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Raj-sthan means the "Land of Kings" which it truly was until about 60 years ago when India became independent of British rule and the Rajas joined the Indian Union. Some of these kingdoms have been mentioned in the 5000 year old legends of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
The Rajas belonged to the martial Kshatriya race of brave fighters who guarded their territories with great pride. Their forts were symbols of power and defence, the palaces for grandeur and charisma, and the temples to project themselves as pillars and protectors of "dharma" in the eyes of their subjects. Naturally, rivalries, squabbles and skirmishes were common. This weakness was exploited by the early Muslim invaders to their advantage about a thousand years ago, then by the Mughals about 500 year ago and finally by the British in the 17th and 18th centuries.
One section of the population that received special encouragement under the rule of the Rajas was the merchant community. Smart and clever merchants generated wealth, in return the taxes contributed to the coffers of the kingdom. In this regard, the northern part of Rajasthan, popularly known as Shekhawati deserves special mention. In time to come in independent India the stewards of Industry and business would be mainly the merchant class from Shekhawati, the Birlas, Singhanias, Poddars, Seksarias, Goenkas, Goyals, Dalmias... leading names of corporate houses.
Shekhawati, the garden of Shekha, derives its name from Rao Shekha, a chieftain from the Kachhwaha clan of Kshatriyas in Rajasthan. He had conquered territories east of the Aravalli range of hills in the middle of the 15th century AD. In the next 200 years his descendents had annexed areas west of the Aravallis and established their supremacy on the towns that lay on the caravan trade route. The caravan operators preferred this route as it was economical. This region had traders and merchants generally from Marwar: hence the name Marwari merchants. They knew their arithmetic very well. Being soft spoken and congenial by nature they were persuasive negotiators. They were also diligent and hardworking.
Over the years their skills in the practices and principles of trade sharpened and life for them was successful and prosperous. By the 1800s another opportunity came their way: under the British Raj the sea ports of Kolkata and Mumbai were developed to handle large volumes of cargo offering business opportunities to enterprising Indians. Men from the Marwari community of Shekhwati took this opportunity quickly and fast.
In a short period of time these businessmen earned large amounts of money as brokerage in trading of goods, imports and exports While they lived a very frugal life in the city they would bring their savings back home to Shekhawati and build large mansions (havelis) for their families.