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 Jhunjhunu 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
large concentration of frescoes. This is even more interesting as
the landscape here is totally bare - flat and colourless.
Rao
Shekha, the founder of Shekhawati, came to power at the young age of
12 and established a region 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 on
their 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 in the patronage. 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 mentioned earlier, reflected those times and
very soon the purely mythological them gave way to western
influences. Cars, trains, airplanes, ships, telephones, foreigners
in hats, suits and gowns began to appear on the walls with scenes
from Lord Krishna's life.
Attractions to See
- Mandawa
- Jhunjhunu
- Dundlod
- Nawalgarh
How to Reach
- By Air
Sangner Airport at Jaipur. The area could
be easily accessed through Jaipur airport.
- By Rail
Well connected to cities in Rajasthan.
Shekhawati Express connects Delhi to Shekhawati.
- By Road
The Shikar and Jhunjhunu are connected to
Rajasthan. The distance between Sikar and Jaipur is 114 kms.
