Mandawa - Essence of Shekhawati Heritage

Gold Plated Fresco- Jhunjhunuwala Haveli-Mandawa

Mandawa:-

Mandawa is a small town in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan (India). It is part of District Jhunjhunu. Shekhawati region is the greener part of Rajasthan which served as the gardens of Rao Shekha Ji. This region got its name from Rao Shekha Ji, Shekhawati literally meaning the gardens of the Shekha. His sons later established various cities in this region.

Mandawa was made a thikana (meaning a Thakur’s estate) in middle of 18^th century. Later on Mandawa went on to become a trading outpost for the ancient caravan routes that stopped here from China and the Middle East. Back in those days, Mandawa was an important stoppage for traders and merchants who exchanged good via the silk route.
The Rajput ruler of Nawalgarh and Mandawa, Thakur Nawal Singh built a fort in 1755 to protect this outpost. Gradually the township that grew around fort was inhabited by traders and wealthy merchants. These settlers built magnificent Havelis.Traders and wealthy merchants mostly used to live away from their families that were settled in the Shekhawati Region. To compensate for their long absence and to show off how wealthy they were they used to send back home a bulk of their earnings for building Havelis etc. There was a competition among the traders and merchants to build magnificently decorated Havelis, better than the others in vicinity.

Sonthalia Gate-Mandawa

The artisans, mostly from the kumhars (potter) community also known as chajeras, were brought in to the Shekahwati region from Jaipur and other far flung areas. Soon they mingled up with local workers to come up with frescoes and other art and craft work, which are deemed as masterpieces of art and culture. These treasures of art have given Mandawa the adjective of “Open Air Art Gallery”.

Initially natural colors were used; later dyes were imported and used for making frescoes.
Early paintings had Mughal influence and were rich in showcasing floral and other geometrical patterns.
Later paintings leaned toward Rajput influence showcasing Hindu God, Goddesses, Deities, Mythological Events & Characters, Maharajas, King Queens, Nawabs, Courtiers, Wars and Warriors, Elephants, Horses, Camels, Various Festival, Depiction of Village Life and day to day life events etc.

Even later Frescoes saw European influence showcased various technological advancements say in the field of Transportation e.g. Cars, Trains etc or other advancements e.g. Phone etc. Famous European places &their attractions, English men, Women and English Rulers can also be seen in the Frescoes.They also showcase Freedom Fighters and Freedom struggle.

Read more about History of Mandawa, witness and appreciate the brilliance of craftsmanship bestowed on Havelis of Mandawa here.

Given below is a portrayal of Architecture and Layout of Havelis along with the description of Art & Craft work in Mandawa Havelis. It just a minuscule effort to showcase the Essence of Shekhawati Heritage.

Architecture and Layout of Havelis

In my observation the opulent Havelis in Shekhawati region are more or less governed by a peculiar architectural pattern. This layout and architecture suggested as under is what you can see in almost all Havelis in Mandawa .

Doors and Entrances:-

All the Havelis have magnificent doors and entrances. On the entrances you would find arched pillars having seating spaces called ‘gokha’. The entrances (called ‘toran dwar’) have frescoes based on various themes including God Goddesses, various mythological epic, Images of Maharajas, Kings, Queens etc. 

The doors have an idol of Lord Ganesha on the top. Lord Ganesha is the first Deity who is worshiped on any auspicious occasion or event.
The beautifully carved huge wooden doors have ornate designs made of brass, copper and Iron. The doors have pointed designs so that it is difficult to push open the doors from outside. The huge doors were normally always locked from inside, a small door shaped opening would mostly be present on the left door which was used by servants and visitors to get in and go out.
On the doors you would see small structures called torans hanging. Legends and folklore suggest that these were symbols of marriages. The number of torans hanging on the door suggested the number of daughters who were married from the Haveli. These torans were made of metal, silver & wood, with the inscription of parrot (symbol of love) on it. Traditionally the groom used to rip open the toran with his sword to claim his bride.

Exterior Walls:-

       The exterior  walls have various frescoes including frescoes of God Goddesses, various mythological epic, Images of Maharajas, Warriors, Kings, Queens, Courtiers, Flowers, Birds, Horses, Camels, Elephants etc. Some frescoes depict village life.

      The frescoes on the walls also showcase Modes of Transport (say carriage trains, cars, bicycle etc).  It is believed that these wealthy owners of the Havelis wanted to educate the villagers about the latest transport modes including carriage trains etc.

      The exterior walls also sometimes depict paintings from the contemporary events like freedom struggle, First Human Flight, Kings of UK, Decorated Englishmen, soldiers, army etc.

The Chowk (First Outer Courtyard):-

      As soon as you enter the Haveli via the entrance and cross the outer transition area (called outer ‘poli’) there is this rectangular/square open to sky (without roof) area referred to as the Chowk. It is the exterior first outer courtyard used for public interactions. This place is just in front (sometimes a bit right or left) of the entrance and was normally occupied by the head of the family. The head of the family could keep a vigil on the people entering the Haveli. People coming to meet the head of the family/business would come and meet him here. This place was mostly occupied by the men. You also sometimes find Tulsi plant or a large tree planted in this area.

      On the walls and arches surrounding the Chowk, you would see frescoes of various Deities, Gods, Mythological events, some European styled paintings including Gandolas & Canals of Venice etc.

