Shekhawati

Shekhawati is an area of arid semi-desert which encompasses various districts of northern Rajasthan, including Churu, Sikar, and Nagaur. Lying within a triangular area between Delhi, Jaipur, and Bikaner, Shekhawati has been a trading cross-road for centuries. The area boomed 2000 years ago, when turmoil in China (and the discovery of advantageous monsoon winds) brought increased trade between India and the West. Entrepreneurial locals left the area, travelling far and wide to grow businesses in port cities across the Subcontinent. Returning sporadically, they would embellish and re-paint their family mansions, leaving behind a collection of richly-coloured historic havelis, for which the area is now justifiably famous.