Travel Vacations in Ramgarh Rajasthan

Distance : 16km south of Churu
20km north of Fatehpur

¤ The Trade Town

The story of Ramgarh's origin is rather interesting. It so happened that in Churu, which was a part of the Bikaner state, a particular Poddar clan rose to great prominence as the main merchant family trading in woollen products. Nothing was wrong with that; trade was the main occupation of the marwaris of Shekhawati. But things became really bad when the state funds dried up and the thakur (chieftain) of Churu imposed a new levy on the wool trade. This obviously angered the Poddars. They thought this was unfair and opposed the hike. But the thakur was adamant too. So the Poddars lifted their bag and baggage and off they went to settle themselves in a new place (see Churu for more). and with the help of the Raja of Sikar, the Poddars founded Ramgarh in 1791. The displaced Poddars then vowed to make Ramgarh so beautiful so as to outdo Churu.


¤ The Breathtaking Beauty of The Town

An English traveller of the 1830s has beautifully written that Ramgarh "…is singularly striking and seems to give reality to a vision drawn from eastern romance. The buildings are all constructed from kunkur [gravel] grey hardpan, …numerous handsome houses of the seths [businessmen] some of which are on a magnificent scale, ornamented and painted in various devices outwardly; the neat high wall and gateways and the cupolard chhutrees [cenotaphs] in the suburb in contrast with the desert around, altogether exhibit a scene deserving to be allied with enchantment." But that was more than a century and a half back. Now the town clearly shows signs of aging. However, that doesn’t make Ramgarh less interesting; old is beautiful. and in any case, Ramgarh boasts of more paintings than any other town in Shekhawati.
Ramgarh is one of the best places in Shekhawati to buy antiques and replicas, especially ornate Rajasthani woodwork, although the prices aren’t too cheap.


¤ Places of Interest

Chhatris
The most beautiful structure in Ramgarh is perhaps the opulent Ram Gopal Poddar Chhatri. As its name suggests, it was built by the Poddars. It came up in 1872 and has some great murals, especially in the dome. The scenes fall into three broad groups – the Ramayana, the life of Krishna and ragamala paintings (illustrating the musical notes). Chhatris, usually consisting of a cluster of pavilions, are a common sight in princely Rajasthan where they were built to commemorate a dead hero. But the Poddar chhatri is so elaborate that it could very well pass for a palace! and would you believe it, there are a whopping 500 murals all over it! The Ramayana Chhatri is more modest, but richer in paintings. It has a beautiful collection of murals in maroon and blue showing scenes from the epic Ramayana.

Exquisite Havelis (mansions)

Thanks to the wealthy Poddars and their inflated ego, Ramgarh is also blessed with over a dozen beautiful havelis (mansions). The Bashashwarlal Poddar Haveli is one of them, and a fine double one at that. It was probably built in the glorious 1830s, with good ochre paintings of floral designs. Across the road are the ruins of the first haveli built in the region. Near this is the haveli of the particularly prosperous family of Tarachand Ghanshyamdas Poddar, which has a beautifully painted room. But the building is generally kept locked. The Anant Ram Poddar Double Haveli and the Jagannath Poddar Double Haveli are some of the others in the region. The two Ruia Havelis are also worth seeing. The Ruias, who were also a merchant family, managed to grow very important in this Poddar dominated town as the century progressed. Their havelis were built around 1890 and were painted with murals of red and blue of Indians and the British.

¤ Temple Attractions

Ramgarh has some nice temples too. The Ganga Temple is the finest one here, built by a Poddar. and in 1845, it cost as much as 32,000 rupees! But that's not surprising, as the Poddars' main purpose was to make Ramgarh flashier than Churu. But sadly, antique dealers have ruined the place; they've mercilessly torn beautiful pieces off the walls in many places. The Ganga Temple has suffered too; the adjoining dharamshala (rest house) has all its woodwork torn off. Anyway, there are some good murals on the outer walls of the temple. The complex is interesting, with lots of arches that you could weave your way through. The little Shani Temple, devoted to the Saturn god, was built by a Khemka family in 1840. The outside wears a somewhat weathered look, but the inside is a glorious concord of murals and mirror work. The murals, rich in ultramarine, are of varied subjects, though the colour has worn off in some places. The Hanuman Temple was built by the Ruias in about 1885. It is an interesting building with a passage running under it. Locals might call the temple a different name, the Lal Kuan Mandir (the Red Well Temple), probably because of a well somewhere in the premises which was painted red. The vaulted ceiling in front of the shrine had some fine murals, but they have been destroyed badly due to moisture. The Natwar Niketan, Ram-Lakshman Temple and the Surekha Dharamshala are some of the other monuments that you could see in Ramgarh.