The Bhaithak:-

      This was the region where mostly all the business related work was discussed. This was the place where business stake holders and prospective clients were invited by the Head of the family/business. Mostly this area was double storied with windows opening, to this common area, from the first floor. The ladies used to sit behind the closed windows and listen to the business conversations. The head of the family discussed business matter with his wife and other ladies in this area. For ventilation, hand pulled fans were installed, these fans were pulled by workers and servants.
This was an area which was opulently decorated with frescoes of various Deities, God and Goddesses, Kings, Queens etc. Sometimes you would find these frescoes made of Gold plating/leaves; you would also sometimes find opulent Belgian glass-work here.
This was the area where the Head of the Family/Business would show off his her wealth and richness to the prospective client and other business stakeholders. The central area has surrounding regions housing the “Tijories” (safes) for keeping the cash.

The Second Chowk (Second Inner Courtyard):-

       In big Havelis you find the Second Chowk or the Second Inner Courtyard. The Outer Chowk was connected to the Inner Chowk via the inner transition area (called inner ‘poli’). This inner courtyard was similar to the first outer courtyard, with a distinction that this was a private area only for family members. This area was mostly occupied by the women. Men joined the women in this area after completing the business work. This area was painted with various themes including themes depicting various Deities, God & Goddesses, Mythological events, depiction of festivals like Holi, images of warriors, kings etc. The center of the Inner Courtyard was kept ‘kaccaha’ (i.e. without flooring); this was done so that the rainwater could seep down. You mostly find Tulsi plant planted in this area.

Living Rooms and Bedrooms:-

       Living rooms (called ‘sal’) had plain walls. These were mostly not ornately painted. Living rooms used for housing/keeping visitors were sometimes ornately painted, but mostly the themes of these rooms were plain and simple. These rooms had small cupboards. Residents used to keep their belongings in these cupboards and metal trunks. There were storage rooms and Pooja rooms (having images of family deities) alongside the Living rooms. The Chowk and Sal were joined by semi open spaces called ‘tibari’.

      Bigger rooms or the Bedrooms were generally on the first floor around the courtyards. These rooms had small storage spaces called ‘duchhati’. On the exterior side of these rooms you would see frescoes of various Deities, God & Goddesses, Mythological events, floral patterns & other intricate patterns, warriors, horses, elephants etc.

 Kitchens:-

      In these Havelis you would find small kitchens (called ‘rasoi’) around the Inner Courtyard. Adjacent to kitchens there were small rooms (called ‘parinda’) used for storing drinking water.

Staircases:-

      In these Havelis you would find narrow stair cases (called ‘nisherni’), adjacent to the rooms that store drinking water. Legends say that the staircases were deliberately made narrow, to avoid robbers and dacoits take away wealth in huge sacks via the staircases. The narrow staircases would serve as a natural hindrance for huge sacks.
It is also believed that narrow staircases allowed only one person to use the staircase at a time this was to ensure royalty and privacy.

Toilets:-

      Toilets, a narrow stretch, were mostly built alongside the Haveli. It was outside the main Haveli complex but with-in the outer wall of the Haveli.

Nohra:-

        In olden days wealthy households used to rare cattle, horses, camels etc. In bigger Havelis these cattle, horses, camels etc were housed in a place called Nohra. Nohra was an open space attached to the Haveli, although it had a separate entry near the main entrance. Sometimes Nohra also had rooms for servants or guests etc and spaces to store goods.

    Art & Craft Work in Mandawa Havelis

      The opulent Havelis in Mandawa are full of masterpieces of art and craft. The art & craft work can  be categorized more or less into the broader categorizations suggested as under:

Frescoes:-

      Havelis are adorned with exquisite frescoes. You can find these frescoes on the entrances, doors, external & internal walls, baithaks, chowks etc. Themes of the Frescoes include:

1.     God, Goddesses, Deities, Mythological Events & Characters

2.     Maharajas, King Queens, Nawabs, Courtiers etc

3.     Various Festivals

4.     Wars and Warriors

5.     Modes of Transport and other technological advancements

6.     Freedom Fighters and Freedom struggle

7.     English men, Women and English Rulers

8.     Depiction of Village Life and day to day life events

9.     Famous European places and their attractions

10.  Elephants, Horses, Camels etc

11.  Floral, Intricate Multi Edged, Persian Carpet and other Geometrical Patterns

12.  Other Beautiful Patterns

Precious Metal Work:-

  In the Baithaks you would find frescoes adorned with Gold leaves/Gold plantings. This was an area which was opulently decorated with frescoes of various Deities, God and Goddesses, Kings, Queens etc. 

Belgian Glass and Mirror Work:-

      In the Baithaks you would find Belgian Glass work. This work gave the baithak a feel of aristocracy and made the Haveli look distinct from other Havelis.
Apart from the Belgian Glass work, the exterior and interiors of the Havelis was adorned with Mirror Work which in combination with the Frescoes gave a rich and exclusive look to the Haveli.

      

Stone Carvings:-

Havelis have Stone Carvings on the windows where Stone Jalis were carved out of stone slabs. The light and air would come in via the beautifully carved floral and geometrical patterns. Apart from windows Stone Carvings was also seen on arches and brackets.

Wood Work:-

     Havelis have intricate wood work. The carvings on the doors, windows etc showcase floral, geometrical and other patterns.

Metal Work:-

      The beautifully carved huge wooden doors have ornate designs made of brass, copper and Iron. The doors have pointed designs so that it is difficult to push open the doors from outside.
Apart from the doors you would sometimes see skillfully decorated and engraved windows.

      Read more about History of Mandawa, witness and appreciate the brilliance of craftsmanship bestowed on Havelis of Mandawa here.
+ Disclaimer: Information provided above is based on self experience and collected from various other sources.

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