Rajasthan
EASTERN
R AJASTHAN
Rajasthan
Sl EEP iNG & E AT iNG
Rajasthan
SHEKHAWAT
i
4 ̈Sleeping ̈& ̈Eating
DS ̈Bungalow ̈ GUESTHOUSE $
(%9983168916; s ₹350-450, d ₹400-500) Next
door to Shekhawati Guesthouse, this simple
place is run by a friendly, down-to-earth cou-
ple and has small air-cooled rooms and tasty
home cooking.
oApani ̈Dhani ̈ GUESTHOUSE $$
(%222239; http://www.apanidhani.com; s/d from ₹750/
- (^) S This award-winning ecotourism
venture is a delightful and relaxing place.
Rooms are in traditional, cosy mud-hut
bungalows, enhanced by thatched roofs and
comfortable beds, around a bougainvillea-
shaded courtyard. It’s on the west side of the
Jaipur road. Multilingual Ramesh Jangid
runs the show and 5% of the room tariff goes
to community projects. Turn right out of the
main bus stand, take the first left and it’s on
your left after about 500m.
oRamesh ̈Jangid’s
Tourist ̈Pension ̈ GUESTHOUSE $$
(%224060; http://www.touristpension.com; s/d/tr from
₹800/1050/1350; iW) (^) S This lovely court-
yard guesthouse, run by Ramesh’s son
Rajesh and his family, offers clean accom-
modation in spacious, well-decorated rooms
with big beds. Delicious vegetarian meals
(lunch/dinner ₹250/350), made with organic
ingredients, are available (breakfast is free),
as are safe-to-drink water refills. There’s so-
lar heating, recycling bins, an internet ter-
minal, and wi-fi stretches into the rooms.
Turn right out of the main bus stand, take
the second left (by the water tower) then the
second left again (after about 1km). Then
take the first right (signposted), then the
first left and it’s on your left.
Shekhawati ̈Guesthouse ̈ GUESTHOUSE $$
(%224658; http://www.shekhawatiguesthouse.com; s/d
/tr ₹500/600/800, cottages s/d/tr ₹ 800/1000/
1400; aiW) This friendly guesthouse is
more like a homestay run by a very friendly
couple. There are six rooms in the main build-
ing plus five atmospheric, thatch-roofed,
mud-walled cottages in the garden. The res-
taurant has received awards for its delicious
organic food and we heartily recommend the
kheer (rice pudding). It’s 4km east of the bus
stand (₹60 by taxi). Pick-up from the bus or
train station can be arranged, as can cook-
ing lessons. It’s about 600m walk from the
Morarka and Podar Havelis (turn right out of
Morarka Haveli and keep going).
8 Getting ̈There ̈& ̈Away
BUS
The main bus stand is little more than a dusty
car park accessed through a large yellow double-
arched gateway. Frequent services run to Jaipur
(₹107, 3½ hours, every 15 minutes), Jhunjhunu
(₹31, 1 hour) and Mandawa (₹25, 45 minutes).
Jhunjhunu
% 01592 / POP 131,000
Shekhawati’s most important commercial
centre has a different atmosphere from
the smaller towns, with lots of traffic,
SHEKHAWATI’S ̈OUTDOOR ̈GALLERIES
In the 18th and 19th centuries, shrewd Marwari merchants lived frugally and far from
home while earning money in India’s new commercial centres. They sent the bulk of
their vast fortunes back to their families in Shekhawati to construct grand havelis (tradi-
tional, ornately decorated mansions) to show their neighbours how well they were doing
and to compensate their families for their long absences. Merchants competed with one
another to build ever more grand edifices – homes, temples, step-wells – which were
richly decorated, both inside and out, with painted murals.
The artists responsible for these acres of decoration largely belonged to the caste
of kumhars (potters) and were both the builders and painters of the havelis. Known as
chajeras (masons), many were commissioned from beyond Shekhawati – particularly
from Jaipur, where they had been employed to decorate the new capital’s palaces – and
others flooded in from further afield to offer their skills. Soon, there was a cross-
pollination of ideas and techniques, with local artists learning from the new arrivals.
Haveli walls were frequently painted by the chajeras from the ground to the eaves.
Often the paintings mix depictions of the gods and their lives with everyday scenes
featuring modern inventions, such as trains and aeroplanes, even though these artists
themselves had never seen them. Hence, Krishna and Radha are seen in flying motor-
cars and Europeans can be observed inflating hot-air balloons by blowing into them.