The Shekhawati region lies north of Jaipur. The region is located along the old caravan trade route. Here Marwari businessmen constructed their mansions or havelis in the 18th and 19th Centuries.They often made their wealth in the coastal cities such as Mumbai.because during the British period, trade rivalry pushed the Marwari’s to leave and trade in the major ports on the coast.With their new found wealth they built eleborate homes back home in the Shekhawati region to house their families.The “Garden of the Shekha” is made up of towns which are known for their beautiful havelis or mansions. The havelis are renowned for the frescoes that decorate the exterior walls. The landscape here is desert like and therefore the colourful homes do stand out.
Mythology and local fauna are the subject of the frescoes that decorate the walls.Some frescoes illustrate the valor of Lord Rama and the miracles of Lord Krishna but with the advent of British rule the subject of the paintings also changed. Some frescoes show chugging trains and men in military uniform.
Towns of interest in this region are Mandawa, Dundlod, Nawalgarh, Sikar, Lachmangarh and Fatehpur and the regions country roads connect these towns allowing a visitor to the region to explore at leisure.
In many of the towns the frescoes have not been maintained and it is now a race against time to restore them before it is too late. Unfortunately it is sometimes hard to determine ownership and permission for restoring the frescoes needs to be obtained first. The successful families that built these homes are now living in other parts of India.
In Fatehpur a beautiful haveli was purchased by a French artist Nadine Le Prince in 1999. The haveli had been built in 1802 by a rich family of traders, the Deora, who were officers at the court of the local Maharaja.Nadine Le Prince has entirely restored this palace and all the frescoes to their original state. She is doing much to preserve and restore the wonderful and unique heritage of havelis in Shekhawati.