Shekhawati is a region in the northern part of the

Indian state India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, for a total of 36 subnational entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into 800 districts and smaller administrative divisions by the respe ...

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

, comprising the districts of Sikar, Jhunjhunu, and Churu. The language of this region is also called

Shekhawati Shekhawati is a region in the northern part of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan, comprising the districts of Sikar, Jhunjhunu, and Churu district, Churu. The language of this region is also called Shekhawat ...

, which is one of the eight dialects of the

Rajasthani language The Rajasthani languages are a group of Western Indo-Aryan languages, primarily spoken in Rajasthan and Malwa, and adjacent areas of Haryana, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh in India and South Punjab and the adjacent areas of Sindh in Pakistan. T ...

. Shekhawati is known for its grand mansions, their architecture and fresco paintings. Between the 17th and 19th centuries, Marwari merchants and Shekhawat kings built havelis in the Shekhawati region. It has structures, including houses,

temples A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

, and stepwells. All of these structures have painted murals, both inside and out.

Etymology

Shekhawati derives its name from Maha Rao Shekha, a prominent Kachwaha Rajput chieftain who founded the region in the 15th century. The name is derived from the combination of "Shekha" (the name of the founder) and "wati," meaning "garden" or "garden of". Thus, Shekhawati literally translates to "The Garden of Rao Shekha". ''Shekhawati'' was first mentioned in the book ''Bankidas ki Khyat''. A contemporary of Kaviraja Bankidas Colonel W.S. Gardener, used the term "Shekhawati" in 1803. Later,

James Tod Lieutenant-Colonel James Tod (20 March 1782 – 18 November 1835) was an officer of the British East India Company and an Orientalism, Oriental scholar. He combined his official role and his amateur interests to create a series of works ...

wrote the first history of Shekhawati. The term "Shekhawati" is also frequently used in ''Vamsh Bhaskar''.Sahiram: Ek adhūrī krānti, Shekhawati kā kisān āndolan (1922-1952), page-1

History

Ancient history

Almost the entire region of Shekhawati was once under the rule of the Gaur Rajput dynasty. After more than 15 wars with Gaur rajput dynasty gaur dynasty rulers lost their large part of kingdom into Shekhawati. Many historians believe this region was part of the Matsya kingdom.

Rigveda The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' (, , from wikt:ऋच्, ऋच्, "praise" and wikt:वेद, वेद, "knowledge") is an ancient Indian Miscellany, collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canoni ...

also provides certain evidence in this matter. G H Ojha: Rajputane ka Itihasa (Part I), page 83

Manusmriti The ''Manusmṛti'' (), also known as the ''Mānava-Dharmaśāstra'' or the Laws of Manu, is one of the many legal texts and constitutions among the many ' of Hinduism. Over fifty manuscripts of the ''Manusmriti'' are now known, but the earli ...

has called this land 'Brahmrishi Desha'. The Shekhawati region was included in 'Marukantar Desha' up to the

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

period. Out of 16

mahajanapada The Mahājanapadas were sixteen kingdoms and aristocratic republics that existed in ancient India from the sixth to fourth centuries BCE, during the second urbanisation period. History The 6th–5th centuries BCE are often regarded as a ...

s prior to

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...

, only two Janapadas (namely Avanti and the Kingdom of Virata) were counted in the

area. This region was also influenced by Avanti, however Nandas of

Magadha Magadha was a region and kingdom in ancient India, based in the eastern Ganges Plain. It was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas during the Second Urbanization period. The region was ruled by several dynasties, which overshadowed, conquered, and ...

later defeated Avanti. Historians believe that

Maurya The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in South Asia with its power base in Magadha. Founded by Chandragupta Maurya around c. 320 BCE, it existed in loose-knit fashion until 185 BCE. The primary sourc ...

s obtained the Rajasthan from Nandas. In ancient times, Shekhawati was not limited to the present two districts. During the Mahabharata period, the region was known as the Matsya kingdom and extended up to the

Sarasvati River The Sarasvati River () is a Apotheosis, deified myth, mythological Rigvedic rivers, river first mentioned in the Rigveda and later in Vedas, Vedic and post-Vedic texts. It played an important role in the Historical Vedic religion, Vedic religio ...

