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The Rajasthan government announced on 5 September 2026 that the fresco-covered havelis of the Shekhawati region have been included in UNESCO's Tentative List as 'The Painted Haveli Towns of Shekhawati'.
The nomination covers 14 settlements across Sikar, Jhunjhunu and Churu districts, including Mandawa, Nawalgarh, Fatehpur, Ramgarh, Alsisar, Bissau, Chirawa, Dundlod, Khetri, Laxmangarh and Mahansar.
Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari announced the inclusion, which is the mandatory first step before a property can be formally nominated to the World Heritage List.
The havelis were built by Marwari merchants between the 18th and early 20th centuries and are often called the world's largest open-air art gallery.
A State Party must first place a property on its national Tentative List. Only sites already on that list can be formally nominated, after which ICOMOS or IUCN evaluates them and the World Heritage Committee decides. Tentative listing is a step, not a designation.
Simple Analogy: A shortlist you must be on before you can apply.
Shekhawati is the semi-arid tract of northern Rajasthan formed by Sikar, Jhunjhunu and Churu districts, north-west of Jaipur and on the fringe of the Thar. Khetri in Jhunjhunu is separately known for its copper belt.
GS Paper 1 > Indian culture: art forms, architecture from ancient to modern times; Modern Indian history - social and economic change
General Awareness > Art and Culture, UNESCO sites, Current Affairs
A large courtyard mansion of northern and western India, typically built around one or more open chowks.
An overhanging enclosed balcony projecting from the wall face, a signature element of Rajput and haveli architecture.
A lime-plaster surface technique used with fresco painting in Rajasthan, giving a polished, durable finish.
The local artisan-painter who executed Shekhawati's fresco murals.