Shekhawati (शेखावाटी) is a semi-arid region located in the northeast part of Rajasthan, India. It encompasses the administrative districts of Churu, Jhunjhunu and Sikar. Shekhawati gets its name from the great Rajput Kachhwaha chieftain Rao Shekha Ji. The descendants of Rao Shekha Ji are called Shekhawat. The chieftains of the region retained a nominal loyalty to the Rajput state of Jaipur, who in turn honoured them with hereditary title known as tazimi sardar. Shekhawati mainly consists of the area ruled by the five Grandsons of MahaRao Shekha Ji, popularly known as PANCHPANA. Covering an area of some 30,000 km², this region has been recognised as the "open-air art gallery of Rajasthan"^[1]. Inhabitants of Shekhawati are brave, sacrificing and hard working people. The region provides the highest number of persons to the Indian Army. The Shekhawati region has produced large number of Marwaris who are driving the economy of India. Col. J.C. Brooke in his book Political History of India wrote that for the recruitment of Horse-army there is no region in India at par with Shekhawati. Semi-arid generally describes regions that receive low annual rainfall (25 to 50 cm /10 to 20 in) and generally have scrub or grass vegetation. ... Rajasthan (राजस्थान) is the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. ... Churu (चूरु) is a town in the desert region of Rajasthan, India. ... Jhunjhunu is a town in the state of Rajasthan in India, and the administrative headquarters of Jhunjhunu District. ... Sikar is a town and district place in the state of Rajasthan in India. ... Rajputs (anonymous, c. ... The Kachwaha (also Kachhwaha or Kachhvaha) are a Rajput clan who formerly ruled the kingdom of Jaipur in Rajasthan, India. ... This article needs cleanup. ... This article needs cleanup. ... Shekhawat is the name of a branch of the Guhilote clan of Suryavanshi rajputs. ... Also known as the Pink City, Jaipur has a long, rich and colorful history. ... This article needs cleanup. ... This article deals with the modern day Indian Army. ... Birthplace of Marwari Clans Marwaris are an elite group of Indo-Aryan people from Marwar region of Rajasthan in India. ...

Climatic conditions

The natural climatic conditions in the region are very harsh and extreme. The temperature ranges from sub-zero Celsius in winters to more than 50 °C in summers. The summers bring hot waves of air called loo. Annual rainfall is very low, of the scale of 450 to 600 mm. The ground water is as deep as 200 feet (60 m), and at places water is hard and salty. The people in the region depend on rainwater harvesting. The July and August rainwater is stored in pucca tanks and used throughout the year for drinking purposes.^[2] Bawdis and johads are traditionally constructed for storing water received from rainfall in this arid region of Rajasthan. The bawdi is constructed in such a design that it gets narrower as we go down. The water stored in it is very cool and used for drinking purposes. On an average the region faces every third year as a dry year and every eighth year as a famine year. The famine of 1899 is considered to be the most severe. During famine years it becomes very difficult for animals to survive and the cattle population goes down drastically. A degree Celsius (°C) is a unit of temperature named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius (1701-1744), who first proposed a similar system in 1742. ... Groundwater is any water found below the land surface. ... Rainwater harvesting is the collection and storage of rain from roofs or a surface catchment for future productive use. ... Bawdi or Bawri or Baodi is the local name of an architectural structure View of a Bawdi at Fatehpur traditionally constructed for storing water received from rainfall in parts of India particularly the arid regions of Rajasthan. ... Rajasthan (राजस्थान) is the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. ... A famine is a phenomenon in which a large percentage of the population of a region or country are so undernourished that death by starvation becomes increasingly common. ... A famine is a phenomenon in which a large percentage of the population of a region or country are so undernourished that death by starvation becomes increasingly common. ...

Towns and cities of Shekhawati

The major towns and cities of the Shekhawati region are as follows:

• Nawalgarh
• Gudhagorji
• Dundlod
• Mukungarh
• Jhunjhunu
• Chirawa
• Khetri
• Pilani
• Parsurampura
• Baggar
• Mandawa
• Mahansar
• Sikar
• Khatushyamji
• Fatehpur
• Ramgarh
• Laxmangarh
• Salasar Balaji
• Ratangarh

Nawalgarh - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... Gudhagorji is one of the encient town of Sekhawati. ... Dundlod is a town in Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan in India. ... Mukungarh is a town in Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan in India. ... Jhunjhunu is a town in the state of Rajasthan in India, and the administrative headquarters of Jhunjhunu District. ... Chirawa is a town in Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan in India. ... Khetri is a town in Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan in India. ... Pilani is a town in the Jhunjhunu District in Rajasthan, India. ... Parsurampura is a town in Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan in India. ... Baggar is a town in Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan in India. ... Mandawa is a town in Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan in India. ... Mahansar is town of Shekhawati region in Rajasthan, India. ... Sikar is a town and district place in the state of Rajasthan in India. ... In Hinduism, Khatushyamji is a name and manifestation of Barbarika, son of Ghatotkacha. ... Fatehpur is a town of Sikar district in Rajasthan, India. ... Ramgarh is a cantonment town in the Indian State of Jharkhand (earlier Bihar). ... Laxmangarh is a town in Sikar district of Rajasthan in India. ... Salasar Balaji is a religious place for the devotees of Lord Hanuman. ... Ratangarh is a town of Churu district in Rajasthan, India. ...

