NORTHERN () 273 smothered smothered

Parsurampura Ramgarh (cenotaphs) and © Lonely Planet Publications Planet Lonely © Nawalgarh Fatehpur so fascinating is the manner in (step-wells), (step-wells), baoris (mer- ( p284 ). (traditional, ornately decorated residences), decorated (traditional, ornately ( p282 ), ( p292 ), havelis havelis havelis ( p289 ) Fatehpur

Mukundgarh Parsurampura ( p280 ), exploring Mahansar ( p286 ) – all arches, columns ) – all arches, columns p286 ( ( p290 ) and Sone ki Dukan , featuring Sone ki Dukan featuring Haveli,

Nawalgarh Nawalgarh unchanged rural villages. Haveli Nadine Prince in Haveli lavish paintings using real gold, in sleepy, gold, in sleepy, lavish paintings using real back-in-time Jhunjhunu lunch in its cool café. lingering over from whimsy. and architectural chants’ houses) in Ramgarh

time out in the beautifully restored Take Take in Take the derelict Mahal Explore in at glorious technicolour Gaze minded tour Head out on an ecologically

„ „ „ „ „ HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS

Part of what makes the artworkPart on Shekhawati’s Today it seems curious that such care, attention and financing was lavished on these these and financing was lavished on attention that such care, Today it seems curious a selection of highlights. Look out, too, for forts,a selection of highlights. homes you may stumble across on your journey through Shekhawati,homes you may stumble across on your journey includes this chapter and all its concerns, a century and more ago. While it’s impossible to detail all the beautiful While it’s impossible ago. and all its concerns, a century and more their imagination. As a whole these kaleidoscopic images present a unique document of life, a whole these kaleidoscopic a unique document of life, As images present their imagination. accounts of current events, many of which these isolated painters rendered straight from rendered painters of which these isolated many events, accounts of current images of the family, with contemporary concerns, including brand-new inventions and and inventions concerns, including brand-new images of the family, with contemporary which their artists combined traditional subjects, such as mythology, religious scenes and which their artists combined traditional subjects, religious such as mythology, most famous for its painted most famous for its painted Far less visited than most other parts of Rajasthan, the extraordinary Shekhawati region is Shekhawati region parts than most other less visited Rajasthan, of the extraordinary Far (Shekhawati) Northern Rajasthan impress the neighbours. impress mosques, all ripe for the discovery. pickings,families and back to build grand edifices to house their and sent all their money from the 18th and 19th centuries, when the local merchants moved to places with richer to places with richer centuries, when the local merchants moved from the 18th and 19th tant trading posts on the caravan routes from Gujarati ports. Most buildings, though, date ports. from Gujarati though, date Most buildings, caravan routes tant trading posts on the out-of-the-way century onwards, Shekhawati’s houses, but from the 14th impor- towns were to flicker like beacons as they move across the barren fields. fields. across the barren to flicker like they move beacons as track roads that run through bleak, arid countryside, where women’s colourful bleak, arid countryside, where track roads that run through clothes seem that these works of art are largely found in tiny towns, connected to each other by single- found in tiny towns, connected that these works of art largely are with dazzling, often cartoonlike murals. What makes the region all the more astonishing is astonishing is the more all cartoonlikewith dazzling, often What makes the region murals. NORTHERN RAJASTHAN (SHEKHAWATI) sm family. same dal domainsthat were mainly runbythe glomeration of quarrelsome separate, feu- a singleprincipality, butremained acon- the region combinedinto wasthusnever themselves. Unlike otherareas of Rajasthan, noted fortheirpenchant forarguing among like rulers, other Rajasthani were oncemost ers). TheShekhawati Nawabs (Muslimrulingprincesor landown- Fatehpur) held bytheMuslimKayamkhani with portions(principallyJhunjhunu and early history,dominated bytheShekhawats, fertile Ganges Valley, thisregion was,inits andthe theportsof between theArabianSea A rich butlawlesslandonthetraderoute 274 History (30km) Wildlife Sanctuary To Tal To (150km) (10km) To Sardarshahr NORTHERN RAJASTHAN(SHEKHAWATI) Didwana Ratangarh OTENRJSHN(HKAAI (SHEKHAWATI) RAJASTHAN NORTHERN CHURU NAGAUR 11 Ramgarh Fatehpur Lakshmangarh Churu thakurs Mahansar Mukundgarh Khur Bissau (noblemen), To Rajgarh (10km) Danta Ramgarh SIKAR 11 Jhunjhunu Palsana Nawalgarh Kishagarh Raghunathgarh Baggar Parsurampura built inthe 18thcentury,the Shekhawats were the really never however, trustedThe Rajputs, a ceremonial reception heldbythechief). (hereditary noblesentitled tobereceived at with thehereditary titlesof and Amber,which inturnhonoured them of states nominal loyaltytotheRajput north and west. east of theAravalli Hills,encroached tothe already themselves inthearea installed tothe Aurangzeb in1707,hisdescendants,whohad empire declined after of thedeath theemperor Shekha. Asby thenameof Rao theMughal Kachhwahaa 15th-centuryRajput chieftain Mandrela Gudha Ker The The name‘Shekhawati’ canbetracedto Udaipurvati thakurs Islampur JHUNJHUNU thakurs Ringas Sri Madhopur –forexample,when Jaipur was Babai Ki Dhan of theregion retained a Badhan 20miles 30km 0 0 JAIPUR Kanwat To Jaipur (30km) Thana Nim Ka Kajra Khetri Manoharpur Singhana Amarsar Samode H ARYN lonelyplanet.com tazimi sardars Shahpura Sota Narnaul

To Dausa River (30km)

Sabi 8 11A Kot Putli To (150km) To Delhi (150km) River