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Maroth: Elevating
Art To The Heavens |

Manvar 

A nondescript village some 120 km from Jaipur contributes one
of the most awe-inspiring and beloved aspects that keeps the
connoisseurs of Rajasthan to keep returning time and again.
Maroth, a village along the Jaipur Agra route has seen empires
rise and fall while adding an element of glory to all that ruled.
By their unique artwork of gold-plating and glasswork that
have bedecked, they embellished some of the most loved
landmark edifices of Rajasthan bedazzling us over the centuries,
including the Sheesh Mahal and Amber.

Maroth art is an amalgam of painting, carving, glasswork and
metal-work creating an end product that leaves most people
speechless and amazed. With influences from Gujrat, all parts of
Rajasthan, Mughals, Persians and even the Dutch, artists from
Maroth have left an indelible mark on the history and
architecture of Rajasthan.

Most palace forts, temples have been designed with the high
ceilings of these magnificent edifices as the canvas for Maroth
artists to create magic. Perhaps the cynosure amongst all these
is the 500-year-old Sheesh Mahal at Amber with mirror and
crystals, each specifically detailed and designed, with a lot of
inputs by the Maroths, manufactured in Belgium. The speciality
of the Sheesh Mahal is that even the faintest of light or a candle
lit at a corner would illuminate the entire space. This indeed is a
marvel and ingenuity of ideas at the time, a must-visit when in
Rajasthan.

Apart from such royal patronage, the Maroth community was
also commissioned by rich traders to build temples, particularly
the Marwari Jains. Examples of these wonderful temples with
intricate and exquisite designs in glass and gold can be seen all
over Rajasthan including a few near Manvar Resort in Jodhpur.

Did you know that the Maroth community is also responsible
for the immaculate design of the Harmandir Sahib Temple in
Amritsar?

A brief history of Maroth 

A group of artisans from Maroth, 120 km from Jaipur moved to
Sikar village on the invitation of King Raghunath Singh which
eventually became their home. The first of the documented
masters of the Maroth art form is Laxman Singh Kumawat
dating back to 1606. His mastery of painting, carving, gold

plating and glasswork can be witnessed in a number of palaces
and temples spread across the region. His son Jai Kishan
Kumawat is known to have repainted the Jain scripts in gold
plating, commissioned by the wealthy Jains who were
enamoured by the Maroth art form. Later this love affair saw
expression in many Jain temples across Rajasthan from Jaipur to
Churu to Jaisalmer and beyond. An interesting side story is that
Jai Kishan Kumawat was sent to Kuchaman by the Jains to learn
the fine art of illustrating detailed manuscripts. This was a
pivotal incident with the Kumawats pledging their allegiance to
the Jain community since then.

Traditionally Kumawats from Maroth were experts at gold
plating, but in the early 1700s, an important rendezvous
introduced them to the art of cutting glass. An Iranian artisan, a
master glass cutter impressed with the Kumawats and their
Maroth art taught them glass cutting. The rest is history. The
Maroth art spread far and wide with projects commissioned all
over India, including as far as Assam. 

A Renaissance in Maroth Art

More recently, the proud sentinels of the Maroth art, especially
Subash Kumawat have been adopting the Maroth art for the
contemporary sense and sensibilities working with many artists
and architects across India and the world. Although he has
worked on many signature projects the one he is proud of is the
Golden Temple in Amritsar. The Akal Takht in Amritsar was
commissioned by the Kumawats to design and decorate.

Subash and the younger generation of Kumawats are slowly
adopting Maroth art to modern tastes while not deviating from
the wisdom and beauty of the old ways. Manvar, the
quintessential cultural showcase and resort in Jodhpur is happy
to support the Maroth art form introducing it to many
intellectuals, artists and architects from across the world, who
are patrons of our resort in Jodhpur, thus doing its bit to keep
alive this wonderful heritage. 

Reach us

+91 94141 29767 Milestone 110 from Jodhpur to
Jaisalmer, NH125, Khiyasariya,

Rajasthan 342025

[email protected]

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