Monday, November 21, 2011

Rajasthan rolling - 8 (Mandawa)


In the heart of the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan lies the beautiful small town Mandawa, known throughout the state for its forts and Havelis.
It took us 3 hours to reach Mandawa from Bikaner, a distance of 190kms. The roads were good as usual.
Once we reached Mandawa, we maneuvered through narrow lanes to the ‘Hotel Heritage Mandawa’ we 


had booked in. It was fascinatingly wonderful. The frescoes on the walls and arches all over were impressive. Our room was ethnically decorated too. Had a delicious lunch and set out to explore the ‘Open art gallery’ of Mandawa.


Founded in the 18th century, the medieval fort of Mandawa dominates the town with a painted arched 


gateway adorned with Lord Krishna and his cows. The Chokhani and Ladia havelis and the street with Saraf


havelis are some of the splendid examples of this region's havelis.


The Binsidhar Newatia Haveli has some curious paintings on its outer eastern wall-a boy using a telephone, and a European woman in a car driven by a chauffeur. The Gulab Rai Ladia Haveli has some defaced erotic images.


The historic town of Mandawa served as a trading outpost for the caravans coming from Middle East and China. It was in 1755 that the Rajput ruler, Thakur Nawal Singh got the Mandawa Fort and ramparts around the city constructed for the safety of the trading outpost.


Displaying the skillful craftsmanship of Rajput artisans is the Goenka Double Havelis. The haveli is adorned by life-size portraits of the royal men, traditional Rajasthani women, and religious motifs. The Hanuman 


Prasad Goenka Haveli has religiously inspired frescoes, like Lord Shiva on Nandi and Lord Indra on his elephant. The Jhunjhunwala Haveli is famous for its intricately carved and painted ceiling and golden leaf 



painted walls. Carved archways, latticed windows and intricate designs are found in Murmuria Haveli as well. Besides traditional frescoes and murals, the Murmuria Haveli has modern paintings also, like the one depicting Jawaharlal Nehru with the National Flag on a horseback. Mohanlal Saraf Haveli, Chowkhani Haveli, Bhagchandika Haveli, Gulab Rai Ladia Haveli, Lakshmi Narayan Ladia Haveli, and the Newtia Haveli are some other majestic havelis of Mandawa.


Had read a lot about Monica restaurant in Mandawa where we decided to dine. Weaving through dimly lit narrow lanes we managed to reach the restaurant and were ushered into an absolutely empty restaurant! Here too like most of the restaurants in Rajasthan the food catered to the Continental tastes. Despite asking for spicy food we got a taste of some sweetish Chicken tikka masala. Though this restaurant has a lot of good reviews on Trip Advisor, it is not suitable for the Indian palate.
Headed back to our haveli for a good night’s rest as we were headed to Jaipur next morning.

Rajasthan rolling - 7
Rajasthan rolling - 6

31 comments:

  1. great clicks ,, thank for sharing.

    even the other posts are good and made me join your blog.

    www.readitt.in - the e magazine-

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  2. Beautiful and impressive place! I love the details!

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  3. First capture is a killer . Loved the virtual tour .

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  4. wow i m glad that i follow ur blog. i would never have seen such wonderful things otherwise.

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  5. A city of havelis! Do people live there? I mean the owners, or are they divided into apartments and let out? The paintings are absolutely stunning.

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  6. None can spread the glory of Rajasthan like you. Great blog & great pics. Carry on with your good work in the days to come.....ALL THE BEST!!!

    From: www.sriramnivas.com

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  7. Awesome pics! The first one is just marvelous ... :-)

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  8. hi i have been planning a trip to mandawa as a frn of mine hd told me its a beautiful place but i cudn get much info on it..ur blog was of great help..thanks for sharing

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  9. The post on Mandhwa is excellent.The pics of the old Haveli's and the fading frescoes. Except for Hotel Mandhwa Heritage, the rest of the Havelis are in a state of decay & ruins. A sad commentary on preservation of heritage.

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  10. I stayed in this hotel too! :-) Loved Mandawa and its havelis.

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  11. Love the photos - the frescoes are amazing. I hope we find a way to preserve these historical structures.

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  12. An impressive fort, also loved the Hotel Heritage Msdwana - looks plush and expensive ;)

    Oh, never go to an empty restaurant - one of my golden rules for travelling. The best food in India are the crowded street stalls. Fresh, cheap and popular for a reason - good food always served!

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  13. shekhawati is known as open air art gallery for its many wonderful havelis....nice clicks you have taken!!

    http://sushmita-smile.blogspot.com

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  14. Beautiful photographs. As Ramakrishnan has said, the Havelis need to be maintained properly.

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  15. I'm amazed by all the lovely details in your shots.

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  16. Great clicks and info!

    I am so amazed at how beautiful the architectures were those days, coupled with some finest craftsmanship :)

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  17. A beautiful post covering all the hidden beauty of lesser known places in Rajasthan!

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  18. What a fantastic place. I want to go to Mandawa in Rajasthan. Great pictures, and I believe my favourite is the third from the top. Thanks for sharing.

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  19. Fascinating travel picrtures!
    Amazing to see India though your camera lenses..

    Greetings from Switzerland
    Yvonne & Raphael

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  20. nominated u

    http://factsandnonsense.wordpress.com/2011/12/14/some-nomination/

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  21. Hello,

    A liebster blog award awaits you on my blog here!
    http://aalayamkanden.blogspot.com/2011/12/versatile-blogger-award.html
    Hope you accept it!

    Regards
    Priya

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  22. Great history... Love your blog man..


    manish
    http://manishdslrclicks.blogspot.com/

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  23. Wow, this is the first time I am seeing this. Great pics :)

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  24. Nice!
    I wish you a Happy Hollyday!

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  25. Join and blog your travels at MyIndiaTravelogue.Com, India's Fastest growing traveler's community.

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  26. Now this sounds like my kind of city. Hope to visit it in November this year.

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