Travelling in Rajasthan in February 2008
Jaipur >> Shekhawati >> Pushkar >> Jaisalmer >> Jodhpur
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The first thing I sight in Mandawa town are a pair of peacocks strolling freely on the main road. They don’t seem much different in their attitude from roosters in villages that fearlessly wander in search of something to peck. They laze on the unmetalled road undaunted, callously moving to a corner when my bus roars into the scene with its high decibel engine. The driver honks at men, cows and peacocks alike, warning about the entry of his brute tin drum that cares little for anything on the way.
Mandawa’s two main roads are just wide enough to let a bus barely make it through, squeezing between gutters on either side. If two wide-bodies of equal might encounter each other in this constrained space, they get into a battle of furious honking until one of them surrenders and retracts. The small town often gets filled with the noise of bus drivers in conflict that gets broadcasted to everyone in town.
The town has peacocks not just wandering on the roads, but also painted on the walls of its crumbling old havelis (mansions) that are covered in colors from corner to corner. In fact, Shekhawati region that encloses Mandawa is sometimes referred to as the world’s largest open air art gallery. Large havelis dot the town that once used to house big families of traders, with each inch of the walls elaborately painted with floral designs, images from Indian mythologies, and portraits of people who framed the history of Shekhawati.
Shekhawati’s good days date beyond two centuries when traders from Delhi used to take this route to reach ports of Gujarat. Passing traders brought prosperity that came in the form taxes collected from wayfarers. Increasing disposable income lead to flourishing population of artisans who decorated the towns with rich colours and painted houses of merchants living opulent lives.
But Shekhawati’s date with fortune had to end with the changing political landscape in Delhi as well as in neighbouring regions of Rajasthan. Kingdoms of Bikaner and Jaipur on either sides of Shekhawati lowered taxes and wooed traders. And later, in the days of dominance of the British, the Mughal empire crumbled and old systems of trade ceased to exist. But the infallible and enterprising Marwari merchants survived the blow and migrated to the new centers of trade – Mumbai and Calcutta. As they prospered in the new cities in the 19th and early 20th century, they propelled money into their homelands to build lavish Havelis that stood as symbol of their pride and success. With local artisan employed to beautify these buildings, Shekhawati emerged as the open art gallery that it is today.
It is easy to stumble upon these richly painted havelis in Madawa. I walk past a few of these crumbling colourful structures as I get down from the bus and onto the dusty street, trying to find my way to the hotel. But the surprise comes when I set into the veranda of my hotel whose walls make a good attempt to match the decor of the old Havelis. Its concrete walls are typical and boring and doesn’t have much in comparison to the thick plasters and wooden supports of the havelis, but the frescoes on them make an honest attempt to brighten the atmosphere. Next to the bed in my room is an erotic image – not usually seen on the walls of havelis – of a young Rajput royal man with his lady, in their intimate moment. I do not know if the uneasy expression on the face of the young man in the painting is a failure of the painter or a job very well done, but the painting definitely surprises me in a time when eroticism is becoming less acceptable in India than in the ancient times.
Thus began my explorations of painted towns of Shekhawati.
Continued at Havelis of Shekhawati
Travelling in Rajasthan in February 2008
Jaipur >> Shekhawati >> Pushkar >> Jaisalmer >> Jodhpur
+ Previous: Jaipur Information
+ Next: Glimpses of Shekhawati
Hindi is the most prevalent tongue in Jaipur. Raju speaks Hindi fluently, and a little bit of English if needed. Most of the signs I see – on the road and in front of the shops – are usually in both Hindi and English. Sometimes in just one of the two languages.
But Rajasthan’s primary language is Marwari. If you go deeper into the desert, its not hard to find elderly people and women who speak Marwarai alone and nothing else. Raju himself uses Marwari when he speaks to people he knows, or when he is at home. Talking at length about the local language with him, I learn that Marwari is not taught in schools, and children begin their learning with Hindi. The state machinery too, uses Hindi as the primary language. It comes for a surprise me, having hailed from south where all the states are keen to maximize utilization of their own language, or at least pretend to.
Further, Raju talks of an attitude to the local language that is prevalent in most large cities. He tells me that it is ‘uncool’ to be speaking Marwari, and that people who move up the economic ladder prefer to speak Hindi in public. That’s a kind of position I have seen people taking back in Bangalore too, and once also in Chennai when I was there for a short duration. Only, people prefer to speak English and pretend as though they don’t know much of Kannada (in Bangalore), or Tamil (in Chennai).
