and ignorance
about these visual and
architectural
extravaganzas, their
attraction did not fade
and today they are some
of the major attractions
for the tourists
visiting Rajasthan..
About This Place
Rising from a flat,
featureless landscape
roughly midway between
Jhunjhunu and Fatehpur,
MANDAWA was
founded by the Shekawats
in 1755, though most of
its paintwork dates from
the early nineteenth
century. The town's
imposing fort ,
right in the centre, now
houses the most famous
hotel in the
region, whose prominence
on the upmarket
tour-group trail has
made this a more
tourist-oriented place
than anywhere else in
Shekhawati. However, the
handicraft shops, touts
and guides clustered
around its
cannonball-chipped walls
detract very little from
the dilapidated beauty
of the nearby mansions,
and you could well find
yourself tempted to stay
a day or two. In
addition to some fine
monuments, Mandawa
harbours a
better-than-average
batch of hotels, among
them one of the few
genuine havelis
run as a budget
guesthouse.
The outer walls, jutting
balconies, alcoves and
overhanging upper
storeys of the Goenka
Double Haveli in the
west of town are replete
with patterns and
paintings, ranging from
traditional Rajasthani
women and religious
motifs to Europeans in
stylish hats and
Victorian finery. In the
Nand Lal Murmuria
Haveli next door,
the paintings of trains,
cars, George V, and
Venice were executed
during the 1930s by Balu
Ram, one of the last
working artists of the
region. Murals in the
Thakurji temple
opposite these two
mansions include
soldiers being shot from
the mouths of cannons, a
reflection of the
horrors of the Mutiny.
Further west are a
couple of chhatris
, and a step-well, still
used today and bearing
paintings inside its
decorative corner domes.
Another haveli
worth asking for by name
is Gulab Rai Wadia
Haveli , in the
south of town, where the
decoration of the outer
and inner walls is
perhaps the finest in
Shekhawati. Blue washes
here and there betray
twentieth-century
censorship of the erotic
scenes that had been
commonly acceptable one
hundred years earlier.
Just south of here, the
Chowkhadi Haveli
is unique in the region
for having twin wings.
Its murals are
particularly beautiful
and well preserved; look
for the miserable
British soldiers and
chillum -smoking
sadhu on the walls
in the recess of the
facade.
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Excursions
Dundlod
Dundlod is
situated around
30 southeast of
Mandawa and is
famous for its
fort and havelis.
The attractions
in this place
include the
Jagathia Haveli,
Satyanarayan
Temple, and
Tuganram Goenka
Haveli apart
from the Dundlod
fort and palace.
Fatehpur
Fatehpur was
established in
1451 as a
capital for
Muslim nawabs
but was taken by
the Shekhawat
Rajputs in the
18th century.
Some of the
attractions
include the
Mahavir Prasad
Goenka Haveli,
Gauri Shankar
Haveli, Nand Lal
Devra Haveli,
and Harikrishnan
Das Sarogi
Haveli apart
from a 17th
century baoli
Nawalgarh
Nawalgarh is
situated around
37 km south of
Mandawa and is
famous for its
fort, built in
1737. Other
attractions here
include havelis
of Anandi Lal
Poddar, Aath
Haveli, Hem Raj
Kulwal Haveli,
Bhagton Ki
Haveli, and
Khedwal Bhavan.
Parsurampura
Parsurampura is
located some 43
km south east of
Mandawa and has
the distinction
of having the
best-preserved
and oldest
paintings in the
Shekhawati
region. |
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