Beyond the last ripples of the Aravalli range, north of Jaipur, lies the easternmost extent of the Thar Desert, where small sand-blown towns nestle between dunes and sprawling expanses of parched land. Before the rise of Bombay and Calcutta (and the arrival of railways) diverted the trans-Thar trade south and eastwards, this region, known as Shekhawati , lay on an important caravan route connecting Delhi and Sind (now in Pakistan) with the Gujarati coast. The merchant Marwari and landowning thakur castes of its small market towns grew rich on trade and taxes from the through traffic, but instead of erecting impressive temples and supporting religious institutions, spent their fortunes competing with each other to build grand, ostentatiously decorated havelis . Many have survived, and now collectively comprise one of the richest artistic and architectural legacies in all India: an incredible number of mansions, palaces and cenotaphs plastered inside and out with elaborate and colourful murals . Executed between the 1770s and the 1930s, these depict not only traditional themes, scenes from folk tales and religious stories, animals and local customs, but also faraway cities, merchants and their families, British sahibs of the Raj, and Victorian technology, each mural bordered with ornate floral designs. Sadly, nowadays, most are faded, defaced, covered with posters or even just whitewashed over, but there are so many - and the towns are so small - that you cannot fail to see a work of art virtually everywhere you look.

 

Considering the wealth of traditional art here, and the region's proximity to Jaipur, Shekhawati feels surprisingly far off the tourist trail - few local people speak English, accommodation is thin on the ground, and there's little prospect of Western food. But this ranks among the most rewarding parts of Rajasthan to explore: the towns are compact, the air clear and fresh and local people still pleasantly surprised to see foreigners. Of the few independent travellers who find their way up here, most invariably stay longer than planned, using Nawalgarh as a base for day-trips or leisurely walks into the desert.

Only the main towns have been covered in the following account, but - ideally with the help of Ilay Cooper's excellent The Painted Towns of Shekhawati , published by Mapin and available in Delhi, Jaipur and Mandawa - you should be able to find interesting sites in any town or village you pass through. Most of the buildings are still privately owned, and many of them are homes; ask permission to enter any house, and respect the custom of removing your shoes before you do so.