. Matsya Kingdom was founded by King Matsya (named Matsya because he was born from an apsra living as a fish), son of King Uparichara Vasu. During ancient times, this region was divided into several

janapada The Janapadas () () (c. 1100–600 BCE) were the realms, republics (ganapada) and kingdoms (sāmarājya) of the Vedic period in the Indian subcontinent. The Vedic period reaches from the late Bronze Age into the Iron Age: from about 1500 BCE to ...

s. Dhosi Hill, the revered hill bordering

Haryana Haryana () is a States and union territories of India, state located in the northern part of India. It was carved out after the linguistic reorganisation of Punjab, India, Punjab on 1 November 1966. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with les ...

and famous for

Chyavana Chyavana () was a sage (rishi) in Hinduism. He was a son of Bhrigu, also known as Bhrigu Varuni in the Upanishads, and is known for his rejuvenation through a special herbal paste (ayurvedic jam) or tonic known as '' chyavanaprasham'', which ...

Rishi's Ashram, as well as the place where Chyawanprash was formulated for the first time, has extensive mentions in the epic Mahabharat in Vanparv. After the collapse of the

Gupta dynasty The Gupta Empire was an Indian empire during the classical period of the Indian subcontinent which existed from the mid 3rd century to mid 6th century CE. At its zenith, the dynasty ruled over an empire that spanned much of the northern Indian ...

, the Shekhawati was controlled by the Chauhan Rajputs. Some parts of Shekhawati, Jhunjhunu, Fatehpur, and Narhar were taken from them by Kaimkhanis, which in turn were defeated by Shekhawat Rajputs. Kaimkhani is a branch emerging from the Chauhans. The first progenitor of Kaimkhanis was Karamchand, born in the family of Moterao of the Chauhan clan, ruler of Dadrewa. Firuz Shah Tughluq converted him to Islam and named him Kaimkhan. Thus, his descendants are called Kaimkhani.

Shekhawat rule

Shekhawati was established and ruled by Shekhawat Rajputs until

India's independence The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events in South Asia with the ultimate aim of ending British colonial rule. It lasted until 1947, when the Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed. The first nationalistic movement t ...

. Rao Shekha from Dhundhar established his own independent kingdom with the capital located in Amarsar. He was the first independent ruler. After him, Rao Raimal, Rao Suja, and Rao Lunkaran become the rulers of Amarsar. Rao Manohar succeeded his father, Rao Lunkaran, and founded Manoharpur (later renamed Shahpura). The present ruler of Shahpura is the Tikai of the Shekhawat subclan. The Shekhawats conquered the Jhunjhunu, Fatehpur, and Narhar of the Kaimkhanis, established their rule in 1445, and continued to rule until 1614.

Thikanas of Shekhawati

Rao Shekha, a Shekhawat Rajput (sub-branch of

Kachhwaha The Kachhwaha is a Rajput clan found primarily in India. They claim descent from the Suryavanshi (Solar) dynasty. Etymology According to Cynthia Talbot, the meaning of word ''Kachhwaha'' is tortoise. Origin There are numerous theories on ...

), was the founder of Shekhawati, who originally divided Shekhawati into 33 Thikana (also called a

Pargana Pargana or parganah, also spelt pergunnah, equivalent to Mohallah as a subunit of Subah (Suba), was a type of former administrative division in the Indian subcontinent during the time of the Delhi Sultanate, Mughal and British Colonial empire ...

), each with at least a kutcha mud fort, some of which were later reinforced with stone. Many Thikanas had their own flags and emblems. Shekhawats ruled over the largest number of Thikanas in

Jaipur Jaipur (; , ) is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the List of cities and towns in Rajasthan, largest city of the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had ...

