Mandawa, Rajasthan: Open Art Gallery
*My trip to Mandawa was in 2019. Do note that things might have changed post pandemic, therefore please check with alternative sources for updated information.
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In 2019, I’d decided to return to Rajasthan for the third time to explore different towns and cities, and this trip brought me to a small town in the Shekhawati region called Mandawa. Located about three hours’ drive from the capital of Rajasthan, Jaipur, Mandawa is known for its beautiful havelis, frescoes and wall paintings.
Mandawa was a key stop for merchants travelling the Silk Road. Overtime, many wealthy merchants settled in this town and built their homes with exquisite frescoes and carvings (havelis), which are now popular tourist attractions here. By the 18th century, it became home to the Rajputs and grew and expanded into a town that we know of today.
Open Art Gallery
Because of its beautiful frescoes and havelis, Mandawa is called the “Open Art Gallery” or “The Painted Town of Shekhawati.” To see them, it’s best to go on a walking tour as most of these mansions are located in tiny lanes.
As you can see from the photos above, the rich woodwork and frescoes are slowly decaying and fading. The authorities can’t do much to maintain or restore these mansions as they are privately owned. As families expand and move to the larger cities of India and abroad and due to shifts of business centres, many of these havelis ended up abandoned and in a state of disrepair. Owners who have financial resources (and with some business acumen) have converted their havelis into lovely heritage hotels.
Accommodation
There are plenty of accommodation choices in Mandawa from guesthouses to heritage hotels. I was fortunate to have stayed at Castle Mandawa which was formerly a fortress and is now considered a luxury heritage hotel in town. The entire property including its rooms and suites, is a tribute to the regal history and grandeur of the Maharajas.
I was given the Royal Suite which is situated in the medieval tower of the castle. I don’t know if it was an error or what, but was very (pleasantly) surprised to be given such a suite as I was travelling solo. And no, I didn’t pay a fortune for it! I believed my tour package was reasonably priced suitable for deluxe rooms at the most.
The suite is absolutely huge. Close to the entrance of the suite is the sitting room and a spiral, marble staircase leading up to the bedroom, wardrobe and the bathroom.
Now, here’s the weird thing about the bathroom. The shower area is enclosed by a huge glass window which looks out onto the balcony surrounded by high walls. But there are chairs on the balcony which made me wonder – if one can’t look out of the balcony due to high walls, what is one supposed to do? Watch another showering in the bathroom? Lol!!
I did take a video of the suite but for some reason, I’m not able to locate it in my archives and so, you will have to take my word for it! The hotel website has a gallery of the royal suite – you may check it out here.
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I had only stayed one night in Mandawa – it was good enough for me – and then, I moved on to Bikaner.
From my observations as a Malaysian, most of the tourism promotions of Rajasthan in Malaysia tend to focus on Jaipur only as part of the Golden Triangle route (Delhi-Agra-Jaipur) or the larger cities of Rajasthan such as Udaipur and Jodhpur. They hardly feature the lesser known cities and towns.
If you are a Malaysian reading this and wanting to book directly with travel agencies or bespoke tour operators in India, you may find Mandawa included in your Rajasthan travels and I’d highly recommend it!
