Havelis of Shekhawati

Havelis of Shekhawati

Shekhawati, which means the garden of Shekha, derives its name from Rao Shekha who was its former ruler. It is located in a semi-arid region that is located in the northeast part of Rajasthan. It includes the administrative districts of Jhunjhunu and Sikar. The region of Shekhawati is spread around an area of 13784 square kilometers. This place is also known as the - Open Art Gallery of Rajasthan - . The Havelis of Shekhawati, India are very famous for their rich paintings. There are numerous havelis in Shekhawati and wealthy merchants built all these havelis that are present in Shekhawati. These havelis served as a measure of the prosperity and the success of the merchants. These havelis are rich in artistic tradition and some of them were even built in the early 20th century. The carvings and the artistic works in these havelis also depict mythological themes as well as the images of huge animals.

The Beautiful Havelis

The main feature of these havelis are the frescoes that are seen almost everywhere i.e. on the facades, gateways, courtyard walls parapets and ceilings. These frescoes seem to narrate an interesting tale in a colorful manner. Today majority of the havelis are private property and not open for public viewing but still there are quite a lot open for public visits. Some of the famous Havelis of Shekhawati, India are: -

- Goenka Haveli - The Mahavir Prasad Goenka Haveli which is situated in Fatehpur is considered by all the people visiting there as having the best paintings of the region. So it attracts a lot of people. But, however, the saddest part of this Haveli is that it is closed most of the time.
- Nand Lal Devra Haveli - This Haveli is also one of the most beautiful places to visit. In this Haveli a French Woman Nadine Le Prince brought life to this Haveli by incorporating some of the measures to keep the paintings all right.
- Aath Haveli - This haveli is a complex of six havelis. This group of havelis reflects the thematic change in the fresco painting with one section depicting elephants, horses and camels while another depicting a steam locomotive.

Amongst the other Havelis of Shekhawati, India are Gulag Rai Haveli, Sona Ki Dukan Haveli and the Vishunath Keria Haveli.

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