Rajwara. An alphabetical list of the original 33 ''Thikana'' is as follows: * Baloda Thikana was granted to Raj Shree Thakur Dalel Singh Ji Shekhawat, who received a jagir consisting of 12 villages. He migrated from Pilani Fort and was the son of Raj Shree Thakur Nawal Singh Ji Shekhawat of Nawalgarh and the grandson of Jhunjhunu Raja Shree Shardul Singh Ji Shekhawat. Initially, Thakur Dalel Singh Ji Shekhawat established Pilani and constructed Dalelgarh Fort. He was granted the territories of Pilani and Baloda, along with 12 villages, as part of his jagir. In 1832, he participated in the Mandan War. Subsequently, he and his lineage migrated to Baloda Thikana, where he formally took charge of the estate. Raj Shree Thakur Dalel Singh Ji Shekhawat became the first Jagirdar (Thikanedar) of Baloda Thikana. The Shekhawat rulers of Baloda Thikana belong to the Bhojraji clan and the Shardulsinghot subclan (Panchpana). * Barau Thikana, founded by Kunwar Kushal Singh, son of Thakur Jagram Singh. * Bissau Thikana, Bissau and Surajgarh merged to form Bissau * Chirawa Thikana, Chirawa and Sultana merged to form Chirawa. * Dundlod Thikana * Indrapura Ratnawat clan, Churu * Jhunjhunu Thikana * Khachariawas Thikana was granted to Raja Raisal's eldest son Lal Singh. As Akbar called Lal Singh the ''Lad Khan'', this name became famous, and his descendants are known as ''Ladkhani''. * Khatu Thikana was granted to Raja Raisal's second son ''Kesari Singh''. * Kansarda Thikana was granted to Kanak Singh. * Khandela Thikana * Khatushyamji Thikana * Khelna Thikana * Khetri Thikana * Loharu Thikana was the 33rd Thikana, which was granted to Arjun Singh, who constructed a ''kutcha'' mud fort there in 1570. It was later converted to a ''pucca'' fort in 1803.Loharu Fort, Bhiwani, to be state-protected monument
The Tribune, 27 Aug 2021. * Mandawa Thikana * Mandela Thikana * Mukundgarh Thikana * Mundru Thikana * Nangali Saledi Singh Thikana was granted by Rao Bhojraj to his youngest son, Saledi Singh Shekhawat. * Nawalgarh Thikana * Parasrampura Thikana * Pentalisa Thikana * Pilani Thikana was granted Dalel Singh Shekhawat, the third son of Thakur Nawal Singh of Nawalgarh. Dalel Singh was granted Baloda and Pilani with 12 villagea. He built Dalelgarh fort in Pilani, and after some time he migrated to Baloda Thikana. * Shahpura Thikana was the head seat of Shekhawat clan. Shahpura was a Tazimi Thikana of Shekhawat sub-clan and was granted by Rao Shekha to his youngest son Rao Lunkaran. * Sikar Thikana was granted to ''Maharaja Rao Tirmal.'' His descendants are known as ''Rao Ji ka''. * Surajgarh Thikana * Tosham Thikana * Udaipurwati Thikana was granted by Raja Rtisal to his fifth son, Rao Bhojraj. Rao Bhojraj was the ancestor of the Bhojraj Ji Ka branch of Shekhawats. His descendants founded many Thikanas and ruled over them. The group of 45 villages of Udaipurwati was known as Pentalisa. Pentalisa included Jhajhar, Gudha, Sultana (Rao Hathi Ram Singh Ji Ka), Bagholi, Khirod, etc.

Geography

Shekhawati is in the

Thar Desert The Thar Desert (), also known as the Great Indian Desert, is an arid region in the north-western part of the Indian subcontinent that covers an area of in India and Pakistan. It is the world's 18th-largest desert, and the world's 9th-large ...

of Rajasthan and has special importance in the history of India. It also covers part of the Bagar tract along the Haryana-Rajasthan border. The climate of the desert region is harsh and extreme. The temperature ranges from below in winter to more than in summer. The summer brings hot waves of air called ''loo''. Annual rainfall is at around 450 to 600 mm. The

groundwater Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and Pore space in soil, soil pore spaces and in the fractures of stratum, rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available fresh water in the world is groundwater. A unit ...

is as deep as 200 feet (60 m), and in some places, the groundwater is hard and salty. The people in the region depend on

rainwater harvesting Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is the collection and storage of rain, rather than allowing it to run off. Rainwater is collected from a roof-like surface and redirected to a Rainwater tank, tank, cistern, deep pit (well, shaft, or borehole), Aquifer s ...

