It is thanks to this status that the atmosphere in the village of Mandawa has changed from sleepy and lazy to bustling and commercial. And the painted havelis of the area, which for long have been neglected by the locals, have regained their pride of place. For it is these paintings that have brought the money back into the region.

In ancient times, Shekhawati (now Jhunjhunu and Sikar districts) was on the Silk Route between Persia and China. And the Marwari traders of the area put this advantage to full use. The region became rich and art and culture flourished. With the moolah flowing in, the Marwari traders got their havelis painted with traditional frescoes, which depicted their time and lives, dreams and aspirations. But history changed allthat -- most of the Marwari businessmen migrated from here and slowly Shekhawati lost its sheen.

It has taken tourism to stem the rot and reverse the slide of the painted havelis. Over the past decade, most of the erstwhile rulers of the principalities of Shekhawati have converted their palaces and castles into luxury hotels replete with the ambience of ancient times. The concept has sold well in the international market, and today, Mandawa alone has more than 22,391 foreign tourists visiting it per annum.

``The standards of living in the area have definitely increased. The enrollment in schools is 100 per cent, as children want to learn English to communicate with the tourists. The average health of the villagers in this region is better than in other parts of Rajasthan, and the water and electricity supply is much better than in any other part of the state,'' says Jhunjhunu district collector Manjit Singh.

Singh is so enthused with the growth in tourism that he wants to work toward makingShekhawati the fourth most popular destination in Rajasthan after Jaipur, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer. In fact, Jhunjhunu has started having an annual mela to attract foreigners. Though the fair here is more of a handicraft mela, it has begun to gain popularity.

Randhir Vikram Singh, part-owner of Hotel Castle Mandawa and descendant of the area's erstwhile royal family, recalls that before the castle was converted into a hotel, even getting vegetables in the market would be a problem. ``As a child , I remember carrying vegetables from Jaipur on a visit to my grandfather who lived here. Mandawa used to have only the vegetables grown in the region. Now, one can get a variety of fruit and vegetables right here.''

In fact, the flourishing of hotels in Shekhawati has led to more job opportunities for the locals--from working for hotels, running camel and horse safaris, to starting shops that cater to the tourists' needs. (There are more than 300 hotel rooms in nine towns of the region.) The towns are dottedwith stores that sell gimcrack handicrafts to the Occidental tourist. And their business is doing so well that even in this remote rural area, credit cards are accepted and prices are quoted in dollars.

Take the case of Manju and her family. They have been caretakers for the Jhunjhunwala haveli in Mandawa for the last 40 years and did not realise the value of the paintings in their house till the tourists started coming in.

The family allows visitors in for free to look at the paintings. They also have a small handicraft shop inside. ``We make about Rs 1 lakh during the tourist season'' says Manju, who runs the family shop. With the influx of tourists rising, the family has seen other benefits, too.``The children now want to study in English medium schools so that they can communicate with the visitors,'' she says.

With more facilities available in the region, Singh and his family members have also moved one of their business establishments to Mandawa -- a 100 per cent export-oriented furnitureunit that employs more than 800 local people. ``At least 135 people from the village who had gone out of Mandawa to the big cities in search of work have come back ever since the hotels started doing well and the furniture unit began,'' he says.

The workers who have returned included some carpenters who had gone to the Gulf to work. With the Gulf boom gone, they prefer to work in their home-town for, though the salaries may not be as high as in the Gulf countries, the cost of living is much cheaper.

The furniture unit, Highland House, has big expansion plans. ``We intend employing 4,000 people by the end of the century,'' says Joel Waldman, an India-based American, who is also a partner in the firm. ``We are contributing to the growth of the local people as we train them in the art of furniture making,'' he adds. Highland House has a team of designers from the US and Philippines who visit India regularly to train the workmen in making furniture.

``Though 90 per cent of the business community in thecountry comes from the Shekhawati region, the industrial growth in the area has been poor,'' laments the collector. The area boasts of havelis owned by all the industrial houses, including the Birlas, Poddars, Khaitans, Goenkas, Ruias, Parasrampurias and Kanodias, to name a few. Some of them, like the Poddars, have set up educational trusts in the area. The Poddar haveli in Nawalgarh has a school within its premises and the paintings have also been maintained carefully.

The potential for growth in the area is yet untapped. And as the collector sees it: ``If the industrial houses start contributing to the area, maybe the government will also take more efforts to improve the civic amenities and Shekhawati can once again regain its glory as an open air art gallery.''