Grand havelis and frescos

The towns of Shekhawati region are known for their painted havelis. This region has been recognised as the "open art gallery of Rajasthan" having the largest concentration of frescos in the world. Most of the buildings of the Shekhawati region were constructed during 18th century to early 20th century. During the British occupation, traders would adapted this style for their new buildings. ^[3] The havelis are noted for their frescos depicting mythological and historical themes. The frescos include images of gods, goddesses, animals, life history of Lords Rama and Krishna, profusely painted on the havelis in this region. Haveli is the term used for a building of personal residence in Shekhawati region of Rajasthan, India. ... The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. ... Rajasthan (राजस्थान) is the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. ... Fresco by Dionisius representing Saint Nicholas. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... Fresco by Dionisius representing Saint Nicholas. ... This article is about a system of myths. ... History is often used as a generic term for information about the past, such as in geologic history of the Earth. When used as the name of a field of study, history refers to the study and interpretation of the record of human societies. ... Lord Rama (center) with wife Sita, brother Lakshmana and devotee Hanuman. ... Krishna (कृष्ण in Devanagari, IAST ) is according to various Hindu traditions the eighth or the ninth avatar of Vishnu. ...

Role of Marwaris

The development of the frescos in Shekhawati region is linked with the history of the Marwaris, the influential business community from the Shekawati region (Originally from Marwar thus called Marwari). The Marwaris prospered until the beginning of the 19th century, because of the caravan routes that crossed the area to reach the ports of Gujarat. But from 1820 onwards, many left their families behind and migrated to Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras, which were gaining importance as main trade centers. There they had great financial success. The descendants of these rich merchants have permanently settled down in the towns where their ancestors immigrated. The Marwari (also variously Marvari, Marwadi, Marvadi) is a language originating in the Western Indian state of Rajasthan, but is also found in the neighboring state of Gujarat and in Eastern Pakistan. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Gujarat (Gujarati: , Hindi: ,, IPA ; also spelled Gujrat and sometimes Gujarath). ... Kolkata (Bangla: (?) কলকাতা) (formerly ) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. ... Mumbai (Marathi: मुंबई) (pronounced ), formerly known as Bombay, is the capital of the state of Maharashtra, and the most populous city of India, with an estimated population of about 13 million (as of 2006)[1]. Mumbai is located on Salsette Island, off the west coast of Maharashtra. ... Madras refers to: the Indian city of Chennai, formerly known as Madras, the former Indian state, now known as Tamil Nadu (Plural of Madra): Ancient people of Iranian affinites, who lived in northwest Panjab in the Uttarapatha division of ancient India. ...

Between 1830 and 1930, they erected buildings in their homeland, Shekhawati, as evidence of their success. As the ultimate symbol of their opulence, the Marwaris commissioned artists to paint those buildings.

The Shekhawati region has produced large number of Marwaris who are controlling the economy of India. About 80 percent of big industrial houses are managed by Marwaris. India's richest industrialists of the century, such as the Birlas, were Marwaris. Today, the main trading and industrial houses of India have their roots in Shekhawati. The Birla family is a business house from India. ...

Marwaris have played an important role in the development of Shekhawati region. Their major contribution to the Shekhawati region is in the field of education. Marwaris have also played a leading role in Indian Independence Movement. They provided financial help in running the freedom movement. Birthplace of Marwari Clans Marwaris are an elite group of Indo-Aryan people from Marwar region of Rajasthan in India. ... The Indian independence movement consisted of efforts by India to obtain political independence from British, French and Portuguese rule; it involved a wide spectrum of Indian political organizations, philosophies, and rebellions between 1857 and Indias independence on August 15, 1947. ...

