Why the painted towns are full of empty houses
Shekhawati's merchants grew rich on the caravan trade, then richer still in the ports of British India. They painted their homes and left them.
Our grandfather knew a chowkidar in Nawalgarh who had lived forty years in two rooms of a house with sixty. He would show visitors the painted ceilings by torchlight and apologise for the dust. When we stay in Shekhawati now and the courtyard lamps are lit, we think of him.
The merchants: the Marwari trading families of Shekhawati followed trade east and south, to Calcutta, Bombay and beyond, and became some of India's great business houses.
Facts to know
- Named after
- Rao Shekha, a fifteenth-century Kachwaha chief
- Who painted
- Marwari merchant families
- What
- Frescoed courtyards, facades and ceilings
- Caretaker
- Chowkidar, who kept the keys
- The houses: they built and painted havelis at home as a show of success, with gods, legends, trains and even motor cars on the walls.
- The silence: families returned only for weddings and ceremonies. A chowkidar, a caretaker, lived in a few rooms and kept the doors shut.
- The turn: when tourism showed that visitors would come, some owners restored their houses as small hotels.
- Why it matters: staying in one helps pay for roofs, plaster and local wages, and keeps the painted towns alive.
Three ways to sleep in Shekhawati
Every hotel worth recommending here is a heritage building. The question is which kind, and where.
In a castle
- Why: the most comfortable option, with pools, gardens and ramparts, often walking distance from the famous havelis.
- Example: Castle Mandawa, the obvious first choice for most of our guests.
In a painted haveli
- Why: the rare experience of sleeping in a merchant's painted house, with the courtyard to yourself after the day visitors leave.
- Trade-off: smaller and simpler than the castles.
Split between two towns
- Why: the towns are close together, each with its own character, so a second base adds variety without long drives.
- Example: two nights in Mandawa, one in Nawalgarh or at Alsisar.
Mandawa, the best-known base
The fort Thakur Nawal Singh raised in 1755 to guard the caravan road still dominates Mandawa. Its gate opens straight onto the bazaar.
Castle Mandawa
The story: built in 1755 by Thakur Nawal Singh, and opened to guests by his descendants around 1980, among the first noble families in Rajasthan to do so.
- The rooms: spread through towers, courtyards and old apartments, and no two alike. Newer rooms are more uniform.
- The days: a pool for the afternoons, terraces on the bastions for sunrise and sunset, and courtyard dinners with folk musicians.
- Ask for: a tower room or one opening onto the ramparts. We know which have the views.
The Desert Resort, Mandawa
What it is: mud-plastered cottages on the dunes just outside town, run by the same family as the castle.
- Why stay: quieter and more spacious, with wide views across the fields and sundowners on the sand.
- Who it suits: families who want room to run, and couples who would rather hear the wind than the bazaar.
Hotel Mandawa Haveli
What it is: an 1890 merchant's house inside the town, restored as a small hotel, with paintings across two floors around its courtyard.
- Why stay: the real experience of sleeping in a painted mansion, with a rooftop restaurant over the lanes.
- Ask for: a room facing the courtyard.
Vivaana, at Churi Ajitgarh
- What it is: a nineteenth-century haveli in a village a short drive from Mandawa, restored as the Vivaana Culture Hotel.
- Why stay: painted rooms with a pool and a spa, one of the more polished haveli stays in the region.
Local tip
Be out of the castle gate by eight in the morning. The light falls on the haveli facades at a low angle, the lanes are empty, and you will have the best-known painted walls in Mandawa to yourself.
The best stays in the other painted towns
Mandawa is the best-known base, but some of our favourite nights in Shekhawati are spent half an hour or an hour away.
Roop Niwas Kothi, Nawalgarh
What it is: a country house in its own gardens, about thirty kilometres from Mandawa, known for its Marwari horses.
- Why stay: an evening ride through the fields, and an easy base for Nawalgarh's two great haveli museums.
- Ask for: a room in the original building rather than the newer wing.
Koolwal Kothi, Nawalgarh
- What it is: a 1930s haveli still owned by the family and run by the WelcomHeritage group.
- Why stay: a gentle, characterful stay in the middle of the town's painted lanes.
Alsisar Mahal
- What it is: the fort-palace of the thakurs of Alsisar, restored and opened as a heritage hotel in 2006.
- Why stay: a pool, calm and a farming village of unrestored havelis and temples, far from the tour buses.
The Piramal Haveli, Bagar
- What it is: a small 1928 haveli near Jhunjhunu, in an unusual mix of Rajasthani and Italianate styles, run as a guest house by the Neemrana group.
- Who it suits: travellers who like small places with a story.
Malji ka Kamra, Churu
- What it is: a 1920s pleasure house of a Churu merchant, all stucco, columns and frescoes, now a small heritage hotel.
- Why stay: the natural stop for guests continuing to Tal Chhapar and the desert.
Haveli Nadine Le Prince, Fatehpur
- What it is: the haveli restored by the French artist Nadine Le Prince, with a few guest rooms.
- Why stay: sleeping inside one of the region's most beautifully painted houses. Simple by palace standards, so book well ahead.
Palaces on the road to Shekhawati
If you want a night of polished comfort before or after the painted towns, the roads from Jaipur and Delhi pass some fine hotels.
Samode Palace
- Where: about an hour north-west of Jaipur, on the way to Shekhawati.
- Why: a painted Durbar Hall, a Sheesh Mahal and pools facing the hills.
Alila Fort Bishangarh
- Where: a warrior fort on a granite hill, about an hour and a half north of Jaipur.
- Why: the most polished stay within easy reach of Shekhawati, with rooms set into its thick walls.
Neemrana Fort-Palace
- Where: on the road from Delhi.
- Why: a terraced fort-palace to break the journey before turning west.
The palaces of Bikaner
- Where: about three and a half to four hours west, if you are heading into the desert.
- Why: Laxmi Niwas Palace waits at the end of the drive.
A night in a Shekhawati heritage hotel, hour by hour
The best way to understand why we book these houses is to follow a single evening in one.
Four o'clock, back from the lanes
- The quiet hour: the tour buses leave town, and tea arrives on a terrace with something fried and a sweet from the bazaar.
- The light: the old walls turn from white to gold.
Six o'clock, the roof or the ramparts
- Below you: cows coming home, children on bicycles and the smoke of evening cooking fires.
- The sound: a temple bell, and then another.
Eight o'clock, dinner in the courtyard
- The meal: a Marwari thali, perhaps laal maas, the slow-cooked red mutton curry, ordered the day before.
- The music: musicians on a carpet in the corner, and in December a fire to sit by.
Six o'clock the next morning
- Tea on the terrace: wrapped in a shawl as the milk carts come out.
- By eight: in front of a painted facade, alone, in the best light of the day.
Heritage charm or modern comfort, an honest trade
Our grandfather used to say that an old house gives you its stories and asks for your patience in return. Shekhawati proves him right every night.
What you gain: painted walls, carved doors, thick walls that stay cool in the heat, and windows over lanes that have hardly changed in a century.
What you accept: rooms that vary greatly in size and light, steep stairs, no lifts and hot water that takes a minute in the morning.
- Winter nights: cold enough that you will be glad of a heater and a thick quilt.
- Power cuts: usually covered by generators, but they happen.
- If you need modern comfort: a night at Alila Fort Bishangarh or Samode Palace either side of Shekhawati.
- Our advice: at least two nights inside Shekhawati itself, in the best room we can find. Most guests who arrive worried leave talking about the peacocks.
What we check before we book you in
Every heritage hotel here is different, and some differences only show up when you arrive. So we ask first.
The view: which rooms look over the town, and which onto a service courtyard.
The stairs: whether the room is up a steep stair or on the ground floor.
Facts to know
- Season
- October to March
- Busiest
- November to February, Christmas and New Year
- Book ahead
- Two to three months in peak weeks
- Summer
- Temperatures pass 45°C from April to June
- The season: heaters and quilts in December and January, working air conditioning from March.
- Weddings and groups: whether one is booked on your dates, and where.
- The pool: whether it is open and heated, which varies with the season.
- The kitchen: whether a Marwari thali or a family recipe can be arranged, and how early breakfast can be served.
The painted towns from your door
The towns are a short drive apart. A good base and a good guide let you see them at the right hours.
Mandawa: the best-known haveli lanes, walkable from the castle gate. See Mandawa.
Nawalgarh: two great haveli museums and lanes of painted houses.
- Fatehpur: the Le Prince haveli and some of the finest frescoes in the region.
- Ramgarh: the painted chhatris and temples of a merchant town.
- Churu: the Surana haveli and the Sethani ka Johara, a merchant widow's tank.
- Our guide to the art: read painted havelis before you come.
Local tip
Ask your guide which caretakers have the keys this season. The best painted rooms are often locked, and a polite word with the chowkidar opens doors that day visitors never see.
Eating in a merchant town
The merchant families of Shekhawati were vegetarian, and the thakurs in their forts were not. The hotels cook both.
The Marwari thali: dal, ker sangri, the desert's dried berries and beans, bajra millet rotis with ghee, and a sweet.
The Rajput table: at Castle Mandawa and the forts, ask for laal maas the day before so it can cook slowly.
Facts to know
- Merchant kitchen
- Vegetarian Marwari food
- Fort kitchen
- Rajput dishes, such as laal maas
- Order ahead
- Slow-cooked dishes, the day before
- Alcohol
- Generally available at the larger hotels
- Family recipes: many heritage hotels will cook a family dish on request. Ask us to brief the kitchen.
- Dietary needs: tell us in advance for Jain, vegan or children's meals.
- In the bazaar: a hot kachori and sweet tea with our guide, at stalls we trust.
