A desert-edge climate, explained
The setting: the sandy plain of north-eastern Rajasthan, about 316 metres above the sea, in the district of Jhunjhunu.
No shelter: no mountains to shield it and no sea to soften it, so temperatures swing hard.
Winter: clear skies let the day's warmth escape, and nights can drop to near freezing before dawn, while afternoons are pleasantly warm.
- Altitude
- About 316 m
- Best season
- November to February
- Shoulder months
- October and March
- Hot season
- April to June, past 45°C
- Monsoon
- July to early September
- Summer: hot winds blow off the Thar and afternoons regularly pass 45°C.
- Churu next door: an hour away, it is known as one of the hottest and coldest places in India.
- A short, unreliable monsoon: rain usually arrives in July and fades by early September, often in a handful of heavy showers rather than steady weeks.
- When it rains: the sand turns a deep amber, bajra millet sprouts in the fields and the khejri trees put out new leaves.
- In a dry year: the rains barely come at all.
- What it means for you: October and March are pleasant but warmer, April to June is for the brave or very flexible, and July to September is green, humid and quiet.
- Across the state: our guide to the weather and climate of Rajasthan explains the patterns.
Mandawa, month by month
- Makar Sankranti
- 14 January
- Shekhawati Festival
- Often February; dates move
- Holi
- Phalgun full moon, late Feb or March
- Teej
- July or August
- Diwali
- Late October or November
January, cold nights and brilliant days
The coldest month: mornings can be close to freezing, and sometimes foggy, so spend the first hour on the castle terrace with tea and a shawl.
By ten: the sun is warm, the sky deep blue and the light on the painted walls soft and even, perfect for reading frescoes.
- Evenings: crisp, and dinner by a fire in the castle courtyard is the great pleasure of the month.
- Makar Sankranti: on 14 January, marked with sesame sweets and acts of charity, and kites fly over the rooftops.
- Quieter than you'd think: the Christmas and New Year visitors have gone, so the first half of the month is calm.
- Pack: proper warm clothes, not just a light jacket.
February, the perfect month
If you can choose only one month: choose February.
The weather: mornings cool rather than cold, afternoons warm.
- The fields: the mustard around Mandawa is in yellow flower, and the light is soft enough for photographs all day.
- The Shekhawati Festival: in many years held in February, with folk music, camel and horse events, village sports and haveli walks in Nawalgarh and nearby towns.
- Moving dates: recent editions have shifted in the calendar, so we confirm the dates each year.
- Before Holi: the men of the town begin to gather at night to play the chang drums.
- More: our Shekhawati Festival page.
March, Holi and the chang drums
Warming fast: into the low thirties by the end of the month, though mornings and evenings are lovely.
Holi: on the full moon of Phalgun, in late February or March, one of the great events of the Shekhawati year.
- Gindad: for weeks beforehand, men dance in the squares at night, a circle dance with sticks to the beat of the chang.
- On the day: the town erupts in colour. We stay inside the castle walls in the morning and come out when things calm down.
- Khatu Shyam ji: the great pilgrim fair in neighbouring Sikar district also falls in Phalgun, and the roads fill with walking pilgrims. Beautiful to witness, but we plan drives around it.
- Gangaur: begins the day after Holi.
April, the heat arrives
The heat: afternoons reach the high thirties and often pass forty.
The fields: the wheat and mustard harvest is in, the land is bare and dusty, and the tour buses thin out.
- Gangaur: the festival of the goddess Gauri sometimes falls in early April, when girls carry clay images of the goddess through the lanes, singing.
- How to do it: see the havelis at first light and again after five, and spend the middle of the day by the castle pool.
- Honest verdict: a quiet, honest month to see Shekhawati, but not a comfortable one.
May, the furnace
Brutally hot: afternoons regularly above 45°C, with the hot wind called loo blowing off the desert.
- Life indoors: the town stays inside from late morning until evening, and life moves to the rooftops at night.
- Hotels: some smaller haveli hotels close or reduce their services.
- Our advice: we don't recommend it, unless you are a photographer chasing empty lanes at dawn with a very good air conditioner waiting.
June, dust storms and waiting
Still extremely hot: with evening dust storms that turn the sky ochre and send everyone running to close the shutters.
- Watching the sky: towards the end of the month the first pre-monsoon clouds may build.
- Visitors: a hard month, and almost nobody comes.
July, the rains, if they come
Arrival: the monsoon usually reaches Shekhawati in July, though in a dry year it may barely arrive.
The change: the air cools, the sand darkens, farmers rush to sow bajra and guar, and peacocks dance on the haveli roofs.
- The paintings: they glow under cloudy skies.
- Teej: the monsoon festival of married women, usually in July or August, with swings tied to trees and women in green, wave-patterned leheriya saris.
