Havelis, big and small, in Mandawa

On the way to Bikaner, we stopped briefly at Mandawa, in the Shekhawat region of Rajasthan. Its a small place not really known for much today but over a hundred years ago, it was the center of opium cultivation and trade. With this money from illicit drugs, the people of the town built magnificent havelis (houses), with intricate paintings that shine as brightly today as they did on the palette so many eons ego.




















My favorite:

[people just don't see how special these houses are. Plastered on these priceless paintings are tawdry posters for "AMERICAN" English Learning Institute--30 days to get 'call center' quality Angrezi. sigh]