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Deora Haveli HDR, originally uploaded by Saumil U. Shah.

The Deora Haveli in Fatehpur is one of the larger havelis. We went inside and upstairs for a look. The caretakers live here now. This is one haveli that is slowly deteriorating. Parts of the inner artwork are still magnificent. I can only imagine what these villages and havelis must have been in their glory days!

The Shekhawati region played host to many wealthy merchants of India, who run some of the top business houses in the country today. The villages in this region are adorned by beautifully painted havelis. Sadly most of these magnificent havelis are in a dilapidated state because the owner families dont care about them anymore, but a few are still in good shape.

Fatehpur is one of the villages in the Shekhawati region in the Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan.