Renting out your home in Mandawa

Our advice for Mandawa

Mandawa is the best-known town of Shekhawati, the region around Jhunjhunu where merchant families built painted havelis from the eighteenth century onwards. Its fresco-covered walls have earned it the label of an open-air art gallery, and its castle stands over the market. For an owner, Mandawa offers something rare: a heritage setting at the scale of a small town.

A painted town and its visitors

Guests arrive mostly by road from Jaipur or Delhi, often on a circuit continuing towards Bikaner. They come for art and architecture: foreign couples, photographers, and Indian families tracing their own Marwari roots. Stays are short, one or two nights, so the first impression and a guided walk through the havelis count for a great deal.

Living with an old haveli

Many Shekhawati havelis belong to families who left generations ago for Kolkata, Mumbai or abroad, and some stand closed or half empty. Reopening one for guests can be rewarding, but be realistic:

• Frescoes are fragile. Do not repaint or scrub them without advice from a conservation specialist.
• Wiring, plumbing and bathrooms usually need to be added from scratch, discreetly.

Daily running

The region is dry, so water storage and filtration are needed. When the owner lives far away, a caretaker based nearby, ideally with some English, is the essential link. Guests expect breakfast and simple Rajasthani meals to be available in the house.

Season

October to March is when visitors come; the heat from April to June empties the lanes. Winter nights are cold, so heaters and quilts belong in the inventory.