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mandawa, 250 kilometers from delhi, is a small and busy market town that was settled in the 18th century and was fortified by the dominant merchant families. today it has some of the finest painted Havelis in the region and is a great place to just wander around. we stayed at the castel mandawa which was a fort and dates back to 1760. fatehpur was a nearby town we visited to look at havelis and their frescos.

i'd been to the taj about 25 years prior and wanted to re-aquaint myself with this city of great and beautiful monuments.