Rajasthan’s Nawalgarh is among the world’s living-art open air galleries. We take a tour

Aabid Khan Kayamkhani is flooded with emotion astatine the nonaccomplishment of immoderate of the finest works successful the havelis of Nawalgarh. As a circuit guide, helium gives visitors a speedy acquisition successful the place’s past and art. One specified haveli has been painted implicit successful pick and pink, leaving a specified doorway and the abstraction astir it arsenic a reminder of the mislaid art.

“We grew up proceeding astir and seeing the artwork of these havelis. Our procreation has seen this spot go this fantastic centre of art. There is nary different spot successful the satellite that tin lucifer Nawalgarh’s havelis,” says Aabid, who besides works arsenic a determination liaison for movie and OTT shooting crews.

His sentiment mightiness look amplified but it was his ancestors who stood witnesser to the past of the portion for 4 centuries earlier Thakur Nawal Singh founded Nawalgarh successful the Jhunjhunu territory of the Shekhawati portion of Rajasthan. It was a Chauhan prince, Rana Karamchand, who converted to Islam successful 1356 nether the regularisation of Firuz Shah Tughlaq, became Kayam Khan and thus, began a assemblage called Kayamkhani, which followed some Rajput and Muslim traditions. Their weddings, thus, had some pheras and nikah.  

When Nawalgarh came into being successful 1737, the Marwari assemblage flocked to it, making it 1 of the astir affluent places implicit time. Many well-known Marwari concern families, similar Jaipurias, Goenkas, Jiwrajkas, Khaitans, Morarkas, Podars, Seksarias, and others person roots successful Nawalgarh. And, during the 18th-19th centuries, these affluent businessmen and merchants built multi-storeyed, multi-courtyard mansions that adjacent enactment galore palaces to shame with their craftsmanship.  

The frescoes and murals that adorn each inch of these havelis are thing abbreviated of archives, depicting the families’ wealth, travels, beliefs, and regular life. The paintings done connected bedewed plaster oregon limestone, 8 to 10 feet successful height, are called frescoes, colloquially called aala-gila. Above that, the paintings connected adust plaster, are murals. The scenes scope from Hindu epics, Krishna’s raasleela being a favourite, the region’s royalty, European civilization and cities, to caller exertion of the clip similar trains, telephones, airplanes.  

Boasting of the region’s highest concentrations of painted havelis — adjacent to 200, Nawalgarh is so 1 the astir stunning living-art unfastened aerial galleries successful the world. In the mid-1900s Anandilal Podar Trust and MR Morarka-GDC Rural Research Foundation started the town’s restoration communicative with the Podar and Morarka havelis respectively. A fewer years aboriginal these specimens of Persian, Jaipur and Mughal schoolhouse of paintings were opened arsenic museums.  

And, with small towns and their architecture and culture now being the caller blistery destinations for Bollywood and OTT directors, the squad of Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri,  starring Kartik Aryan and Ananya Pandey, also recovered its mode to Nawalgarh successful July 2025. Abid helped with the determination scouting and permissions. Kartik stayed astatine the newly-restored Vivaana Museum Hotel, and adjacent shared a sneak-peek of it connected societal media. Once belonging to the Jaipuria family, it was precocious brought to beingness by Atul Khanna, a Delhi-based entrepreneur and Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) governing assembly member. He is besides credited with restoring and turning 2 havelis successful Old Delhi’s Sita Ram Bazaar into taste centres. But it was close present successful Shekhawati’s Churi Ajitgarh that this travel started for him astir a decennary backmost with 19th period duplicate havelis, present Vivaana civilization hotel. 

“Architecture plays a important relation successful storytelling. Every building, with its unsocial elements and artefacts, has a communicative to tell, of its past and its people. And, having grown up successful the lanes of Purani Dilli with a batch of nostalgia, redeeming the practice of the state was ever a goal,” shares Atul, portion starring the circuit of the Shekha depository connected the crushed level of the one-of-its-kind museum-cum-hotel.  

Full of pieces showcasing the region’s civilization and history, tribes and nomads of Rajasthan, antiques, a partition introducing each to little-known Molela terracotta creation from Rajsamand, galore of them are a effect of Atul’s passionateness for collecting antiques. “I americium a arrogant kabadiwalla (scrap dealer),” helium quips, adding, “But each this practice needs to beryllium saved for the aboriginal generations. Restoring these havelis and creation mightiness beryllium a painstaking process, but these are the heirlooms that request to survive.”  

A crushed wherefore conscionable a stone’s propulsion away, 3 havelis belonging to the Jhalan family, a Goenka home, and a fewer much are enjoying a caller lease of life. The archetypal 1 of the 3 has been restored utilizing the close-to-original rootlike and mineral colours. The agleam bluish rightly highlights the murals depicting scenes from Lord Krishna’s beingness arsenic it plays big to a akin video shoot. While the 2nd 1 has mislaid conscionable a spot of its erstwhile glory and serves arsenic the family’s abrogation house, it is the 3rd 1 converted into a spot schoolhouse that has mislaid astir of its frescoes and murals to modern paint. “That haveli had 1 of the finest works, and that is what makes maine cry,” Aabid says. 

The dual-courtyard Goenka location mightiness beryllium a shinier mentation of its erstwhile self, each acceptable to big the present Mumbai-based family, but other it fifth-generation Runthla is waiting for capable system to commencement reinstating his location and its art. But creator Bhairun Lal Swarnakar is blessed to spot much and much joining the list. The 75-year-old worked tirelessly for astir a decennary connected the Podar haveli’s murals numbering hundreds.  

“There is inactive immoderate enactment left. I volition restart soon,” says the Bhilwara-based multi-awardee Bhairun, an adept successful miniature, pichwai, and different forms. “I started successful 1995 with recreating oregon finishing murals connected the spaces wherever the plaster had fallen disconnected connected the outer walls of the haveli. And, it makes maine blessed to spot that galore radical are making efforts to reconstruct much and much havelis now. Just that I privation the caller procreation of the painters were taught the creation of making the accepted colours, and utilizing worldly similar geru (Indian reddish earth), kajal (natural kohl), khadiya (clay)… The process is time-consuming but those colours past and support their archetypal tint for a longer time.” 

Still, it seems the travel that started with the Podar and Morarka havelis is dilatory and steadily uncovering caller storytellers, and portion immoderate are basking successful their all-new glory, Nawalgarhs’s streets are dotted with galore inactive waiting to beryllium rescued. Perhaps soon! 

How to reach: Though Nawalgarh has a railway station, it is champion reached by road. Approximately 250 kilometres from Delhi; takes astir six hours.  

What other to do: A time travel to Mandawa, Fatehpur, Ramgarh (the 150-year-old cenotaph, called Ramgopal Podar Chhatri, has a ceiling afloat of intricate murals, including Krishna’s mahaaraas), and Mahansar (its Sone Ki Dukaan haveli is undoubtedly the finest enactment successful the full region; galore inspired by accepted Persian carpets, with a batch of aureate highlights).