Conservation guidelines for clusters of merchant community in Shekhawati

Abstract

The thesis focuses on the town of Surajgarh, which is an erstwhile part of the Shekhawati region. The town of Surajgarh is known as the ‘Gateway to the Shekhawati from the North’. In modern-day Rajasthan, the Shekhawati region includes the districts of Jhunjhunu, Sikar, and Churu. The region was home to wealthy merchants recognised for their extensive banking networks. The towns of Shekhawati, also known as ‘Open Air Gallery’, are typically famous for their residential clusters of Haveli. The region also houses massive forts, water structures like baolis and wells, and temples, besides the opulent havelis. Surajgarh retained much of the character of Shekhawati towns due to less development pressure for a variety of factors such as proximity to larger cities, connectivity, and so on. The study aims to rediscover the heritage of the town, understand the urban fabric of the town, and investigate the paintings that display the uniqueness of the region. The study was done with a multiple-level approach, including on-site surveys, archival research, and interviews with local communities and stakeholders. The thesis intends to rediscover the town's cultural roots and conserve the town’s historic core, which encapsulates the spirit of this vibrant landscape. The aim of the thesis is to fulfil the premise of the Masterplan of Surajgarh 2010-2031, which calls for the demarcation of a historic precinct and proposes Architectural control guidelines