Happy TravellerWelcome to Fatehpur, a city located in the Sikar district of the Indian state of Rajasthan. This city is part of the Shekhawati region and is situated midway between Sikar city and Bikaner on National Highway 52. Fatehpur is famous for its extreme weather conditions throughout the year. In winters, the minimum temperature falls below 0° Celsius at night for many days making it the coldest town in India in non-mountainous regions. In summer, the temperature rises to 50° Celsius in the afternoon making it one of the hottest places in India. Despite the weather, Fatehpur is a city that is rich in history and culture. Let’s explore some of the top attractions in Fatehpur.
Fatehpur Shekhawati Railway Station is an important railway station in the Indian state of Rajasthan. The station code name of Fatehpur Shekhawati is ‘FPS’. As part of one of the busiest and populated Indian states, Rajasthan, the Fatehpur Shekhawati railway station is known amongst the top hundred train ticket booking and train traveling stations of the Indian Railway. The total number of trains that pass through Fatehpur Shekhawati (FPS) junction is 20.
Fatehpur was established by Fateh Khan Kayamkhani in 1449. Shekhawats later defeated Kayamkhanis and took over Fatehpur and other areas from them. It is also said that Rao Fateh Singh, the then Rao of Sikar founded Fatehpur in 1515. After it remained under them till Independence. It is also a location of battle with Maratha invaders in 1799 called the Battle of Fatehpur. Fought between the Maratha Kingdom of Gwalior supported by General George Thomas and the Rajput Kingdom of Jaipur under Sawai Pratap Singh and Rora Ram Ji Khawas, which resulted in a decisive Jaipur victory.
Fatehpur is located at 27.98°N 74.95°E / 27.98; 74.95. It has an average elevation of 324 metres (1066 ft). It is home to a very rare Jojoba farm.
Behlim Kingdom is a Heritage Haveli built in the year 1922 by the legendary, Haji Deen Mohammad Behlim, one of the prominent figures of the region. The livestock farm was constructed in October 2011 and was officially inaugurated by the local MLA Bhanwaru Khan and Senior Yaqub Haji on 30 April 2012. The project Empower rural India through Goat farming via social media landed the owner Akbar Khan Qureshi as the Top 3 humanitarian projects worldwide by Nations United. The farm conducts research on breed development and maintains pedigree of Indian goats and camels.
Nadine Cultural Centre is a haveli purchased in 1998 by French artist Nadine a descendant of prestigious French painter Jean-Baptiste Le Prince. The Nand Lal Devra Haveli was originally built in 1802 by a rich family of traders, the Devras, who were officers at the court of the local Maharaja. Since then, Nadine Le Prince has entirely restored the palace and all the frescoes. She is doing much to preserve and restore the heritage of havelis throughout Shekhawati, working with other associations to give the havelis a second life. Besides, she has opened a cultural center where her most precious paintings are exhibited along with many French and Indian modern artists works to mingle old and contemporary art. The Kala Dirga Gallery of Contemporary Art features pieces made by artists about India; the Saraswati Gallery covers traditional themes of Rajasthan, through painting. In addition, there are two little Tribal Art Galleries exhibiting the artistic work of tribes, as Patachitras and Madhubani. The aim of the project is to offer the visitor a large panorama of works and visions of India; the exhibited artists and art are from France, from Jaipur Fine Art School and local Shekhawati painters. Le Prince has established a program of artists in residence and plans to organize other cultural events, such as dance and music shows, to make this enchanting palace become a lively place for art in all forms.
Dwarkadheesh Temple popularly known as Asharam Temple was built in the 19th century by the sons of Seth Asharam Ji Poddar in memory of their father. The murals of this temple are representative of the famous Shekhawati wall paintings also known as Open Air Art Gallery.
Jagannath Lohia Haveli was constructed from 1857 to 1860. It is 50 feet tall and has some fine paintings of Radha and Krishna and shows some British men holding guns. It has a special nine-door room on the terrace which is open from all sides. There is air circulation from all sides and thus it remains cool naturally. Baithak: It has five doors which are exclusive to this haveli. Other baithaks in the region have three doors. Bara dari: A baradari, in Persian and Moghul architecture, is a building or room with 12 doors designed to allow the free draught of air. Persons of repute used it as a venue for formal and informal settings in hot weather. It is also known as the ‘mehfil’ room. The men would occupy the base area. There is an exclusive provision made for the women to sit upstairs in privacy. Rangeen Kamra: It is known as the colourful room. The specialty of this room is that it acts as a secret chamber. The floors, walls as well as the ceilings are hand-painted depicting stories based on the life of Lord Krishna. Bhuran: It is also known as the underground safety room. It acts like a safe deposit valve which is closed from all sides. The haveli has Naal on one side and Nohra on the other, which can be used as open space for parking, swimming pool and is large enough to construct the two together. The Lohias are now spread in various cities of India as well as Nepal.
Saraf Haveli was built around 200 years ago. It is a destination for tourists visiting Fatehpur Shekhawati. The walls are decorated with original mural