- The mood: humid and unpredictable, but quiet and full of life. Our Teej page explains the festival.
August, green fields and pilgrims
The greenest month: in a good monsoon year, with millet growing tall around the town and pools of water in the low ground.
- Festivals: Raksha Bandhan and Janmashtami fill the temples.
- Lohargal: late in the monsoon, pilgrims walk to the sacred tank in the hills near Nawalgarh.
- For visitors: few others, low hotel rates and beautiful light after rain, though the humidity can be heavy.
September, the quiet harvest
The rains taper off: and the days stay warm.
- The fields: bajra and guar ripen, and the land turns from green to gold.
- Who it suits: a peaceful month, still hot in the afternoons, for travellers who want the region with no other visitors at all.
October, the season begins
Clear light: the sky clears, the evenings cool and the summer dust has been washed from the air.
The harvest: the millet comes in.
- Navratri and Dussehra: they fill the temples and squares. See our Navratri page.
- The weather: days can still reach the low thirties, but mornings and evenings are lovely.
- Why come: a fine month before the winter visitors arrive.
November, Diwali and the golden weeks
Diwali: in late October or November, a family festival in Shekhawati.
- Doors opened: haveli owners who live in Mumbai or Kolkata sometimes come home, usually locked doors open, and oil lamps are lit along the old facades.
- After Diwali: warm, dry days and cool nights, and the season is fully under way.
- Pushkar: the Camel Fair, a few hours south-west, often falls this month too.
December, crisp and clear
The weather: cold nights and sunny, glorious days.
- The light: low winter sun makes the frescoes glow in the late afternoon.
- The busiest weeks: Christmas and New Year, when the castle often holds festive dinners, so book early.
- The rest of the month: calm, with spectacular starry nights.
How a Mandawa day changes with the season
A winter day
A late start: from December to January, we let the sun get up before we do.
Seven: tea on the castle ramparts, wrapped in shawls.
- Eight: out into the lanes as the light warms the facades.
- Midday: warm and bright, perfect for the painted interiors and a long lunch in the sun.
- By five: the air is cold again, and the evening belongs to a fire in the courtyard and a sky thick with stars.
A shoulder-season day
An early start: in October, March and early April, at about half past six, aiming to finish the famous havelis by ten.
- The hottest hours: lunch and a swim.
- At four: out again, to the outer lanes, the Harlalka well or a neighbouring town.
- Dinner: on the terrace in the warm dark.
A monsoon day
A loose plan: in July and August the morning is often clear and fresh, so we walk early.
- If clouds build: we shelter under a haveli arch or in the castle and watch the rain sweep across the rooftops.
- Afterwards: the lanes steam, the colours on the walls deepen and the peacocks call from every roof.
The right light for the painted walls
November to February: the sun stays low and the facades are lit softly through most of the day.
When colours read best: the ochres, indigos and greens of the early mineral paintings, and the brighter chemical colours of later work.
- Best months
- November to February
- Even light
- Overcast monsoon days
- Outer walls
- Two hours after sunrise, before sunset
- Interiors
- Late morning
- Avoid
- Noon in April and May
- Overcast monsoon days: wonderful too, with an even, shadowless light photographers love.
- April and May: the noon sun is so harsh the walls look bleached, and dust hangs in the air.
- Outer walls, any season: the first two hours after sunrise and the last two before sunset.
- Interiors: paintings under arches and on ceilings are best in the late morning, when light bounces into the courtyards.
- Read more: our guide to Shekhawati frescoes explains what to look for, and our photography tips cover the practical side.
Crowds, day-trippers and the quiet hours
Day-trippers: most visitors come on day trips or brief stops from Jaipur, Delhi or Bikaner, reach the famous havelis at about eleven and leave by mid-afternoon.
Peak months: from November to February those hours can be busy around the Jhunjhunwala, Murmuria and Newatia havelis.
- Busy hours
- About eleven to mid-afternoon
- Busiest weeks
- Christmas, New Year, Holi
- Also busy
- Indian long weekends
- Always quiet
- Early, late and the outer lanes
- Calm all year: early mornings, late afternoons and the outer lanes.
- The busiest weeks: Christmas and New Year, long weekends in the Indian calendar, and festivals such as Holi.
- In those weeks: book your hotel well ahead and plan the famous havelis for first light.
- Two nights: outside them, even in high season, a two-night stay shows you the town at its best without fighting for space.
- The best hour for each experience: our list of things to do in Mandawa.
The countryside through the year
Winter: after the autumn sowing, the plain is green with wheat, gram and mustard.
February: the mustard flowers turn whole fields yellow.
- March and April: these crops are cut and threshed, and the land turns bare and pale.
- The hot months: little grows except the hardy khejri trees and thorny scrub, and the sand is everything.
- The monsoon: farmers sow bajra, the pearl millet that feeds the region through the winter, with guar and moth beans.
