Shekhawati is located in North Rajasthan comprising districts like
Jhunjhunu,
Sikar,
Churu and
Nagaur. History has it that in the 18th and 19th centuries,
Marwari merchants constructed these grand havelis in the Shekhawati region. Steeped in wealth and affluence, these merchants got busy outdoing others in building more grand edifices - homes, temples, step wells which were richly decorated both inside and outside with painted murals. It is bounded on the northwest by the
Jangladesh region, on the northeast by
Haryana, on the east by
Mewat, on the southeast by
Dhundhar, on the south by
Ajmer, and on the southwest by the
Marwar region.
Its area is 13784 square kilometers. The inhabitants of Shekhawati are considered brave, sacrificing and hard working people.
Etymology of Shekhawati
Shekhawati was first mentioned in the book Bankidas ki Khyat. Contemporary of Bankidas was Colonel W.S.Gardener, who used the word Shekhawati in the year 1803. Later Colonel James Tod wrote the first history of Shekhawati. The term Shekhawati was used frequently in Vamsh Bhaskar. This suggests that the term Shekhawati came in use about two and half centuries ago. Shekhawati is named after Rao Shekha.
Geographydit]
Shekhawati region of Rajasthan
Shekhawati is in a desert area of Rajasthan and has special importance in the history of India.
The natural climatic conditions in the region are very harsh and extreme. The temperature ranges from below 0 °C (32 °F) in winter to more than 50 °C (122 °F) in summer. The summer brings hot waves of air called
loo. Annual rainfall is at around 450 to 600 mm. The
groundwater is as deep as 200 feet (60 m), and in some places, the groundwater is
hard and salty. The people in the region depend on
rainwater harvesting. The harvested rainwater from the monsoon season (during July and August) is stored in
pucca tanks and used throughout the year for drinking purposes.
Shekhawati dialect
Shekhawati is a dialect of the Rajasthani language and is spoken by about three million speakers in the Churu, Jhunjhunu, and Sikar districts of Rajasthan. Even though it is a very important dialect from the grammatical and literary points of view, very little work is carried out on it. In 2001 a descriptive compendium of the grammar of Shekhawati was published. Shekhawati, like the Bagri dialect of Ganganagar and Hanumangarh districts, has a parallel lexicon which makes it very rich from the lexicographical point of view. Word order is typically SOV and there is an existence of implosives. The presence of high tone atsuprasegmental level classifies it with other dialects of Rajasthani. It has contributed a lot to the development of Rajasthani language and linguistics.
Some samples in Shekhawati are:
- Kai Hoyo? कै होयो? = What happened ?
- The Kai kar rieya ho? थे कै कर रिया हो?= What are you doing ?
- Ma Thane ghano samman desyu. मैं थाने घणो सम्मान देस्यु = I will give you great respect.
- The sidh ja riya ho? थे सिद्ध जा रिया हो?= Where are you going?
- The ke kha rahiya ho? थे के खा रहिया हो ? = What are you eating?
History
Ancient history
Many historians have considered this region included in the
Matsya Kingdom.
Rigveda also provides certain evidences in this matter.
Manusmriti has called this land as 'brahmrishi desha'.
Shekhawati region was included in 'marukantar desha' up to
Ramayana period. Out of 16
mahajanapadas prior to
Buddha, only two janapadas, namely
Avanti and the Kingdom of
Viratawere counted in Rajasthan area. This region was also influenced by Avanti but later on
Nandas of
Magadha defeated Avanti. Historians believe that
Mauryas obtained the Rajasthan from
Nandas.
In ancient times Shekhawati was not limited to the present two districts. During the Mahabharata period it was known as
Matsya Kingdom and extended to the
Sarasvati River. This was because the first clan ruling this region, in the Mahabharata period, were descendants of fishermen. So the
Vedas were supposed to be written and compiled on this very land. During ancient times this region was divided into several
janapadas. Every janapada was a free
republic state. The development of janapadas in Rajasthan started with habitation of Aryan. The northern part of Rajasthan was known as
Jangladesh (
Bikaner and
Nagaur) during
Mahabharata period. and eastern part Jaipur-Alwar were called the
Matsya Kingdom.
Pandavas had spent one year of their vanishment in this Kingdom of
Virata as their abode, to live in anonymity, after the expiry of their twelve-year-long forest life.
Dhosi Hill, the revered Hill, bordering
Haryana, famous for
Chyavana Rishi's Ashram, and place where
Chyawanprash was formulated for the first time has extensive mentions in the epic
Mahabharat in Vanparv. According to Vimal Charanlal, this Kingdom of
Virata extended from
Jhunjhunu to Kotkasim 109 km in the north, Jhunjhunu to Ajmer 184 km in the west, Ajmer to Banas and up to confluence of Chambal River 229 km in the south. The capital of this Kingdom of
Virata was
Bairat.
Kaimkhani is a branch emerged from
Chauhans. The first progenitor of Kaimkhanis was Karamchand, born in the family of Moterao of Chauhan clan, the ruler of
Dadrewa.
Firuz Shah Tughluq converted him to Islam and named him Kaimkhan. Thus his descendants were called Kaimkhani.
Shekhawat Rule
Laxmangarh fort in Laxmangarh nearSikar
Shekhawati was established by Shekhawat Rajputs and it was ruled by them until
India's independence.
Rao Shekha Ji from
Dhundhar established his own independent kingdom with the capital at
Amarsar. He was the first independent ruler. After him, Rao Raimal, Rao Suja and Rao Lunkaran become the rulers of Amarsar. Rao Manohar succeeded his father Rao Lunkaran and founded Manoharpur later renamed
Shahpura (The present ruler of Shahpura is the Tikai of Shekhawat subclan). Shekhawats conquered the Jhunjhunu, Fatehpur, Narhar of Kaimkhanis and established their rule on them.