Neglect of Marwari is evident as I traverse further in Rajasthan. Talking for almost an hour with the intern guide who took me around Podar Haveli in Navalgarh, I learn that he also writes poems. ‘Which language?’ I ask him immediately, and he says ‘Hindi,’ in a manner as though it is obvious. Next, I ask him what do they speak at home, and it turns out to be Marwari. He had never even thought of a possibility of writing something in Marwari. In another incidence in Pushkar, I was talking to a priest who tells me that he had visited Bangalore recently. “We have lot of people from my community there,” he tells me, “they have settled there for a long time. I went to visit them. There children no longer speak Marwari; they speak your language – what is it? – ‘Kannad.’ They speak ‘Kannad’; they speak English; they don’t speak Marwari.” He did not seem very happy about it, but wasn’t very upset at the same time.
I am not sure why Marwari is not actively promoted or used in Rajasthan. Once in a while a short movie is made and a book or two comes out written in Marwari, but there is no regular literary activity. One possibility is that the absence of a script and an unwillingness to adapt devnagri, which would have required using a different language for all written communications. The other thing that I can think – being close to the dominating Hindi belt, Rajasthan and Rajasthanis could have thought it prudent to adapt the more prevalent language. There could be clues in history too, where the rulers before independence might have welcomed and encouraged spread of Hindi. Or it could well be simple lack of interest in one’s own language. Whatever be it, it is very possible that the tongues that do not get support in education system and government may start fading over the years, and may even disappear a few centuries later. Another case of survival of the fittest.
Continued at Glimpses of Shekhawati
Travelling in Rajasthan in February 2008
Jaipur >> Shekhawati >> Pushkar >> Jaisalmer >> Jodhpur
+ Previous: Jaipur City, Amber Fort and Jal Mahal
+ Next: Marwari Language
Previous Posts: Travelogue on visiting Jaipur’s monuments
1. Arriving at Jaipur
2. Seeing Jaipur with Raju
3. Old City (Pink City)
4. City Palace, Jantar Mantar, Hawa Mahal
5. Amber Fort and Jal Mahal
One of the most popular tourist destinations, Jaipur has much to offer to visitors. There is plenty of history in every other building in Old City. There is Rajasthan’s food to savour, most popular being Dal-Bhati-Churma. For the shopaholic tourist, Jaipur is a heaven of souvenirs and handicrafts. If you are there during any festival season, there is plenty of cultural immersion to soak up in.
View Jaipur in a larger map
Map of Jaipur with important places to see
Places to see. See the travelogue links above for more about each of the monuments. City Palace is the most dominating structure in the city, and a must visit. Close to the palace is Jantar Mantar, the astronomical observatory. Not for from these is the well known Hawa Mahal. All these places are in the Old City, also known as pink city due to uniformly painted buildings in this part of Jaipur. Swargsuli is a tall minaret, not so well known and popular with tourists but worth visiting for a bird’s eye view of the old city.
Just outside the boundary of the Old City is the Gaiter Village, which has the cenotaphs of the rulers of Jaipur. It’s another less visited spot, but don’t miss seeing its fine marble structures.
Looming large and visible from anywhere in Old City is Nahargarh Fort, also called Tiger Fort. A restaurant/bar in Nahargarh stays open in the evening and worth a visit. Amber Fort (pronounced Amer) is a large fort on a hill 10kms outside the city – another must visit.
Also worth experiencing is a walk in the Old City where many old buildings have remained, and things have not changed much in many decades. You can also buy puppets(katputli), colorful robes, marble art work and other handicrafts is some parts. Visit some of the gates of the Old City – Chandpol and Ajmer Gate and Sanganer Gate. The fortifying walls of the city have been restored near these gates.
Food and Accommodation. The Rajasthani food to try is Dal-Bhati-Churma. Bhati is roasted wheat balls. In the middle of the desert, the final steps of cooking bhati involves burying it in sand, but they would have some alternatives to this in the restaurants. Chokhi-Dhani, a resort outside the city serves some amazing delicacies that includes Bajra Roti, Bhati and many other local cuisines that will have you drooling. Chokhi-Dhani also has a mock cultural village which unfolds a the rural setup of Rajasthan. Over the years, Chokhi-Dhani also has become a must-see tourist attraction in Jaipur. There are dance shows, puppet shows, cart rides, camel rides and things that you should expect in a village in the desert, all showcased between the walls of the resort. Om Restaurant on Mirrza Ismail Road is another place to go to eat – they have a revolving restaurant at 11th floor where you can sit and see the city unfold as you have lunch.
Being a touristy place, accommodation is plentiful. Ask for a list of home-stays at Rajasthan Tourism Office. Most of the premium hotels and resorts are outside the city and requires some driving. Rajasthan Government has a few mid-range properties in the heart of the town.
There is a lot for shopaholic and souvenir hunter too. There are small shops around City Palace, and near Chandpol. For a more organized shopping, visit the art gallery at City Palace and Rajasthan Government’s Rajasthali Emporium on Mirza Ismail Road. Jaipur is also known for its gems and jewelery industry.
Continued at Marwari Language