A pretty little town located just 168 Kms from Jaipur, Mandawa features some beautiful pieces of art and architecture. Mandawa is also known as the fort town, and offers good connectivity to other towns and cities throughout Rajasthan. The town is also referred to as an open art gallery, as it is dotted with several havelis featuring luxury paintings. The frescos on the havelis are colourful and many of them have religious depictions.

Some of the most prominent havelis in Mandawa include Chokhani and Ladia Havelis, Binsidhar Newatia Haveli and Gulab Rai Ladia Haveli. These havelis boast of unique art and architectural designs from the previous eras. The main feature about all the Mandawa havelis are the colourful paintings. These paintings are well maintained and quite colourful. The Mandawa havelis are some of the best examples of traditional architecture and art in the entire region of Shekhawati.

History of Mandawa Havelis

Most of the Mandawa havelis were built between the 17th and 20th centuries. The havelis belonged to rich merchants who traded across borders in silk, spices and opium. The art and carvings at the havelis depict the royal and rich nature of the traders and the finesse of the artists of that time.

Architecture

Every haveli in Mandawa has its own art and painting depiction. The Hanuman Prasad Goenka Mansion features a painting of Lord Shiv on Nandi, his bull and one of Indra Dev sitting on an elephant. The Murmuria Haveli is known for being the latest work of artists in the region. The walls of the haveli feature paintings of cars and trains. It also has murals with Nehruji on a horse with a national flag and also has paintings of Lord Krishna.

The Goenka Double Haveli has a prominent façade and features two entrances. The façade has murals of horses and elephants. The haveli has protruding balconies and jutting upper floors with beautiful paintings and interesting patterns. The paintings depict typical Rajasthani ladies and also stylish European women wearing hats and adorning Victorian styles.

The Jhunjhunwala Haveli has an attractive painting of a gold leaf in a room next to the courtyard. At the southern end of the town is the Gulab Rai Ladia Mansion. This mansion is known for its fine art decorations that are depicted on both the inner as well as outer walls. These murals are some of the best and finest in the entire region of Shekhawati. The Mohan Lal Saraf Mansion also features beautiful paintings; the painting of the Maharaja fondling his moustache is the most prominent in the haveli.

Major Structures

Entrance

The entrance of each of these havelis is different. They depict different types of paintings and some also have mirror work and stone carvings.

Rooms

The havelis feature huge rooms with high ceilings, which keep the rooms cold even during sweltering summers. The rooms are adorned with spectacular and vibrant paintings that impress the tourists in the first look.

Nearby Tourist Attractions

• Mandawa Fort
• Market

The mansions in Mandawa are dotted all across the town. The havelis are within walking distance of each other and are the main attraction of the town. The paintings and architecture of the havelis are the main draw for the tourists.

How to Reach

The Mandawa havelis are the main attraction of the town. Mandawa is easily accessible from any major city or town in Rajasthan. The best way to get to Mandawa is by road as the town does not have its own airport or railhead.

Mandawa is connected by a good network of roadways. Well-paved roads connect Mandawa conveniently from Bikaner, Jaipur and Udaipur. Tourists can either opt to take buses or taxis from the main cities of Rajasthan to reach Mandawa.

The nearest railhead to Mandawa is at Jhunjhunu. Junjhunu is connected by trains to cities like Delhi, Bikaner and Jaipur. From Jhunjhunu tourists can take buses or taxis to reach Mandawa.

The airport in Jaipur is the nearest airport to the town of Mandawa. Tourists planning to travel to Mandawa by air should book their tickets to Jaipur. The airport at Jaipur is connected to the main cities of India like Mumbai, Delhi and Udaipur. From Jaipur tourists can take buses or taxis to reach Mandawa.

The Mandawa havelis are open from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Tourists can get entry into the havelis for a small fee of Rs 30 or Rs 75.