Mandawa was a trading outpost for the ancient caravan routes that stopped here from China and the Middle East. Thakur Nawal Singh, the Rajput ruler of Mandawa, built a fort in 1755 to protect this outpost. Later, the wealthy businessmen of the village constructed many havelis and baolis with coloured painting on their walls. With the migration of these merchant families, their old settlements remained went totally unnoticed for a while. However, today Mandawa attracts a huge number of tourists to visit its long abandoned havelis.


Location
Mandawa is situated in the north Indian state of Rajasthan, around 190 km from Jaipur, the capital of the state. The town lies between latitude 28.06° in the north and longitude 75.20° in the east.

Climate
Mandawa too has an extreme climate. The summers can be very hot with the mercury touching 40.5°C, whereas winters can be chilly and the temperature can fall below 10°C. The best season to visit this place is winter, from October to March.


Major Attractions
The Fort - Founded in the 18th century, the medieval fort of Mandawa dominates the town with a painted arched gateway adorned with Lord Krishna and his cows. The rooms at this palace are adorned with paintings showing Krishna in his childhood and youth. Besides these paintings, the walls have intricate carvings and paintings along with mesmerising mirror work. Durbar hall, a huge hall in the palace houses a lot of antiques and paintings.

The Havelis - The Ancient Havelis add to the glory of this little town. The Binsidhar Newatia Haveli owns lovely paintings on its outer eastern wall which depicts a boy using a telephone, and a European woman in a car driven by a chauffeur. Some of the important ones are the Bhagchandika Haveli, Gulab Rai Ladia Haveli, Lakshminarayan Ladia Haveli, Mohanlal Saraf Haveli and Chowkhani Haveli. The Hanuman Prasad Goenka Haveli is adorned with paintings of Indra on an elephant and Shiva on His Nandi Bull. Right across from it is the Goenka Double Haveli with two gates, a monumental facade of elephants and horses and frescos which are in ruins today.


Nearby Attractions
Mukundgarh - It is a small village, located 25 km from Mandawa, and famous for its forts & havelies like the Kanoria & Ganeriwala. Also there are several temples including the Shiv temple, Gopinath temple and Venu Gopal temple.

Nawalgarh - This place houses some of the best havelis of the times including the havelis of Anandi Lal Poddar, Aath Haveli, Hem Raj Kulwal Haveli, Bhagton ki Haveli etc.


Accommodations
The Mandawa Castle is a perfect blend of ancient, royal and modern architecture. The ancient ambience in the rooms is supplemented with the modern comforts ideal for businessmen and leisure tourists. Enough decent accommodation options are available in Mandawa, and the scene is getting better day by day.

Among the heritage hotels is the Hotel Castle Mandawana and budget ones include the Desert Resort.