Things to see in Mandawa

MANDAWA: WHAT TO SEE - USEFUL TIPS AND PHOTOS

Mandawa is located in India, more precisely in Rajasthan, about 5 hours by car from Delhi or slightly less from Bikaner or Jaipur. The town has about 20,000 inhabitants and is quite isolated, with no airports or railway stations in the immediate vicinity that make it easier to get to it. However, if you have organized your trip to India with a car and driver, reaching Mandawa will be certainly not a problem. The main attractions in Mandawa, not to be missed, are:

• Havelis. Mandawa is also known as an "open-air museum", as the city is home to numerous houses built between the 18th and 20th centuries, which belonged to wealthy merchants and entrepreneurs, who wanted to decorate their residences with sumptuous frescoes everywhere on external facade and internal walls. These houses are called havelis and are the main attraction in Mandawa. Some havelis have been renovated, others have been converted into heritage hotels, while others are unfortunately in a state of increasing degradation and would require some urgent maintenance, to ensure that this priceless artistic and cultural heritage will not be lost forever. However, regardless of haveli's state and intended use, visitors will certainly enjoy for hours the brilliant frescoes, sometimes enriched with precious stones or even with gold left used as a kind of paint.
  
  
• Mandawa Fort. It is a building dating back to the eighteenth century, renovated and converted into a heritage hotel. It is located in the center of Mandawa and has wonderful frescoes, detailed bas-reliefs and intriguing compositions with mirrors.
  
  
• Other towns in Shekhawati. A short distance from Mandawa, ideal for a day trip by car, there are several towns, such as Fathepur, Nawalgarh, Dundlod and Jhunjhunu, which offer even more beautiful havelis.

To visit Mandawa, visitors usually need a minimum of an half day and, given the conditions of the road to get to the city, it is good to leave from Delhi, Bikaner or Jaipur early morning, to have enough time available during the afternoon. Most havelis can be visited by just walking from the hotel, however it's recommended to hire a guide, who knows the best places and could explain the history (normally the guide can be provided by the hotel). Alternatively, it may be a good idea to stay in Mandawa two nights, to visit (by car) also the other amazing havelis in nearby Fathepur, Nawalgarh, Dundlod and Jhunjhunu (among Shekhawati region).

The best time to visit Mandawa is, like for the rest of Rajasthan, from October to March, to enjoy drier weather and less heat.

But now let's see some photos of Mandawa taken during our Rajasthan tour.

Mandawa has the appareance of a typical countryside Indian town, with much less traffic than usual.

However, a closer look at the narrow alleys among Mandawa city center, reveals lot of old buildings, called haveli, built between the 18th and 20th centuries as a residence for wealthy merchants and entrepreneurs. The facades of the havelis are decorated with brilliant frescoes depicting scenes from everyday life, often representative of the historical period in which they were painted.

Some havelis are privately owned and have been converted into heritage hotels, after restoration works of the paintings inside and outside the building. The haveli shown in those photos, is a traditional hotel that can be visited even if you are not a guest.

In addition to the external facade, all the parts of internal courtyards are decorated with paintings and bas-reliefs depicting various scenes, even post English colonization for the recentmost.

The beautiful frescoes decorating an haveli.

A haveli in Mandawa privately owned and converted into a gift shop. The frescoes are decorated with gold leaf used as a kind of paint.

A haveli renovated and converted into a heritage hotel, with a beautiful facade, courtyard and brilliant decorated bedrooms.

The Harlalka well is located in Mandawa, not far from the many havelis in the city center. Currently not in use anymore, adjacent to the well visitors may also see the ancient wash house.

Not far from Mandawa, along the road to Jaipur and Bikaner, the town of Fatehpur houses several beautiful havelis, among streets flooded by a late monsoon rain.