Shekhawati Dialect

Shekhawati is a dialect of Rajasthani language of Indo-Aryan family and is spoken by about three million speakers in Churu, Jhunjhunu and Sikar districts of Rajasthan. Though a very important dialect from the grammatical and literary points of view, yet very little work is carried out on it. In 2001 A descriptive grammar of Shekhawati has been published. Shekhawati, like Bagri dialect of Ganganagar and Hanumangarh districts, has parallel lexicon which make it very rich from the lexicographical point of view. Word order is typical SOV and there is existence of implosives. Beside presence of high tone at suprasegmental level classify it with other dialects of Rajasthani. It has contributed a lot to the development of Rajasthani language and linguistics. A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος, dialektos) is a variety of a language used by people from a particular geographic area. ... The Rajasthani languages are a group of related languages spoken in India and Pakistan . ... Churu (चूरु) is a town in the desert region of Rajasthan, India. ... Jhunjhunu is a town in the state of Rajasthan in India, and the administrative headquarters of Jhunjhunu District. ... Sikar is a town and district place in the state of Rajasthan in India. ... Word order, in linguistic typology, refers to the order in which words appear in sentences across different languages. ... SOV is an acronym for several terms: SOV is used in linguistic typology, and stands for Subject Object Verb. ... Implosive consonants are plosives (rarely affricates) with a glottalic ingressive airstream mechanism. ... In linguistics, prosody refers to intonation and vocal stress in speech. ... Linguistics is the scientific study of human language, and someone who engages in this study is called a linguist. ...

The famous Marwari industrial houses

Some of the famous Marwari industrial houses are as follows: Bagari, Bajaj, Birla, Dalmia, Goyanka, Jaipuria, Jaju, Jalan, Jhujhunuwala, Kanodia, Khetan, Kothari, Lohia, Mittal, Modi, Murarka, Parasrampuria, Poddar, Rungta, Singhania, Sanghi, Somani, Surana, The word Bajaj can mean several things A common surname in western India Jamnalal Bajaj, a prominent businessman from India An autorickshaw, a three wheeled passenger and goods carrier built by Bajaj Auto Bajaj Auto, a manufacturer of 2 and 3-wheelers in India, Indonesia and South America Bajaj Tempo... Birla could refer to Aditya Birla Group of companies Aditya Birla Birla family Shri Ghanshyam Das Birla This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Mittal Steel Company N.V. (NYSE: MT) is the worlds largest steel producer. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... This article lacks information on the importance of the subject matter. ... Singhania is a surname found usually amongst people from the western Indian state of Rajasthan. ...

Farmers of Shekhawati

The Marwaris dominated the cities and towns of Shekhawati region. The rural areas of the Shekhawati region are dominated by farming communities. The farmers of the Sekhawati region are considered to be the most advanced in the state of Rajasthan, second only to farmers from Ganga Nagar and Hanumangarh districts.^{[citation needed]} The Shekhawati region has the highest literacy in the state.^{[citation needed]} Rajasthan (राजस्थान) is the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. ...

The predominant farmer communities in the rural areas of Shekhawati are Saini and Jat.^{[citation needed]} The Rajput community who were the ruling people before independence still play very important role in society. The Brahmans and Harijans also play an important role in the area. The farmers of the region have done great struggle to come to the present status. Saini is the name of a caste of Indo-Aryan (Vedic Kshatriya) origin, a farming community spread across Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttaranchal and Uttar Pradesh in modern India. ... The Jats/Jatts (Hindi: ,Punjabi: , Urdu: ) of Northern India and Pakistan, are descendants of Indo-Aryan tribes. ... Rajputs (anonymous, c. ... Brahm (ब्रह्म in devanagari script) in the Vedantic (and subsequently Yogic) forms of Hinduism, is the signifying name given to the concept of the unchanging, infinite, immanent and transcendent reality that is the Divine Ground of all being in this universe. ... In South Asias caste system, an untouchable, dalit, or achuta is a person outside of the four castes, and considered below them. ...

References

1. ^ Bradnock, Robert Rajasthan & Gujarat Handbook: The Travel Guide 2001, pg 135
2. ^ Busquet, Carisse and Gerard Impressions of Rajasthan 2003, Editions Flammarion, ISBN 2080111711
3. ^ Henderson, Carol D, Cultures and Customs of India; Greenwood Press 1992, ISBN 0313305137, pg. 92

• Ranbir singh Shekhawat(DUNDLOD) History of Shekhawats,Jaipur,2001 ISBN 8186782745
• Ghansyamdas Birla: Bikhare Vicharon ki Bharonti, New Delhi, 1978
• Col. J.C. Brooke: Political History of India
• Taknet, D.K.: Marwari Samaj Aur Brijmohan Birla, Indian Institute of Marwari Entrepreneurship, Jaipur, 1993 ISBN 8185878005

External links

• http://touristplacesinindia.com/shekhawati/photo-gallery/
• Language Family Trees
• Marwari language
• Shekhawati language
• Online Rajasthani-English Dictionary