• Why were Shekhawati’s Havelis made and by whom? What were the painting themes? Why preservation and restoration of Shekhawati’s Havelis is important? Pics of Shekhawati Frescoes. 

Rajasthan is a land where history never quite fades — it lingers in forts, echoes in folk songs, and glows in the golden light of its desert towns. But nowhere does history paint itself more vividly than in Shekhawati, the region often described as the world’s largest open-air art gallery. 

Spread across the districts of Jhunjhunu, Sikar and Churu, Shekhawati’s havelis are draped in thousands of frescoes that turn the walls into canvases of myth, memory, culture, and change.

Walking through these towns is like stepping into a vast illustrated manuscript — every lane holds a story, every mansion a mural, every colour a whisper from the past.

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A Region Built by Merchants, Imagined by Artists

The story of Shekhawati’s frescoes begins with its people — the wealthy Marwari merchants who once controlled trade routes running across Rajasthan. As their business networks expanded from India to Central Asia and beyond, prosperity followed.

With wealth came a desire to express status and gratitude. Families began building elaborate havelis with spacious courtyards, carved gateways, delicate jharokhas and painted facades. These homes were both residences and symbols of success.

To bring these murals to life, merchant families turned to local artisans — the chiteras (traditional painters, often from the potter community) and chajeras (masons). Over generations, these artisans refined a distinctive technique that gave Shekhawati frescoes their hallmark beauty. In days when there were no photographs or prints to get inspired from, painters relied on loose instructions given by their patrons.

The Art of Arayish: Colours Embedded in Time

One of the region’s fascinating traditions is arayish (fresco-buono), a technique where colours are applied on freshly laid lime plaster. As the plaster dries, pigments literally fuse with the surface, creating paintings that withstand harsh desert conditions.

Natural pigments extracted from minerals, stones, charcoal, and vegetables were originally used. In the late 19th century, chemical colours arrived from Europe and expanded the palette.

Yet the essence remained unchanged — bold lines, flat colour planes, decorative borders, and a storytelling spirit that valued narrative richness over realism. Even today, the polished sheen of arayish walls — achieved by rubbing with agate stone — gives many havelis their soft, glowing finish.

Themes on the Walls: From Ancient Epics to Modern Machines

What makes Shekhawati’s frescoes extraordinary is the sheer range of themes. These were not mere decorations; they were mirrors of life — spiritual, everyday life, and aspirational.

1. Mythology and Devotion

The walls were filled with scenes from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the childhood tales of Krishna, Hanuman and various gods and goddesses. These murals embodied faith, served as visual scriptures, and often revealed the devotional preferences of the haveli’s owners.

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2. Daily Life and Social Scenes

Beyond gods, artisans painted the world around them: camel caravans, Women with their group of friends, wrestlers and other forms of games, marketplaces, musicians and dancers and much more.

These glimpses into everyday life became a valuable social record of 19th-century Rajasthan.

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3. Romantic and Folk Tales

Ballads and love stories, particularly the legendary Dhola-Maru riding a camel through the desert, often appeared on walls — blending romance with regional folklore.

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4. Nature, Animals and Decorative Motifs

Peacocks, elephants, horses and floral arabesques created ornamental patterns that framed larger panels. These motifs added rhythm, beauty and symbolism — peacocks for monsoon, elephants for royalty, vines for prosperity.

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5. Modernity Arrives

Perhaps the most surprising phase came when Shekhawati’s traders, travelling across the world, discovered new inventions. Their excitement found its way onto the walls: Trains, Early automobiles, Bicycles, Hot air balloons, Telegraph lines and Europeans in Victorian clothing

These images captured the region’s transition from tradition to modernity and showcased the merchants’ global exposure.

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Architecture as Grandeur: The Haveli Aesthetic

The frescoes are only part of the experience. The havelis themselves are masterworks of architecture — designed with precision, aesthetics and climate in mind.

Typical havelis featured: Two or more courtyards — the outer for guests and trade, the inner for the family, Massive carved wooden gates, Delicate jharokhas overlooking the streets, Ornate pillars and arches and Raised platforms (tibas) for seating and meetings.

Every surface — walls and ceilings to doorframes and niches — were viewed as a potential canvas.

The Tragedy of Abandonment - and Why It Matters Now

Many Marwari families migrated in the 20th century, setting up businesses in Kolkata, Mumbai, and across the world. Their ancestral mansions, once alive with activity, gradually fell quiet.

Today, numerous havelis lie in neglect: Walls cracking, Colours fading, Roofs collapsing, Rainwater seeping through and wooden elements decaying.

A revival movement has begun, but with challenges: The traditional arayish artisans are now very few, Restoration requires high skill and higher cost and many properties lack clear ownership

Yet the importance of preservation cannot be overstated.

Shekhawati’s frescoes are not just art; they are: Historical documents, Cultural memory, Architectural heritage, Stories of migration, faith and modernity and India’s richest repository of painted mansions.

Saving them is saving a unique chapter of India’s cultural identity.

Exploring Shekhawati feels like stepping through layers of time.

In Nawalgarh, Mandawa, Fatehpur and Dundlod, each haveli reveals a different world. Some mansions, such as the Podar, Morarka and Nadine Le Prince havelis, were lovingly restored. Others stand silent, their beauty fading but still powerful.

Shekhawati is not just a destination — it is a museum without walls, a celebration of imagination, and a reminder of how art can define a region.

The frescoes of Shekhawati are a spectacular fusion of faith, folklore, craftmanship and global curiosity. They tell the story of a people deeply rooted in tradition yet unafraid of the new.

As visitors and storytellers, we owe it to this region to keep these memories alive. Because when a fresco fades, so does a chapter of history.

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How to reach

Jaipur is the closest airport and big railway station.

To read all articles by author

Also read

1. Places to visit in Shekhawati are Churu, Sikar, Mandawa, Nawalgarh, Fatehpur,  

2. Rajasthan Tourism site on Shekhawati Khetri Mahal and Rani Sati Mandir nice, Dundlod village in Jhunjhunu.

3. About Shekhawati

4. History of Shekhawati with personal angle and pictures

5. How to see the Havelis of Shekhawati – good 

6. Vedaaranya Experiences Shekhawati