Shekhawati Havelis: Rajasthan to Conserve 662 Painted Mansions
Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma said on Saturday, 24 October, that his government is working to conserve 662 historic havelis in Sikar, Jhunjhunu and Churu, the three districts of the Shekhawati region known for their fresco-covered merchant mansions. Speaking at the Shekhawati Heritage and Development Summit in Jaipur, he also announced a Shekhawati Heritage Meet on 8 December, PTI and ANI reported.
Training for Fresco Painters and a Tourism Circuit
Sharma said local artists and craftsmen who work in traditional painting would be given skill training and brought into the conservation work. A heritage tourism circuit covering Sikar, Jhunjhunu and Churu is planned. The December meet is meant to link people from Shekhawati who now live elsewhere in India or abroad with conservation, tourism and investment, under a state campaign called “Karmabhumi se Matrubhumi”. He asked residents, entrepreneurs and the diaspora to join in.
Same 662 Havelis Named Ten Months Ago
The number is not new. On 24 December 2025, at Ramgarh Shekhawati, Sharma said 662 havelis in the same three districts had been identified for restoration and that “a law would also be brought to protect these heritage structures,” PTI reported at the time. Saturday’s reports do not mention that law, a budget for the haveli work, how many havelis have been restored so far, or what role their owners will play.
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In June 2026, India added “The Painted Haveli Towns of Shekhawati”, covering 14 towns including Mandawa, Nawalgarh, Fatehpur and Ramgarh, to its UNESCO World Heritage tentative list, a first step towards nomination.
Water and Expressways for the Three Districts
Sharma also spoke about water for the dry region. Work worth about Rs 41,000 crore has started on the Ram Jal Setu Link Project, out of nearly Rs 1 lakh crore of proposed works, he said, and the Yamuna water agreement is meant to supply Sikar, Churu and Jhunjhunu. He named the Kotputli-Kishangarh and Bikaner-Kotputli expressways as new road links for the area. More state news is on the Rajasthan page and in daily updates.
Source: UNESCO tentative list entry, The Painted Haveli Towns of Shekhawati. Also based on reporting by PTI via ThePrint, ANI and PTI (December 2025).
Image: IPB.
