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Nawal Singh, the fourth of five brothers, founded this town in 1737. There existed a village on the site and the kaimkhanis had a fort nearby. He built a fort and the temple of Gopinath and surrounded the site with walls. The place boasted three forts. Nawalgarh was not amongst the provinces that turned to brigandry. It had managed to keep its estates relatively undivided and thus remained quite prosperous.
Nawal Singh encouraged some Jaipur merchants to settle here. The Patodia family claim to be among the first. Since the town was successful and the rulers relatively benevolent, the Bania community thrived. And more families came to join them. The Morarka clan were prominent amongst the early arrivals. They say that they came at the request of Nawal Singh in 1756. Two of their early Haveli's still stand about 100m south-east of the Bawari Gate. From this town arose that branch of the Choudhary clan which is known throughout India as Goenka. Many other Banias flourished, the names of some clearly giving their origins-i.e. the Jaipurias and the Sanganeerias.
This is the town where the finest of Shekhawati's frescoes can be seen. Its Havelis still bear witness to the rich and prosperous Marwari era of the 19th century. Nawalgarh has a college with a typical British clock tower and hundreds of painted Havelis, old and new.
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