Shekhawati Details
Table of Contents
This page have details about Shekhawati region of Rajasthan.
Introduction of Shekhawati
The semi arid region of north eastern Rajasthan (erstwhile Rajputana) is known as Shekhawati. The territory derives her name from the Shekhawat Rajput clan scion Maha Rao Shekha Ji, who established his rule in the 15th Century by his bravery and valor. After Maha Rao Shekha Ji , his offspring flourished the land with different forms of art and culture for centuries till date, thus it is called Shekhawati (The garden of Rao Shekha).
Geography
Today’s Shekhawati includes whole of Jhunjhunu and Sikar districts along with parts of Churu,Jaipur,Alwar & Nagaur. There are no major rivers flowing here except few seasonal ones like “Katli”. The sea shore is also thousand of kilometers far from Shekhawati, the nearest port is Kandla in Gujarat. The Aravali mountain range has a presence in Shekhawati area. Shekhawati is restricted to the east of the Aravalli Range which cuts through the present district of Sikar and forms an eastern border to Jhunjhunu. To the west of the Aravallis lay the desert state of Bikaner. On conclusive note one can consider Shekhawati as a mixture of desert and plains.
Attractions
Shekhawati is known for its artistic sculptures rich of fresco wall paintings , handicraft and above all the kind of hospitality extended by the Shekhawati People. State tourism motto “Padharo Mahare Desh” (Guests, you are welcome in our land) is being religiously followed by the people of Shekhawati giving an unforgettable experience to the visiting tourists. Now a days Shekhawati is developing as a forward education hub if the state of Rajasthan with emergence of more than 150 colleges and institutes. The facilities are inviting students from all other states of the country. Even earlier it was regarded as a place to impart quality education under the aegis of institutes like BITS (Pilani).
Shekhawati has the greatest concentration of painted forts, chhatris (cenotaphs), temples and havelis (mansions) in the country. In fact, this is also the largest collection of murals in the whole world. The earlier frescoes in this colourful fantasy world were financed by the Shekhawat Rajputs and later the wealthy business class of the Marwar region – the marwaris – patronized the art. Apart from adding vitality to the flat landscape, the frescoes are an interesting documentation of the history of the region. Some of the flourishing towns were Sikar, Ramgarh, Fatehpur, Lachhmangarh, Churu, Mandawa, Jhunjhunu, Nawalgarh and others. Although the idea of frescoes might have been imported from the splendid Fort-Palace of Amber, which was in turn influenced by those of the Mughal courts, it reached a completely new form in the hands of the artists of Shekhawati, where the west fuses with the east and mythology is at peace with cars, aeroplanes and balloons.
After the reign of Rajputs, came the British. The latter patronized their own kind of trade which required the marwaris to rush to fresh pastures like Calcutta and Bombay. Thus the beautiful Shekhawati towns gradually came to be abandoned. It is only in the last two decades that the Shekhawati region acquired a fillip, with its art being the central focus. and the children of the house of Maharao Shekha Ji are now back, opening their dusty family castles and turning them into hotels.
People
With a rich heritage of Shekhawat Rajput rule , Shekhawati people are doing well in the field of business, farming and not to forget the defense services. Shekhawati gave the largest number of soldiers to the Indian Armed forces. You can easily find statues of War Heroes in every second village, Paramvir Chakra the highest gallantry award given by the Indian Govt. was bestowed upon Hav. Major Piru Singh Shekhawat of the region for his chivalry & sacrifice.
Shekhawati is also known for it’s business tycoons and entrepreneurial spirit of her people. This website is a virtual tourist destination with all its grandeur and splendors as well as other important information you may need about this region. Shekhawati is the most prosperous region of the state of Rajasthan, the main source of income of the people of the region is Military Jobs, Farming & Tourism.