Samode, Shekhawati Region

One of the areas of Rajasthan that I was most looking forward to was the Shekhawati region, located NW of Jaipur. I had seen photos of some of its painted havelis, the grand homes of merchants, in some books and wanted to see them for myself. Many of these painted wonders date back to the 18th-late 19th centuries when the region’s towns were important trading posts on the caravan route from the ports of Gujarat. In addition to rendering more traditional subjects such as Hindu mythology and everyday life, many of the murals (covering both the interiors and exteriors of the structures) depict contemporary events of the time and new innovations. Often times such scenes were depicted from imagination without having ever actually seeing them. As such, there is a certain naivety and innocence about the murals.
A series of narrow rural roads took us to the various selected villages. On our way, we passed through stretches of countryside with rather bare scrubby trees, thatched conical huts, homes made from mud brick or cement, and ploughed flat land.

About 50 km from Jaipur, we stopped at the town of Samode. Our objective was to visit the 19th century palace, now converted into a rather luxurious hotel. Walking through the arched gateway, an employee stopped us and said that the hotel was closed, due to preparations for a 3-day wedding for around 400 guests being held there. Although disappointed, I spotted some colorful piles of flowers being used for the wedding decorations and asked if we could at least go there to take photos. Sensing our interest, he made a phone call and told us we could come in. To our surprise, we were given a tour of the palace’s main rooms. In true Rajasthani style, each room was lavishly decorated with contrasting colors and patterns. Even the ceiling contained floral patterns and portraits. Through an archway, the reflective mirrors of the Diwan-i-Khas room sparkled, begging us to enter. Inside, we admired the mirrorwork covering most of the walls and ceiling, as well as naturalistic and figurative murals near the bottom. Back out in the courtyard, several men were draping long garlands of marigolds and jasmine to form a canopy. Another created designs out of different flower petals arranged along the path leading up to the main door. Scents of rose and jasmine filled the air. No doubt it would be a beautiful wedding!

Tweet

Pin It