Shekhawati was the largest Nizamat in the state of Jaipur, which is almost entirely occupied by Shekhawats. The Shekhawat chieftains of the region retained a nominal loyalty to the Kachwaha Rajput's capital state of Jaipur(Amer), who in turn honoured them with the hereditary title of Tazimi Sirdars. The rulers of the Shekhawati's Thikanas were the Shekhawat sub clan of the Kachwaha Dynasty of the Jaipur Princely State. Shekhawats was the most prominent among all the Kachawas of Jaipur. Colonel J.C. Brooke, in his book Political History of India, wrote that for the recruitment of cavalry, there is no region in India at par with Shekhawati.
Culture, heritage and tourism
Architecture
Mandawa Fort was built by Thakur Nawal Singh Bahadur in 1755. In the zenana (women's quarters), various rooms offer different themes. One room has antique murals, another has a marble fountain, while the turret room has walls that are 7 feet (2.1 m) thick. Diwankhana, the formal drawing room, is decorated with family portraits and an array of antique armour.The
Shekhawats built forts in their
thikanas. At every thikana in Shekhawati, there was a fort. More than 50 forts and palaces were built by Shekhawat Rajas. Today, many of them are hotels.
- Vivaana Culture Hotel is a meticulously restored 19th century Shekhawati Haveli, featuring luxuriously decorated rooms and suites. Handmade oversized beds, goose down pillows and intricate detailing make the property one of the most elegant and comfortable culture hotels in Rajasthan.
- Dundlod Fort dates back to 1750 AD. Steps lead up to the Diwan Khana, which is furnished with portraits, hangings, and period furniture. It also houses a library and portraits done in the European style.
- The Roop Niwas Kothi Palace was established as a large country house by Rawal Madan Singh, former ruler of Nawalgarh. It is popularly known as Rawal Sab Ki Kothi in Nawalgarh. It sits on over 100 acres (0.40 km2) of land. The facade is painted in ochre that lends it dignity. The hotel organises horse safaris and has stables at the back side.
- Mukundgarh Fort was built by Thakur Mukund Singh Ji. He established Mukundgarh in 1859 and the fort was built in a traditional style and spreads over 2 acres (8,100 m2) of land. It has several courtyards, overhanging balconies, arched windows and corridors.
- Narain Niwas Castle, or Mahansar Fort, was built in 1768 by Thakur Nahar Singh. It has an imposing entrance reached by flight of stairs. It also has many wall paintings.
- Alsisar Mahal (Alsisar Fort), a battle-hardened fort, was the residence of the Thakur of Alsisar.
- Dera Danta Kila (Danta Fort), two fortresses straddle the hills, their foundations laid in 1702 to house the army, the stables, and the royal residence of Thakur Amar Singh
- Castle Pachar
- Arooka Castle
- Surajgarh Fort built by Surajmal Singh of Bissau in 1778.
- Bissau Fort built in 1746 by Kesri Singh of Bissau.The best and strongest war fort in shekhawati with 7 burj's and double courtyard.The walls were never breached.
- Tamkor Fort(Bishangarh)built in 1767 by Kesri Singh of Bissau.
- Nua Fort built by Kesri Singh of Bissau in 1755.
- Shyamgarh(jhunjhunu) built by Shyam Singh of Bissau in 1805.
Havelis, temples and frescoes
This temple built by Shekhawat ruler of Nawalgarh
Shekhawati painted houses.
In Shekhawati, frescoes were initially introduced by
Shekhawat Rajputs in their forts and palaces. The towns in Shekhawati are known for their painted H
avelis. This region has been recognized as the "open
art gallery of
Rajasthan" having the largest concentration of
fresco in the world.
The Marwaris from Marwar was an influential business community in Shekhawati, and they prospered until the beginning of the 19th century, due to the caravan routes that crossed the area to reach the ports of
Gujarat. However, from 1820 onward, many left their families behind and migrated to
Calcutta,
Bombay, and
Madras, which were gaining importance as main trade centers where they had great financial success. The descendants of these rich merchants have permanently settled down in the towns their ancestors migrated to. The Shekhawati region has produced large number of Marwaris who are dominant factor in the economy of
India. About 80 percent of big industrial houses are managed by Marwaris. India's richest industrialists of the century, such as the
Birlas and
Dalmia, are Marwaris. Today, the main trading and industrial houses of India have their roots in Shekhawati.
Between 1830 and 1930, they erected buildings in Shekhawati, their homeland, as evidence of their success. As the ultimate symbol of their opulence, the Marwaris commissioned artists to paint those buildings.
Most of the buildings of the Shekhawati region were constructed in between the 18th century and the early 20th century. During the British occupation, traders adapted this style for their buildings. The havelis are noted for their
frescos depicting
mythological and
historical themes. The frescos include images of gods, goddesses, animals, and the life of the lords
Rama and
Krishna, profusely painted on the havelis in this region.
Marwaris have played an important role in the development of Shekhawati. Their major contribution to the Shekhawati region is in the field of education. Marwaris have also played a leading role in the
Indian independence movement.
Tourist attractions
- Forts & Castles
Horse Safaris
- The Heritage on Wheels, a luxury tourist train on meter gauge, takes you to the lesser known and colourful area of Shekhawati Region. Heritage on Wheels is a luxury train in Rajasthan by RTDC and Indian Railways.
- Havelis
Fairs and Festivals
