Churu is part of those places which concentrates a huge historical and cultural legacy but still unknown. Why ? And what makes this city a unique place in its kind ? Hear the silent lanes and listen the legends that wander through the walls...
Beyond the sand dunes of That desert lays Churu - a city of 13 858 km², approximately 2,041,171 inhabitants and very little tourism per year. In this friendly-tourism region of the Rajasthan, Churu hides under radars of tourism. Since many centuries, this city is growing while keeping all its secrets under its walls.
The Marwari community : his legacy.
Churu is not about Forts, Palaces or kings. In fact, the city was the hub for Marwari merchants who was used to traded in spices, textile... They travelled all over India during the Rajputs kingdoms, creating huge empires as time progressed and becoming a highly successful business community. During this period, they built wonderful and incredible havelis on which they depicting paintings of stories they brought back from their adventures.
Nowadays, these ancestral properties have been completely abandoned by those family who reached biggest cities (as Mumbai, Kolkata or New Delhi) to growth their business. It remains nevertheless architectural beauties with their many windows, the paintings on all the walls which tell their stories like open books. These mansions represents one of the most important legacy the Marwari community bequeathed.
Churu, a city made by its inhabitants.
However, restrict Churu to its havelis would be a mistake. Take a walk, admire the differents streets and immerse yourself in local life and you will realize that Churu is also about its inhabitants. The local life move along with fairs and festival, religious life, markets, craft shafts and the seasons which rhythms habits.
Thar desert
How talking about Churu without speaking about Thar desert ? This vast and arid region is also known as the great Indian desert. It is the 9st largest subtropical desert in the world, covering about 2,340,000 km2 of which 2,000,000 km2 covers Rajasthan.
Thar desert is the most densely populated desert in the world with about 40% of the entire population of Rajasthan which lives there. The main occupation is agriculture and livestock.
Beyond this factual information, Thar desert is especially a vast plain of sand where fauna and flora are very abundant. You can admire a beautiful and unique landscape and take a breath in this very peaceful place. Camel rides, sundowners, jeep safari, a plethora of activities exists to enjoy and live otherwise India.