Mandawais a town in Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan in India. It is part of Shekhawati
region. Mandawa is situated 190 km off Jaipur in the north. The town lies
between latitude 28° 06’ in the north and longitude 75° 20’ in the east.
Mandawa is known for its fort and havelis. The fort town of Mandawa is well
connected with the other places in region through a good network of roads. Just
as the whole of Shekhawati region is worth visiting, Mandawa is another ancient
and one of the oldest most cities in the region, definitely worth a holiday. An
important stoppage for traders and merchants who exchanged good via the silk
route back in those days, this city has a number of palaces and havelis and
forts. Having grown in a culturally rich atmosphere, the locals have the sense
of appreciating art and are involved in art work like painting, craft
handicraft etc. Mandawa can be easily reached by road and is a good option to
sit back and relax while the eyes see and the brains appreciate art.
Every
haveli in Mandawa has its own art and painting depiction. The Hanuman Prasad
Goenka Mansion features a painting of Lord Shiv on Nandi, his bull and one of
Indra Dev sitting on an elephant. The Murmuria Haveli is known for being the
latest work of artists in the region. The walls of the haveli feature paintings
of cars and trains. It also has murals with Nehruji on a horse with a national
flag and also has paintings of Lord Krishna.
The
Goenka Double Haveli has a prominent façade and features two entrances. The
façade has murals of horses and elephants. The haveli has protruding balconies
and jutting upper floors with beautiful paintings and interesting patterns. The
paintings depict typical Rajasthani ladies and also stylish European women
wearing hats and adorning Victorian styles.
The
Jhunjhunwala Haveli has an attractive painting of a gold leaf in a room next to
the courtyard. At the southern end of the town is the Gulab Rai Ladia Mansion.
This mansion is known for its fine art decorations that are depicted on both
the inner as well as outer walls. These murals are some of the best and finest
in the entire region of Shekhawati. The Mohan Lal Saraf Mansion also features
beautiful paintings; the painting of the Maharaja fondling his moustache is the
most prominent in the haveli.
The
City of Mandawa was made a thikana in the middle of the 18th century. There
have been earlier references to Mandu Jat as the founder of the Mandawa
village. He first established a Dhani (hamlet) and dug a well here, which was
completed on savan badi 5 samvat 1797 (1740 AD) (source – Shekhawati Bodh,
Mandawa special issue, July 2005). Initially, this place was known as ‘Mandu ki
dhani’, ‘Mandu ka bas’ or ‘Manduwas’ which changed to ‘Manduwa’, ‘Mandwa’ and
finally ‘Mandawa’.
A
remote feudal principality in the centre of the Shekhawati region, Mandawa was
a trading outpost for the ancient caravan routes that stopped here from China
and the Middle East. Thakur Nawal Singh, the Rajput ruler of Nawalgarh and
Mandawa, built a fort in 1755 to protect this outpost. The township that grew
around the fort soon attracted a large community of traders, who settled here.
The
right to rule over Mandawa was granted to Kunwar Akhayraj Singh by his brother
Maharaja Suraj Singh of Shekhawati in the year 1640 CE.
Kunwar
Akhayraj Singh (1640-1676)
Kunwar
Himmat Singh (1676-1698)
Kunwar
Himeshraj Singh (1698-1710)
Kunwar
Jindal Deo (1710-1728)
Kunwar
Aryapratap Singh (1728-1746)
Kunwar
Manvendra Singh (1746-1777)
Thefort of Mandawa was founded in the 18th century. Thakur Nawal Singh, son of
Shardul Singh, founded the fort in Vikram Samvat 1812 (1755 AD). The fort
dominates the town with a painted arched gateway adorned with frescoes of Lord
Krishna and his cows. Built as per a medieval theme, the castle of Mandawa is
adorned with beautiful frescoes. Rooms in the palace are decorated with
paintings of Lord Krishna, exquisite carvings and amazing mirror work. The
palace's Durbar Hall houses a number of antiques and paintings.
Situated
in the middle of the town, the Mandawa Fort has been converted into a heritage
hotel.
A
haveli in Mandawa
This
town has been referred to as the "open art gallery" of Rajasthan
because the entire Shekhawati region and not just Mandawa is dotted with
fascinating mansions (havelis) that have lavishly painted walls.
This
100-year-old Haveli is famous for its architecture and paintings, Bollywood's
Favorite Destination for Movie Shooting, PK, Bajrangi Bhaijan, Mirza Sahibaan
and many more
The
Haveli has been recently converted into a Heritage Hotel where one can
experience untouched frescos dating back to the 18th century. Vivaana Culture
Hotel is a captivating twin haveli adorned with fascinating paintings. Both the
exterior and interior boast of superb and rare artifacts and frescos. The over
a century old haveli has been lovingly restored and renovated maintaining the
old world charm.
This
haveli has a painting depicting Indra Dev on an elephant and Lord Shiva on his
Nandi bull.
This
haveli, with two gates, has a monumental façade of elephants and horses. The
outer walls, jutting balconies, alcoves and overhanging upper stories are
replete with patterns and paintings, ranging from traditional Rajasthani women
and religious motifs to Europeans wearing stylish hats and other Victorian
finery.
The
paintings of trains, cars, George V, and Venice were executed on the walls of
this haveli during the 1930s by Balu Ram, one of the last working artists of
the region. In pictures - like Lord Krishna with his cows in the English
courtyard and a young Nehru on a horseback, holding the national flag - this
haveli uses a unique theme blending the East with the West. The haveli also
features a long frieze depicting a train with a crow flying above the engine
and much activity at the railway crossing.
The
haveli features a striking gold leaf painted room located to the right of the
main courtyard.
A
picture of a Maharaja stroking his moustaches beautifies this haveli.
This
haveli is located 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.
The
Bansidhar Newatia Haveli, Lakshminarayan Ladia Haveli and Chokhani Double
Haveli are some of the other painted havelis in the area.
Murals
in the Thakurji temple, located opposite the Goenka Double Haveli and the
Murmuria Haveli, include soldiers being shot from the mouths of cannons, a
reflection of the horrors of the Mutiny of 1857. Further west are a couple of
chhatris, and a step-well, still used today and bearing paintings inside its decorative
corner domes.
This
more than 100-year-old haveli is located in the main market of the town, near
Sonthaliya Darwaza.
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