Jhunjhunu, Jaipur

	Jhunjhunu, Jaipur
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Jhunjhunu, taken over by the Shekawats in 1730 as the capital of their newly formed territory, is the principal entry point to Shekhawati if you're traveling southwest from Delhi. Spreading in a mass of brick and concrete from the base of a bare rocky hill, it's a busy, largely unprepossessing town these days, whose raucous traffic tends to make a more lasting impression than its painted havelis , which aren't a patch on those elsewhere in the region. Lots of visitors make the mistake of basing themselves here, but it's a better idea to stop long enough only to take in the highlights and then carry on another hour or so to Nawalgarh.

The most impressive private mansions are grouped around Nehru bazaar, five minutes by rickshaw north of the main bus stand along Station Road. Beginning at Gandhi Chowk, at the far east end of the market, walk west until you reach a pair of havelis facing each other from opposite sides of a lane running north. Known as the Modi Havelis , they contain some of the finest murals and woodcarving in the town.

Above the nearby vegetable stalls, the Kaniram Narsinghdas Tibrewala Haveli boasts colored-glass windows around the top of its baithak , or pillared reception area,

while the Bihari temple, further up the same lane, features some of the oldest Shekhawati murals, painted in 1776 in vegetable pigments.

Dating to a time before the Marwaris took over from the Rajputs as the dominant social class, they feature Sardul Singh's five sons, each of whom built a fort in the town.

Further west, the unique Khetri Mahal, built in 1760, is ageing and empty, but there's no mistaking the originality of its design: sandstone pillars stand in place of walls wherever possible, and a covered ramp, wide enough for horses, winds up to the roof.

Views over Jhunjhunu from here stretch to the old Muslim quarter, Pirzada Mahalla, where a grand mosque is surrounded by tombs dating back to 1500. Many of Jhunjhunu's Muslims - still an important sector of the population - were wealthy merchants who built painted havelis of their own. A wander through Pirzada Mahalla leads past mosques, dargahs and meat markets, as well as neat rows of shops painted in pastel greens, blues and pinks unlike anywhere else in Shekhawati. more...