The fort of Mandawa was founded in the 18th century. Thakur Nawal Singh, son of Shardul Singh, founded the fort in vikram samvat 1812 (1755 AD). The fort dominates the town with a painted arched gateway adorned with Lord Krishna and his cows. Built as per a medieval theme, the castle of Mandawa is adorned with beautiful frescoes. The rooms of this palace are decorated with Lord Krishna paintings, exquisite carvings and amazing mirrorwork.
The Durbar Hall of the palace houses a number of antiques and paintings.
Situated in the middle of the town, the Mandawa Fort has now been converted into a heritage hotel.
Like many places in north India, Mandawa has an extreme climate. The summers can be very hot up to 40.5°C (105ºF), whereas winters can be chilly and the temperature can fall below 10°C (50ºF).
The best season to visit is winter (October ~ March).The annual rainfall is between 45 ~ 60 cm (18 ~ 24 in)
Haveli is the term used for a building of personal residence in Shekhawati and Marwar regions of Rajasthan, India. The word haveli is of Persian origin, meaning "an enclosed place". Between 1830 and 1930, Marwaris erected buildings in their homeland, Shekhawati and Marwar as evidence of their success. These buildings were called Havelis. The Marwaris commissioned artists to paint those buildings. The Havelis are noted for their frescos depicting mythological themes. The frescos include Images of Gods, Goddesses, animals, life history of Lord Rama and Krishna, profusely painted on the Havelis in this region. The havelis were the symbol of the status of the Marwaris and a home for their extended family, providing security and comfort in a style. The havelis used to be closed from all sides with one big strong main gate. Secluded from the outside world the havelis set their own pace of life. The typical havelis in Shekhawati consisted of two courtyards — an outer one for the men which serves as an extended threshold and the inner one, the domain of the women. The biggest ones sometimes had three or four courtyards and two to three stories high. Most of the havelis are empty nowadays or just give a shelter to an old watchman.These havelis are major attraction for tourists in Rajasthan
