In the local dialect, "Apani Dhani" means "Our Hamlet", an affectionate name given to the place by Ramesh C. Jangid, founder of the ecolodge and a pioneer of a form of militant tourism in India, especially in Rajasthan and his own native region of Nawalgarh.  

Get off the beaten track in India with a stay at Apani Dhani Ecolodge

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Nawalgarh is a small town famous for the richness of its architecture and the fineness of its Havelis. It lies in the little-visited region of Shekhawati, at the gateway to Rajasthan.

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We actually spent Christmas together as a couple at a small ecolodge in Nawalgarh, far off the beaten track. We really adored the quiet, peaceful atmosphere of this town, which is far removed from the stifling oppressiveness of Rajasthan's big cities. There are no touts trying to sell you things on every street corner here, no swindles and rip-offs; just friendly smiles and doors that open to reveal an India of times gone by to you.
The reason we stayed in Nawalgarh, aside from its off-the-beaten-track aspect, was its historical heritage. There are actually some very beautiful havelis to visit here. These are the former merchants' houses typical of the Shekhawati region in which this town is located.
Nawalgarh's ecolodges make for excellent places to stay because at some you get the opportunity to learn about local arts and crafts through fun, enjoyable workshops on subjects such as how the region's charming scarves are made, and the natural pigments used in their manufacture, and the food and cookery of Rajasthan, and you also get the chance to take a guided tour of the town … and this is all without even mentioning the wonderful opportunities to meet local people you'll be presented with.

Tourists often don't include this town on their itinerary when travelling through the huge state of Rajasthan. Its rich wealth of architectural heritage, however, makes Nawalgarh one of the most attractive towns in the whole of India, and it's definitely somewhere worth making a trip to see.

The only information I was able to find about this isolated region of Rajasthan before traveling to India referred exclusively to the must-see beauty of its havelis. Defined as former private mansions with internal courtyards, the havelis of Nawalgarh constitute a kind of open-air art gallery. But even though their facades were once finely decorated with painted murals, I personally experience the sad sensation of finding myself standing before dilapidated buildings, with most of the frescoes no long being conserved and having been left to abandon by the local authorities. Nevertheless, there are a few masterpieces worth seeing: the Anandi Lal Podar Haveli, in particular, being a case in point. My two friends and I had decided to stay at an ecolodge during our <a href="/india/">stay in Rajasthan</a>, or more specifically in Nawalgarh, to better immerse ourselves in the Rajasthani culture. This meant we were able to explore Shekhawati from a wholly different perspective, both on foot and by camel-drawn cart. There is also no better way to explore the riches the local culture has to offer than by taking lessons in Indian Cookery, wood carving or natural dyeing taught by Nawalgarh's craftspeople.

Nawalgarh is a small town famous for the richness of its architecture and the fineness of its Havelis. It lies in the little-visited region of Shekhawati, at the gateway to Rajasthan.

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