- September: the fields are tall and golden.
- October: the harvest comes in, with grain heaped on threshing floors and fodder stacked on camel carts.
- For a village walk: winter and the late monsoon are best. Our page on rural homestays describes how to spend longer with farming families.
Hotel rates and when to book
High season: Castle Mandawa and the best haveli hotels charge their highest rates from about October to March, peaking over Christmas and New Year.
The best rooms go first: the tower and rampart rooms at the castle and the painted rooms in the havelis are limited.
- Highest rates
- About October to March
- Peak
- Christmas and New Year
- Book ahead
- Two to three months for peaks
- Wedding season
- About November to February
- Low season
- April to September
- Mid-December to early January, and Holi: we book two to three months ahead.
- April to September: rates fall and rooms are easy to find.
- The hottest months: some smaller havelis close or reduce their kitchens and staff, and pools may be closed for maintenance.
- The monsoon: the castle and the larger hotels stay open and quiet, and you may have a courtyard to yourself.
- Weddings: families sometimes return to their ancestral towns to marry, and a big wedding can take over a hotel for two or three days. We check every hotel's calendar before confirming.
- Compare the stays: our luxury hotels in Mandawa guide.
Birds and wildlife by season
Peacocks: everywhere in Mandawa, on the haveli roofs and the castle walls.
Monsoon dances: the males are most spectacular then, dancing to attract mates.
- Winter fields: larks, shrikes and birds of prey.
- At dusk on the dunes: desert foxes and nilgai for patient watchers.
- Tal Chhapar: for a true wildlife day, drive to Tal Chhapar, a grassland sanctuary beyond Churu with a large herd of blackbuck all year.
- September to March: migrating harriers, eagles and demoiselle cranes join them.
- When to go: our journal piece on the blackbuck of Tal Chhapar.
The right season for the way you travel
Art lovers and fresco enthusiasts
When: November to February for the soft light, or an overcast monsoon day for the most even light of all.
- How long: three nights, to add Nawalgarh, Fatehpur and Ramgarh.
- The guide: spend a morning with one who specialises in the paintings.
Families with children
When: Christmas and the February half-term both fall in the best season, though Christmas is busy.
- What children love: the camel carts, the castle towers and the dunes.
- Bring and book: warm clothes for the evenings, and a hotel with a pool for the afternoons.
- More: our guide to travelling with children.
Couples
When: late November and February, the most romantic weeks.
- Why: warm afternoons, cool evenings for courtyard dinners and clear nights for stargazing on the ramparts.
- The quiet alternative: the monsoon, for couples who want the town to themselves.
Photographers
Winter: the longest golden hours.
February: yellow mustard fields.
- Before Holi: the chang drummers and gindad dancers at night.
- Avoid: April to June, when haze and harsh light flatten everything.
- The journey: our photographer's Rajasthan includes Shekhawati.
What to pack for Mandawa
November to February: warm layers, a proper jacket or heavy shawl for mornings and evenings, warm socks for cold marble floors, and light clothes for the afternoons.
October and March: cotton and linen for the day, a light layer for the evenings, sunscreen and a hat.
- April to June: loose, long-sleeved cotton, a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, high-factor sunscreen and a refillable water bottle.
- July to September: quick-drying clothes, a compact umbrella, insect repellent and sandals with grip.
- All year: shoes you can slip off at temples, modest clothes covering shoulders and knees, a scarf, a small torch for dark haveli corners, and small notes for caretakers' tips.
- The full list: our packing guide.
Fitting Mandawa into a longer journey by season
The cool months: two nights here between Jaipur or Delhi and the desert cities of Bikaner and Jaisalmer, which are also at their best in winter.
Four unhurried nights: our Painted Towns of Shekhawati journey spends them in the region.
- Other haveli towns: the Heritage Havelis Trail combines Mandawa with them across Rajasthan.
- March and October: we keep Shekhawati short and the drives early, and continue south to Jaipur and the lakes of Mewar.
- The monsoon: Mandawa pairs well with a slow journey to Udaipur, whose lakes fill in the same weeks.
- April to June: we'd rather you saved the painted towns for another trip.
- The state at its best: our winter in Rajasthan journey.
How we would choose your dates
A first visit: February, or mid-November to mid-December, when the weather is kind, the light beautiful and the holiday crowds not yet here.
How: stay two nights, see the famous havelis early, and keep the afternoons for the outer lanes and a neighbouring town.
- For festivals: plan around Holi in late February or March, and come a week early to hear the chang drums at night.
- For silence and green fields: try August, when the monsoon has filled the low ground and almost nobody else is here.
- If only May or June are free: we will gently suggest you save Mandawa for another year, and send you to the hills or the lakes instead.
- Two or three days: our Mandawa itinerary shows how to spend them.
