Setho ka Gaon

An account of a historical town of India

By Sukriti Aggarwal

On a recent weekend jaunt to Ramgarh, a town in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan, India, I met with empty roads, dilapidated Havelis and walls filled with colourful frescos indicative of a celebratory history. Wondering what could lead a town that was once bustling with business and trade into a town with an approximate population density of mere two persons per sq. km today, I found my answers in the economics and rich history of the region. (Although, it did mean that the residents had to be our tour guides.)

Streets of Ramgarh

An empty Haveli

Ramgarh was first founded by the Poddar family in the mid 1800s. Poddars, originally from Fatehpur and Churu, also towns in the Shekhawati region, came to Ramgarh for a rather peculiar reason. They were a Marwadi family known for being the financiers of the king. They were loaded people in business with enough saved up to survive generations. Their industriousness and integrity were challenged by the Zagirdars(vassals) and Sahukars(moneylenders) of Churu. To prove to them that they could build and inhabit a town, they came to Ramgarh. With the support of the Sikar Raja (king), they began the development of the area. They built Havelis, Kuans (wells), Bavadis (step wells), schools, Chhatris (Indo-Islamic elevated, tomb-like structures) and, temples. Within the influence of a powerful family and proximity to the ancient silk route, people, especially traders and businessmen, started settling in the region. Soon, it was a significant town for business and trade, with all the rungs of the society living together.

A 200 years old temple in Ramgarh

Side of an old Haveli

Vedaaranya Haveli

The richest and the most respected in the area were called ‘Seths’. It was an honourable echelon, and earning the title was not an easy task. People had to earn the title by doing seven noble things for the society like building a well, a hospital, a gaushala (cow-shed), a school etc. Interestingly, The chaukhat (door frame) of the front door of a haveli represented the number of things a person has done for society, and that is how people knew if it is was a Haveli of a Seth.

Chaukhat (doorframe) of a Seth with seven different designs

The Seths had a simple formula to multiply and save their wealth which is quite exciting and contrary. They kept approximately twenty-five per cent of their wealth in the form of liquid cash so that whenever a situation came where they’d had to run, they could take the money and flee instantly. They kept another twenty-five per cent in the form of gold, be it jewellery or bars. They kept this hidden deep inside their Havelis in Tehkhanas(vault/ secure rooms) guarded by secret trap doors and huge Godrej safes. On a raid done by the government on one of the Havelis in recent years, word has it, 99kgs of gold was found hidden deep inside the Haveli in 30 different secret chambers. In places, an ordinary person would not even blink an eye.

Trap door leading to a secret

chamber under a bed.

Trap door

They kept the other twenty-five per cent to play with that is to do business and trade with. This is the money they risked and earned their fortune from. They used the last twenty-five per cent to buy property in different places across the country.

This was their idea of how wealth should be handled, and a wise man told me, “they taught us how to save more and today, they teach us how to spend more”, which, if we come to think of, is true for our generation. The difference, I believe, is due to the availability of various jobs, the development of different forms of money, and a diverse social structure. We save our money differently, rather than keeping gold in vaults, we rather invest in gold bonds.

The Shekhawati region is famous for its Fresco art, and it is known to be the world’s most extensive open-air art gallery. The frescos seems like a comment on acceptance of the past, present and future by the people of the region. Colourful paintings on the facade and walls of the Havelis depict fables of the victories of Lord Krishna, mock and accept the rule of the British. Every Haveli had a different concept in the paintings. Interestingly, The time the Havelis were built could be distinguished by the colours used in the paintings.The Havelis built before the advent of the British had paintings in the four colours of- Geruaa (ochre), Mehandi colour (dark brown), Haldi colour (golden yellow) and Indigo. Whereas the Havelis built after also had shades of Feeroza rang (aqua colours). Every wall we passed had a different tale to tell, yet hardly anybody who would want to listen.

Fresco art

The town was abandoned when the British left around the 1960s. With the abundant money the Seths had, they bought major industries that the British sold off. After independence, they ran those industries and are industrialists and business families all across India today, especially in Kolkata and Mumbai. Most established business families of India may find their roots in this place, be it the Goenkas or Ruhias.

Gradually, due to contracting business and trade, intense heat in the summer months and decreasing number of inhabitants, most people started moving and they left behind a land filled with memories of a beautiful time.

In recent years, successful attempts have been made to revamp the Havelis and make this place visible to people.

Fresco art