Lachhmangarh

Shekhawati market town known for painted merchant havelis and a boulder-crowned hilltop fort.

Lachhmangarh (also spelled Laxmangarh) is a small town in the Shekhawati region, founded in 1862 by Rao Raja Laxman Singh of Sikar. It is part of the string of Shekhawati towns known for their painted havelis -- merchant mansions decorated with elaborate frescoes depicting everything from mythology to European trains and telephones.

The town's hilltop fort, built on scattered boulders, is privately owned and closed to visitors, but you can climb the ramp to a temple near the entrance for good views over the town. The real attractions are at street level: the Char Chowk Haveli has well-preserved paintings including some explicit erotic imagery, and the Rathi Family Haveli near the clock tower features delightfully over-the-top paintings of European women and British soldiers. Lachhmangarh fans of modern fiction may recognize it as the model for the hometown of Balram Halwai in Aravind Adiga's Booker Prize-winning novel The White Tiger.

Guide

Getting There

Lachhmangarh is in Sikar district, 160 km north of Jaipur and 40 km from Sikar town. The most practical approach is by road: frequent buses run from Jaipur (3 hours) and Sikar (1 hour). There is no train station in Lachhmangarh itself; the nearest railhead is Sikar, which has connections to Jaipur.

Most visitors come as a day trip from Jaipur or as part of a Shekhawati circuit — a loop taking in Lachhmangarh, Nawalgarh, Mandawa, and Fatehpur over one or two days. A hired car from Jaipur gives the most flexibility and is the most common way to do the circuit. Shared jeeps and local buses connect the Shekhawati towns but require patience with schedules.

There is very limited accommodation in Lachhmangarh itself. Nawalgarh (40 km) has better options and makes a practical overnight base for exploring the region.

Guide

Things to Do

Lachhmangarh is about the painted havelis — the extraordinary merchant mansions decorated with frescoes that make the Shekhawati region one of the most unusual cultural destinations in Rajasthan. The town has a compact concentration of painted buildings within walking distance of the clock tower in the center, and an hour or two of unhurried wandering through the lanes will reveal most of what there is to see.

The Char Chowk Haveli, the Rathi Family Haveli, and a handful of other mansions form the core of the circuit. Some are privately owned and accessible only from outside; others have caretakers who may let you in for a small fee. The fort on the hill above town is privately held and closed, but the walk up the ramp to the temple near the entrance gives good views.

Lachhmangarh is best visited as a day trip from Sikar (40 km), Jaipur (160 km), or as part of a Shekhawati circuit combining it with Nawalgarh and Mandawa. There are very few accommodation options in the town itself.