India 15 - Rajasthan (Chapter)

Rajasthan

EASTERN

R AJASTHAN

Rajasthan

Si GHTS

Rajasthan

SHEKHAWAT

i

pedestrianised bazaar and some excellent

accommodation options.

1 ̈Sights

Dr ̈Ramnath ̈A ̈

Podar ̈Haveli ̈Museum ̈ MUSEUM

(www.podarhavelimuseum.org; admission ₹100,

camera ₹30; h8.30am-6.30pm) Built in 1902

on the eastern side of town, and known

locally simply as ‘Podar Haveli’, this is one

of the region’s few buildings to have been

thoroughly restored. The paintings of this

haveli are defined in strong colours, and

are the most vivid murals in town, although

purists point to the fact that they have been

repainted rather than cleaned and restored.

On the ground floor are several galleries on

Rajasthani culture, including examples of

different schools of Rajasthani painting, tur-

bans, tablas and polystyrene forts.

Morarka ̈Haveli ̈Museum ̈ MUSEUM

(admission ₹50; h8am-7pm) This museum has

well-presented original paintings, preserved

for decades behind doorways blocked with

cement. The inner courtyard hosts some

gorgeous Ramayana scenes; look out for

the slightly incongruous image of Jesus

on the top storey, beneath the eaves in the

courtyard’s southeast corner. Turn left out

of Podar Haveli, then first right and it’s on

your right.

Bhagton ̈ki ̈Choti ̈Haveli ̈HiSTORiC BU il DiNG

(admission ₹50) On the external west wall

here is a locomotive and a steamship. Above

them, elephant-bodied gopis (milk maids)

dance. Adjacent to this, women dance dur-

ing Holi festival. Inside you’ll find a host of

other murals, including one strange picture

(in a room on the west side) of a European-

looking man with a cane and pipe, and a

small dog on his shoulder. To get here, turn

left out of Moraka Haveli, take the first right,

then left, then first right again and it’s on

your left.

2 ̈Activities ̈& ̈Tours

Ramesh Jangid at Apani Dhani and his son

Rajesh at Ramesh Jangid’s Tourist Pension

are keen to promote sustainable rural tour-

ism. They organise guided hiking ̈trips (two

to three days from ₹1750 per person), guided

camel-cart rides (half-day ₹1400) to outly-

ing villages and guided tours ̈by ̈car (full-

day from ₹800 per person) to other towns

in the region. They also arrange workshops

with local craftspeople for tie-dying and

bangle-making (per person ₹300) as well

as cookery ̈classes.

Jaipur (60km)

(25km)

Rajgarh

(10km)

Sardarshah

CHURU

SIKAR

JHUNJHUNU

HARYANA

Mahansar

Ramgarh

Mandawa

Fatehpur

Dundlod

Nawalgarh

Jhunjhunu

Lohargal

Putli

Kot

Thana

Nim Ka

Loharu

Mukundgarh

Babai

Amarsar

Sri Madhopur

Khandela Kanwat

Raghunathgarh

Narnaul

Khetri

Singhana

Islampur

Baggar Chirawa

Pilani

Mandrela

Malsisar

Didwana

Bairat

Shahpura

Udaipurvati

Bissau

Sikar

Churu

River

Sabi

Sota River

Sanctuary

Wildlife

Tal Chhapar

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11

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Shekhawati^00 12 miles20 km