- More: our Rajasthani food guide explains what to order.
Two days in the painted towns, the way we would spend them
Mornings in the lanes, afternoons in the courtyard, evenings on the roof. Shekhawati asks for no more.
Day one, Mandawa
Morning: arrive from Jaipur or Samode by late morning, lunch at the castle and a rest.
- Late afternoon: walk the haveli lanes of Mandawa with a guide as the light softens.
- Evening: sunset on the ramparts and dinner in the courtyard.
Day two, Fatehpur and Nawalgarh
Early: the Mandawa facades at first light, alone.
- Morning: drive to Fatehpur for the Le Prince haveli and its neighbours.
- Afternoon: Nawalgarh's haveli museums, then tea at Roop Niwas Kothi.
- Evening: an evening ride through the fields if you are staying there.
With a third day
- Ramgarh and Churu: painted chhatris, the Surana haveli and the Sethani ka Johara.
- Or Alsisar: a slow afternoon in a farming village and its fort-palace.
What money really buys in Shekhawati
In a region where the best hotel is a family fort, a bigger budget buys time and access rather than gold taps.
The right room: tower and rampart rooms with views, held for you months ahead.
A licensed local guide: one who knows which caretakers have the keys to the best painted rooms.
- A car for the day: so Fatehpur, Nawalgarh and Ramgarh fit easily around the best light.
- Private evenings: a dinner on the ramparts or in a haveli courtyard with musicians.
- Fair dealing: no commission shops, and caretakers tipped properly.
- The full picture: our guide to what a luxury Rajasthan journey costs.
With children and older parents
Shekhawati is gentle on families, as long as you choose the house and the room with care.
For children: the painted walls are full of trains, cars, elephants and gods, and a guide who turns them into a treasure hunt keeps young eyes busy.
Space to run: the Desert Resort's dunes and the lawns at Roop Niwas Kothi beat any courtyard.
- Pools: Castle Mandawa, Alsisar Mahal and Vivaana all have one, welcome after a morning in the lanes.
- For older guests: ask for ground-floor rooms, keep walks short, and let the car bring you close to each haveli.
- Steps everywhere: forts and havelis rarely have lifts. Read our accessible travel advice and tell us early.
Which stay for which traveller
These are the matches we make most often for our guests in Shekhawati.
First visit: two nights at Castle Mandawa, in a tower or rampart room.
Couples: the castle ramparts at dawn, a sundowner at the Desert Resort, or a night at Alila Fort Bishangarh on the way.
- Families: the Desert Resort for space, or the castle for its pool and towers.
- Horse lovers: Roop Niwas Kothi, for an evening ride through the fields.
- Art lovers and repeat visitors: the Le Prince haveli in Fatehpur or Hotel Mandawa Haveli.
- A quiet village: Alsisar Mahal.
- Not for: travellers who need lifts and level paths everywhere. Old forts and havelis have steps.
How Shekhawati fits our journeys
Shekhawati lies between Jaipur, Delhi and Bikaner, so it opens a journey west into the desert or closes one coming east.
Painted towns, four nights: our Painted Towns of Shekhawati journey is built around these stays.
Havelis across Rajasthan: the Heritage Havelis Trail links Shekhawati with Jaisalmer and Bikaner.
- Splitting nights: two at Castle Mandawa and one at Roop Niwas Kothi, or Mandawa then Malji ka Kamra on the road to Bikaner.
- The wider style: our page on heritage havelis explains what to expect across Rajasthan.
- More detail: compare every option in luxury hotels in Mandawa and read our Shekhawati region guide.
When to stay
Shekhawati sits at the edge of the Thar, with cold winter nights and fierce summer days.
November to February: cool, clear days, cold nights and courtyard fires. The best season.
The Shekhawati Festival: a celebration of the region's art and music. See the Shekhawati Festival. We confirm the dates each year.
Facts to know
- Best months
- November to February
- Shoulder
- October and March
- Hottest
- April to June, above 45°C
- Festivals
- Shekhawati Festival and Holi
- February
- Mustard fields in yellow flower
- Late winter: the fields around the towns turn yellow with mustard.
- April to June: too hot for walking the lanes. Some smaller hotels slow down.
- Monsoon: short and irregular rains, with green fields afterwards.
Getting there
Shekhawati has no airport of its own. Most guests drive from Jaipur or Delhi and stop on the way.
From Jaipur: the most common approach, often with a night at Samode or Bishangarh.
Facts to know
- From Jaipur
- About three and a half to four hours to Mandawa
- Via
- Samode or Bishangarh, for a night on the way
- To Bikaner
- About three and a half to four hours
- Between towns
- Half an hour to an hour
- From Delhi: a long drive, broken at Neemrana Fort-Palace.
- Onwards: west to Bikaner and the desert, via Churu and Tal Chhapar.
- Between towns: a car and driver for the day lets you see Fatehpur, Nawalgarh and Ramgarh from one base.