Today Joshi makes his living making typical Rajasthani wood and cloth puppets, which he sells outside the gates of Joshi Bhavan and to local hotels in the region. These too are museum worthy.

"My ancestors were wealthy," he says. They were aristocrats who worked for the Mandawa royal family, resulting in a grant of land to build a luxurious home in proximity to the castle.

I sip on - the traditional sweet, milky tea that Joshi's wife has offered - and from the roof of Joshi Bhavan admire the vistas and the beautiful colours popping off nearby havelis, which appear as an intricate maze of arches and doorways, each one entirely unique.

The havelis, or mansions, are strikingly different, but all follow the traditional style - monumental gates open up into an outer courtyard, a set of stairs leads to a smaller door and an inner courtyard, which is surrounded by several floors of rooms and layers of open-air terraces.

"There is one nearby, the Jhunjhunwala Haveli, in which they have used three kilos of imported gold to paint gods and goddesses in just one room," Joshi tells me, "you must see it."

It is no surprise that a number of India's wealthiest families today hail from the Shekhawati region and that Mandawa is rife with stories about gold being hidden beneath the old havelis.

A gold and red flag waves from the turret of the town's rather large fort, indicating members of the local royal family are in residence.

I walk toward the fort, through the slightly dusty but very clean streets, passing the occasional camel and cart and a gang of giggling children playing marbles. I marvel at the painted havelis. Most are open to visitors.

Beneath the arched entrance to the fort, which is covered in an elaborate rendition of the Hindu god Krishna and his cows, a man in a red Rajasthani turban and simple white clothes puts his hands together and bows his head, "Khamma ganni" he says, the traditional greeting.

"The region is the biggest open art gallery in the world," says Angad Deo Mandawa, a hotelier who runs horse safaris and is a member of Mandawa's royal family, which traces its direct lineage back more than 1,000 years.

The reception area at Castle Mandawa is adorned with beautiful painted images of Hindu gods and goddesses, which I admire while a ceiling fan whirs lazily overhead.

"Most interesting is seeing the change in time period," Mandawa says, "the older havelis have mythological depictions, later there are court scene paintings, then they transition into the British period."

In fact, one former haveli, now the local branch of the State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, has external frescoes depicting a telephone, a car, a bicycle and an airplane. Another, the Murmuria Haveli is decorated with images of Venice in the 1800s, and a train chugs along the walls of the Gulab Rai Ladia Haveli.

"Starting in the 1700s, business families began having frescoes painted to show off who was doing better in business; everyone was trying to outdo each other," says Mandawa, explaining the increasing extravagance of some of the paintings.

The rooms of Castle Mandawa are filled with bright mythological artwork and mirrored detailing. The Diwankhana (drawing room) is a must-see work of art.

But it's not just the frescoed havelis and ancestry that make this part of Rajasthan a living museum. Mandawa tells me there are many forts and heritage points, and it is possible to visit them all by horseback over a few days, seeing the antiquated way of life in rural areas along the way.

"It is the spirit of the people that has made this place so important," he says.

The huge brass castle gong sounds, to mark every hour of every day. Seven times; it is 7pm and dusk is beginning to settle.

A peacock cries in the distance; another responds.

Temple bells begin to ring cheerfully to let people know it is time for evening prayers, and another day comes to a close in the ancient town of Mandawa.

A few sandy hints for the visitor

Getting there
• Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, Jet Airways and Air India fly direct to New Delhi. There are regular flights to Jaipur on Jet Airways, JetKonnect, Spicejet and Air India. 
• The Shekhawati Express runs between New Delhi and Jaipur. Nearest stations to Mandawa are Mukundgarh and Jhunjhunu, a short drive away. 

When to go
October-April is the best time. Summer temperatures range from 20 degrees Celsius at night to 45 degrees during the day. In winter it falls from 20 degrees during the day to minus two degrees at night.