Mandawa Shekhawati Haveli Fresco Painting Jhunjhunu Rajasthan

Mandawa town and surrounding Shekhawati region of Jhunjhunu district in Rajasthan is known as the world's largest open-air art gallery, with 700+ 19th century merchant havelis (mansions) covered with elaborate exterior and interior fresco paintings commissioned by Marwari merchant families (Poddars, Seths, Goenkhas) who displayed their prosperity through increasingly grand decorative programs depicting mythology, court scenes, technological marvels (trains, cars, airplanes painted by artists who had never seen them), and wildlife. The Shekhawati fresco tradition uses lime plaster base (intonaco) with mineral pigments applied while the plaster is still wet (buon fresco) and dry (secco) techniques combined. The best examples are found in Mandawa, Fatehpur, Nawalgarh, Dundlod, and Bissau. The frescoes are now threatened by neglect, salt efflorescence, and tourist pressure. Heritage conservation organisations including INTACH are documenting and restoring select havelis. Shekhawati heritage tourism is a significant economic driver for this semi-arid region, with Mandawa as the most visited town.