The region of Mandawa rises from a flat, featureless landscape roughly midway between the districts of Jhunjhunu and Fatehpur in the state of Rajasthan. The town`s imposing fort has made this the most tourist-oriented place in the region of Shekhawati. However, the handicraft shops, touts and guides clustered around its cannonball-chipped walls detract very little from the dilapidated beauty of the profusion of mansions. Mandawa stands at an elevation of 1,037 ft at about 190 km away from Jaipur in the north. The official language spoken here is Hindi.

History of Mandawa
Earlier references state that the founder of the Mandawa village to be Mandu Jat, who first established a hamlet and dug a well there which was completed on 1740 AD. In the mid of the 18th century, the city of Mandawa was made into a thikana, which basically meant it was the estate of a Thakur and was recognised at a salute state rank in the British Empire of India. The reign of Mandawa was granted to Kunwar Akhayraj Singh by his brother Maharaja Suraj Singh of Shekhawati in the year 1640 AD. Mandawa was a trading outpost for the ancient caravan routes that stopped here from China and the Middle East. Thakur Nawal Singh, the Rajput ruler of Nawalgarh and Mandawa, built a fort in 1755 to protect this outpost. The township that grew around the fort soon attracted a large community of traders, who settled here.

Demographics of Mandawa
As per the reports of Census India 2011, the total population of the city of Mandawa was 23,335 out of which 11, 682 were males and 11, 653 were females. The literacy rate of the city is 74.4 percent which is higher than the state average of 66.11 percent. The male literacy rate of Mandawa is higher than the female literacy rate at 87.20 percent and 61.93 percent respectively. In Mandawa, the population of children between the ages of 0 to 6 years is 15.33 percent of the total population. Moreover, the child sex ratio in Mandawa is around 836 compared to Rajasthan state average of 928.

Tourism in Mandawa
Mandawa is known for its popular forts and havelis and is known to be a popular tourist destination in the state of Rajasthan. The most important of the tourist sites is the Mandawa Fort, which was founded in the 18th century by Thakur Nawal Singh, son of Shardul Singh. The fort dominates the town of Mandawa with a painted arched gateway adorned with frescoes of Lord Krishna and his cows. Built as per a medieval theme, the fort of Mandawa is adorned with beautiful frescoes. Rooms in the palace are decorated with paintings of Lord Krishna, exquisite carvings and amazing mirror work. The palace`s Durbar Hall houses a number of antiques and paintings. Situated in the middle of the town, the Mandawa Fort has been converted into a heritage hotel.

The havelis in Mandawa has been referred to as the "open art gallery" of Rajasthan because the entire region including areas of Shekhawati are dotted with these fascinating mansions or havelis that have lavishly painted walls. Few of the important havelis of Mandawa are Sewaram Saraf Haveli, Ram Pratap Nemani Haveli, Hanuman Prasad Goenka Haveli, Murmuria Haveli, Jhunjhunwala Haveli, Mohan Lal Saraf Haveli, Gulab Rai Ladia Haveli and the Aakharam ka Haveli.

Mandawa in Popular Culture
This town of mandawa is featured in various Bollywood movies like Love Aaj Kal, Paheli, Jab We Met, Manorama-6 Feet Under, Kachhe Dhaage, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, PK, Shudh Desi Romance, Sooper se Ooper, Dolly ki Doli, Zed Plus, Biyabaan, Mirziya, Ae Dil-e-Mushkil and the 2018 movie Half Girlfriend.

Visiting Information on Mandawa
The nearest airport to Mandawa is the Jhunjhunu Airport at about 26.7 km away and the Jhunjhunu railway station is the closest at a distance of about 27 km from the town.