Frescoes of Shekhwati

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Shekhwati is simply beautiful! Shekhwati is located in the northeast part of Rajasthan, India. Shekhawati encompasses the administrative districts of Sikar and Jhunjhunu. The region of Shekhawati is also known as Scotland of India because of its braveness, sacrificing and painstaking Rajputs.

Shekhawati is a desert area of Rajasthan, so it has a special importance in the history of India. It represents a region and not just a town or fort. Shekhwati has derived its name from its ruler Rao Shekha. Shekhwati means the garden of Shekha. Mainly, the towns of shekhwati region are well known for their amazing painted havelis.

Shekhawati is one of the most artistic regions of India. Shekhwati is the region, which houses some of the world's stunning intricate and artistic frescos. Shekhwati has been recognized as the "open art gallery of Rajasthan" which is having the largest concentration of frescos in the world.

Shekhawati belt covers townships such as Fatepur, Sikar, Lakshmangrah, Nawalgarh, and Jhunjhunu. It also has many Heritage havelis that shows the true Indian ambiance of the town. In Shekhwati, firstly the Shekhwati Rajputs in their Palaces and Forts introduced Frescoes. The towns of Shekhwati region are well known for their Painted havelis. Most of the buildings are dated from the early 18th century to early 20th century.

Every street, house, and wall has the stamp of an artistic imagination in the paint. Wherever you cast your eye, frescoes smiles back. The plethora of these murals comes as a surprise in a land, which is traditionally known as an 'impoverished corner of an Arid land'.

Various forms of fine art adorn the walls and the ceilings of these structures as a contrast to the other flat and barren land. Color is the every day life of the people of Shekhawati. Rajasthan is partly sandy, partly rugged and only few places blessed with a lake or patch of green, so these Frescoes colors add to their beauty.

Shekhwati has the greatest concentration of painted forts, temples, havelis, and cenotaphs in the country. In fact, shekhwati has the largest collection of murals in the whole world. The earlier frescoes in this colorful fantasy world were financed by the Shekhawati Rajput. In the Later period, the wealthy business class of the Marwar region, the Marwaris patronized the art.

Apart from adding beauty and vitality to the flat landscape, the frescoes are an interesting documentation of the history of the shekhwati region. Nowaday, frescoes have reached completely in new forms (hands of artists) of shekhwati, where the west fuses with the east and mythology at peace with cars, balloons, and aeroplanes.

After the reign of Rajputs, the British came in rule. The latter patronized their own kind of trade that required the Marwaris to rush to fresh pastures like Bombay and Calcutta. Thus, the beautiful Shekhwati region gradually came to be abandoned. It is in the last two decades that the Shekhwati region has acquired a fillio, with its art being the central focus. Now, the children in the house of shekha are opening their dusty family castles and turning them into hotels.