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Akash Mehrotra
Nawalgarh is a busy village. Nothing more than a small dot in the map of Rajasthan, it was once a cradle of India’s richest families, who built grand havelis and celebrated them with frescos of jaw-dropping ideas and details. These rich families have now dispersed across India, but their marvels stand. Pass through any alley here, and you will come across a haveli that can mesmerise you.
The rich Marwari families brought some of the finest European and Indian artists together to bring alive their walls. These walls were enlivened with artistic retellings of Indian epics and fables, murals of locomotives, European lifestyle, trade between Indian rulers and European merchants, playful depictions of Radha and Krishna and Rajasthani love story of Dhola-Maru. The mansions stand as remnants of the artistic order that once prevailed here.
A typical haveli had two chowks area — one called Mardana Mahal (men’s chamber used for meetings, discussing trade and commerce) and the other Zanana Mahal (ladies’ chamber for household work). These two chowks had baithaks on sides, which were more prominent in gents’ chamber and used as waiting rooms. Some havelies like the Grand Haveli in Nawalgarh are marked by a conspicuous use of pillars in the inner courtyard as a resultant of the amalgamation of Shekhawati architecture with the Bengali style, during the late 19th and early 20th century.
There’s no strict rule of ‘things to do’ or ‘how to do’ in Nawalgarh. Just walk down the old streets, through the narrow alleys and past the city gates, finding your way to the havelis. Everything in the city can be covered on foot. Everywhere you go, you can find frescos, some faded or obscure behind layers of dust, some hidden behind a layer of whitewash, obliterated by repair and some gleaming again after being restored.
The two most important havelis — Podar haveli and the Murarka haveli are closeby. When Nawalgarh was founded by Raja Nawal Singh in 1737, Murarkas were the first traders to settle down in the city. To lessen your sensory overload, start off the tour with Dr Ramnath Podar Haveli Musuem. The haveli was restored in 1992 by experts and has more than 750 frescos (considered among the best in the region). The rich Marwari families brought artists from across the country and abroad to have magnificent frescos on their walls. With time and exposure, themes on these walls also changed. As owners travelled across Europe, figures showing changing lifestyle and European life found space on the walls.
At a short distance from the Podar haveli is the Murarka haveli renovated under conservation expert Dr Hotchand and now turned into a museum. Instead of cement, limestone, red mud and sand were used to strengthen surfaces and marble dust and lime to plaster the walls. The paintings were restored using traditional methods and natural colours. Different rooms of the haveli have been redesigned to give an insight into the lifestyle practiced in the havelis.
A little walk into the city, past the Baori gate, takes one to the Aanth haveli, mostly in rumbled state with faded frescos but its grandeur speaks of the rich history it has been a part of.
Families living in these havelis, live mostly oblivious of this grandeur, like the city and the administration. Havelis have lost the race against time. The city loves the tourists but live in a careless oblivion. They pass through the Baori and the Podar gates but have forgotten to live that history. The richness of the culture is not conspicuous in the way city moves and one needs to turn a reader to read the tales of both splendor and neglect, these havelis tell.
Fast Facts
To reach – Sikar is the nearest district to Nawalgarh. There are regular buses from New Delhi to Sikar. From Jaipur, buses also ply on this route. Nawalgarh has a bus stop and is connected to both Delhi and Jaipur.
To stay – Many of these havelis like the Grand Haveli, have now been turned into Heritage hotel and present a good option to stay. Roop Niwas Kothi is another elite option to stay in.
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