. The harvested rainwater during the monsoon season (July and August) is stored in pucca tanks and used throughout the year for drinking purposes.Busquet, Carisse and Gerard ''Impressions of Rajasthan'' 2003, Editions Flammarion,

Major cities

Major cities in Shekhawati include: * Sikar district ** Sikar ** Fatehpur ** Reengus ** Laxmangarh ** Ramgarh ** Sri Madhopur * Jhunjhunu district ** Jhunjhunu ** Chirawa ** Nawalgarh ** Pilani **

Bissau Bissau () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Guinea-Bissau. it had a population of 492,004. Bissau is located on the Geba River estuary, off the Atlantic Ocean, and is Guinea-Bissau's largest city, major port, its administr ...

** Khetri ** Mandawa ** Udaipurwati

Culture, heritage and tourism

Architecture

Shahpura Haveli is a 300-year-old palace built by Rao Pratap Singh, descendant of Rao Shekha, in the 17th century. In the ''zenana'' (women's quarters), various rooms offer different themes. One room has antique murals, another has a marble fountain, while the turret room has walls that are thick. Diwankhana, the formal drawing room, is decorated with family portraits and an array of antique armour. The Haveli was then renovated by Maharaj Surendra Singh and is now running as a Heritage Hotel. The haveli was recognized as one of the Historic Hotels in the World in the year 2018.

Havelis, temples and frescos

Most of the buildings of the Shekhawati region were constructed between the 18th century and the early 20th century. During the British occupation, traders adapted this style for their buildings. Shahpura Haveli in Shahpura, 65 km from Jaipur on Jaipur - Delhi Highway, and Nangal Sirohi in

Mahendragarh district Mahendragarh district is one of the 22 districts of Haryana state in northern India. The district occupies an area of 1,899 km² and has a population of 922,088 (2021census). District have 4 Sub-divisions : Narnaul, Mahendragarh, Nangal ...

, 130 km from Delhi, are popular for their Shekhawati architecture within the National Capital Region (NCR).Magnificent havelis of Nangal-Sirohi
The Tribune, 22 June 2002.

Dress

Women wear ''ghagra lugdi'' as their traditional dress and men wear usual Rajasthani dress.

Heritage and legacy

Architectural buildings

Language: Shekhawati dialect

is a

dialect A dialect is a Variety (linguistics), variety of language spoken by a particular group of people. This may include dominant and standard language, standardized varieties as well as Vernacular language, vernacular, unwritten, or non-standardize ...

of the

and is spoken by about three million speakers in the Jhunjhunu and Sikar districts of Rajasthan, according to Historical Census of Rajputana provide by Government of India. Even though it is an important dialect from the grammatical and literary points of view, very little work is carried out on it. In 2001 a descriptive compendium of the grammar of Shekhawati was published.Lakhan Gusain. Shekhawati. Munich: Lincom Europa (2001) (LW/M 385) Shekhawati, like the Bagri dialect of Anupgarh, Sri Ganganagar, Hanumangarh and Churu districts, has a parallel lexicon which makes it very rich from a lexicographical point of view.

Word order In linguistics, word order (also known as linear order) is the order of the syntactic constituents of a language. Word order typology studies it from a cross-linguistic perspective, and examines how languages employ different orders. Correlatio ...

is typically SOV and there is the existence of

implosives Implosive consonants are a group of stop consonants (and possibly also some affricates) with a mixed glottalic ingressive and pulmonic egressive airstream mechanism. That is, the airstream is controlled by moving the glottis downward in additio ...

. The presence of high tone at the

suprasegmental In linguistics, prosody () is the study of elements of speech, including intonation, stress, rhythm and loudness, that occur simultaneously with individual phonetic segments: vowels and consonants. Often, prosody specifically refers to such ele ...

level classifies it with other dialects of Rajasthani. It has contributed significantly to the development of Rajasthani language and

linguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...

Education

Recently, the Shekhawati region had growth in the education sector. Many schools and colleges have been established. There are many institutes named after Shekhawati. The Shekhawati region has the highest literacy in the state.Dr RP Arya, Jitendra Arya, Gayatri Arya, Anshuman Arya, Rajasthan Road Atlas, Indian Map Service, Jodhpur 2005