Shekhawati | |
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.jpg) Shahpura Haveli | |
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| Coordinates:27°55′N75°24′E / 27.917°N 75.400°E /27.917; 75.400 | |
| Country | India |
| Region | Rajasthan |
| Time zone | UTC+05:30 (IST) |
Shekhawati is a region in Northern India that comprisesSikar,Jhunjhunu, andChuru.[1]
Between the 17th and 19th centuries,Marwari merchants andShekhawat kings builthavelis in the Shekhawati region. It has structures, including houses,temples, andstepwells. All of these structures have painted murals, both inside and out.[2]
Shekhawati was first mentioned in the bookBankidas ki Khyat.[3] A contemporary ofKaviraja Bankidas Colonel W.S. Gardener, used the term "Shekhawati" in 1803. Later,James Tod wrote the first history of Shekhawati. The term "Shekhawati" is also frequently used inVamsh Bhaskar.[4] Shekhawati is named afterRao Shekha.
Almost the entire region of Shekhawati was once under the rule of theGaur Rajput dynasty. After more than 15 wars with Gaur rajput dynastygaur dynasty rulers lost their large part of kingdom into Shekhawati. Many historians believe this region was part of theMatsya kingdom.Rigveda also provides certain evidence in this matter.[5][6]Manusmriti has called this land 'Brahmrishi Desha'.[7]
The Shekhawati region was included in 'Marukantar Desha' up to theRamayana period. Out of 16mahajanapadas prior toBuddha, only two Janapadas (namelyAvanti and the Kingdom ofVirata) were counted in theRajasthan area. This region was also influenced by Avanti, howeverNandas ofMagadha later defeated Avanti. Historians believe thatMauryas obtained the Rajasthan from Nandas.[8]
In ancient times, Shekhawati was not limited to the present two districts. During the Mahabharata period, the region was known as theMatsya kingdom and extended up to theSarasvati River. 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.[9] During ancient times, this region was divided into severaljanapadas.Dhosi Hill, the revered hill borderingHaryana and famous forChyavana Rishi's Ashram, as well as the place whereChyawanprash was formulated for the first time, has extensive mentions in the epicMahabharat in Vanparv.
After the collapse of theGupta dynasty, the Shekhawati was controlled by the Chauhan Rajputs. Some parts of Shekhawati, Jhunjhunu,Fatehpur, andNarhar were taken from them byKaimkhanis, 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 ofDadrewa.Firuz Shah Tughluq converted him to Islam and named him Kaimkhan. Thus, his descendants are called Kaimkhani.
Shekhawati was established and ruled by Shekhawat Rajputs untilIndia's independence.
Rao Shekha fromDhundhar established his own independent kingdom with the capital located inAmarsar. 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 renamedShahpura). 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.
Rao Shekha, a Shekhawat Rajput (sub-branch ofKachhwaha), was the founder of Shekhawati, who originally divided Shekhawati into 33Thikana (also called aPargana), 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 inJaipur Rajwara.
An alphabetical list of the original 33Thikana is as follows:
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Shekhawati is in theThar Desert of Rajasthan and has special importance in the history of India. It also covers part of theBagar tract along the Haryana-Rajasthan border.
The climate of the desert region is harsh and extreme. The temperature ranges from below 0 °C (32 °F) in winter to more than 50 °C (122 °F) in summer. The summer brings hot waves of air calledloo. Annual rainfall is at around 450 to 600 mm. Thegroundwater is as deep as 200 feet (60 m), and in some places, the groundwater ishard and salty. The people in the region depend onrainwater harvesting. The harvested rainwater during the monsoon season (July and August) is stored inpucca tanks and used throughout the year for drinking purposes.[13]
Major cities in Shekhawati include:
ShahpuraHaveli is a 300-year-old palace built by Rao Pratap Singh, descendant of Rao Shekha, in the 17th century. In thezenana (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 7 feet (2.1 m) 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.[14]
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.[15] Shahpura Haveli in Shahpura, 65 km from Jaipur on Jaipur - Delhi Highway, andNangal Sirohi inMahendragarh district, 130 km from Delhi, are popular for their Shekhawati architecture within theNational Capital Region (NCR).[16]
Women wearghagra lugdi as their traditional dress and men wear usual Rajasthani dress.
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Shekhawati is adialect of theRajasthani language 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.[17] 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.[18] 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.[citation needed]Word order is typicallySOV and there is the existence ofimplosives. The presence of high tone at thesuprasegmental level classifies it with otherdialects of Rajasthani. It has contributed significantly to the development of Rajasthani language andlinguistics.
Some samples in Shekhawati are:
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.[19]
