Ramgarh

Ramgarh seems to be a sleepy little town, unknown and forgotten, but the fact is that it is one of the richest treasure troves of Shekhawati heritage and traditions. Its temples, chhatris and havelis preserve the best pieces of murals and frescoes that were an identity of the region. The best one being the canvas of Ramgopal Poddar Chhatri.

Ramgarh is situated to the south of Churu and to the north of Fatehpur. It was founded by the rich Poddar family who came here from Churu in the year 1971, after they were asked to pay heavy taxes on wool trade by the local thakurs of Churu. In an effort to build a prettier city than Churu, they constructed extravagant homes and lavish havelis, which are still augmenting the beauty of the town.

Sights:
Ram Gopal Poddar Chhatri:
Although there are several chhatris dotting the place, still one can easily spot the unbeatable gem of Ramgarh which is Ram Gopal Poddar Chhatri. The most special feature of the chhatri is its main dome with elaborate and exquisite murals, depicting the tales from Ramayana, scenes from Lord Krishna's life and ragamala which was an illustration of the musical notes.

Ram Gopal Poddar Chhatri came up in the year 1872 and its situated near the bus stand, which is to its north.

Ganga Temple:
One of the best temples of Ramgarh is the Ganga Temple, which is situated to the north of the town wall. Ian amount of around 30,000 rupees were flushed out by the Poddar family in the year 1845, to get this temple built. This temple is devoted to river Ganga, who is personified and worshiped by people all over India. The temple opens up only for the morning and evening prayers.

The outer walls of the temple have flashy and imposing murals of the gigantic mammals, the elephants, which used to be a symbol of pride and royalty in those days. Most of the paintings on the temple walls are based on religious themes for obvious reasons. Some of the destroyed parts of the temple may be upsetting, but there is lot more to explore in the temple complex and its decorated archways.

Ganesh Temple:
Situated 20 km to the north of Ganga Temple is a shrine of Lord Ganesha. You can find here elaborate paintings of religious themes covering the forecourts and ceilings of the temple.

Shani Temple:
Devoted to the Saturn God, is the Shani Temple, situated to the east of Lord Ganesha Temple. Built in 1840 by the Khemka family, it has a sad worn out appearance but one needs to enter the premises to know about its specialty. The interiors look fabulously ornamented with rich mirror work and murals on varied themes and subjects including murals with gold detailing in the inner chambers, murals depicting Lord Krishna and Radha and some depicting the events from the Hindu epic Mahabharata.

Poddar Havelis:
It was the wealthy Poddar family of Churu and their main aim to create a more flashy town thatn Churu which led to the construction of some of the finest and exotic residences of the Shekhawati region. These mansions are situated about 50 m from the Churu Gate. Among these havelis, the best ones are Tarachand Ghanshyamdas Poddar Haveli, Anant Ram Poddar Double Haveli, Ruia Havelis, Jagannath Poddar Double Haveli and the Bashashwarlal Poddar Haveli.

Getting There & Away:
Regular buses run between Ramgarh and other important Shekhawati towns like Nawalgarh, Bissau and Mandawa.