bundi

District Profile

Bundi is a special destination in its own. An oasis in the desert state , a serene civilization far from the madding crowd & a well known tourist's destination . Attracted Sir Rudyard Kipling, Rabindra Nath Tagore, Virginia Fass , Satyajit Ray and many more. Thousands of tourists both domestic and foreign come here to see and discover this beautiful place. Bundi was named after a Meena Chieftain BUNDA.

Thanko Mhanki Bundi Mein Swagat Chhe
 (Welcome to Our Bundi)

Bundi is Rudyard Kipling's first destination, in Hadoti, that is accessible from Jaipur by road. Set in a narrow encircling gorge, the palaces and fortress of Bundi have a fairy tale like quality about them. Few other places in India have such a picturesque location. Isolated and independent, the entire township appears like a miniature painting,frozen in time for the traveller. At some point, the only movement felt seems to be the movement of the traveller.

The Bundi palace, built of locally quarried stone, presents one of the finest examples of Rajput architecture. Intricately carved brackets, pillars and balconies and sculpted elephants ar used liberally. Of special interest here are the Diwan-I-Am, Hathi Pol and the Naubat Khana. Also located in the palace is the famous Chitra Shala which provides a colourful glimpse of history - the walls and ceiling of this palace are completely covered with paintings of the Bundi school. Hunting and court scenes, festivals, processions, animal and bird life and scenes from Lord Krishna's life are still in very good condition.

Bundi has other palaces and hunting lodges like the Phool Sagar Palace, Sukh Mahal and Shikar Burj. Each palace has its own historical importance Phool Sagar houses a collection of murals: done by the Italian prisoners of war who were held here; Sukh Niwas Palace evokes memories of Rudyard Kipling who not only stayed here but is believe to have found inspiration for his famous work Kim from the scenes that he saw here. Kshar Bagh, though not a palace, is interesting for its locations as well as the carvings on the 66 royal cenotaphs.

Bundi is also known for its baories or step-wells. Unique to Rajasthan and Gujarat, the step-wells served as water reservoirs for the months of summer when there was a scarcity of drinking water.

At one time, there were over fifty such wells in Bundi but most of them have suffered the ravages of time.

One very good example still to be found in the heart of the town is called Raniji-ki-Baori. It has exquisitely carved pillars and ornate archways - even the simple function of drawing water from the well became a special occasion for the womenfolk, they dressed up in their finery to visit these elaborate structures. On the road to Kota is a splendid 17th century monument - the 84 pillared chhatri still in extremely good condition and worth a visit.

The Bundi district of Rajasthan has been an important tourist destination for both the foreign and domestic tourists. The place offers a unique culture with baoris , palaces & forts , lakes and the beautiful natural surroundings. The apparent tourism potential of this place inspired many to organise fairs and festivals to give a boost to the tourism resources. Efforts were made for vital efforts to streamline tourism and make it an important agent for the growth and development of this area. Unfortunately this could not take the shape of a peoples movement and the zeal and enthusiasm faded out slowly and the inputs more or less could not be sustained. At the same time the place needs efforts on our parts if we want to make it and important tourist destination .The rainy season is very special with the Kajli Teej Festival. The weather is generally pleasant except for a patch of the hot summer. During the monsoons in Bundi a local festival called Kajli Teej is uniquely celebrated here. Though Teej is celebrated all through the state but in Bundi it is celebrated on the 3rd day of Bhadra whereas at the other it is celebrated on the third day of Sharavana in other places. The festival starts with the traditional procession of goddess Teej in a decorated palanquin from the Naval Sagar. The procession has decorated elephants , camels bands artistes and cultural groups depicting the place. A local fair is also held on this occasion exhibiting lot of local handicraft items including Katar (dagger), paintings and bangles etc. Both the urban and the rural people join this festive occasion. Besides the Kajli Teej a drive into the countryside all across with the water streams crossing at innumerable places, camels grazing the green pastures and the peacock hanging around makes it a special monsoon drive. The cool temperament of this pollution free destination makes it a wonderful experience. A taste of the local maize (Bhutta) roasted in coal oven and served with salt n lemon gives a special delight in the monsoons. Altough the local Kuttha Baati (food) is quite popular in the region. The Bundi miniature paintings attracts the traveller and from the highway it seems as if the city itself is a miniature painting frozen in time and the only movement visible is that of the traveller.

It has the infrastructure for tourism. In the competitive tourism market most importantly it can offer professional services and facilities. Bundi has been termed as the "Queen of Hadoti".

Bundi is a heaven wanting to be discovered by tourists foreign as well as Indian. The romance and fantasy of this place is seen in the following words of Ms Virginia Fass the high priest of photography.

High on a hillside in Bundi, enclosed within the mass of greenish-brown serpentine stone that is Chhatramahal, is a silent, secret garden, its elegant formal layout still visible through the tangle of wild-roses and weeds that is the most enchanted places in the word.

The ethereal beauty and grandeur of Bundi architecture is vivdly brought out in the places of India.

"The rulers who built these palaces must have had terrific egos, a great sense of style and great sense of humour."

Colonel Todd also estimated the Taragarh Fort at Bundi as one of the most impregnable and unconquerable forts of Rajasthan.
Bundi is one of the few places in India which can lay its claim to an authentic School of painting. "The Bundi School." The splendid paintings in the Chitrashala in the Bundi fort and also in the fort at Dugari are par excellence and can be compared with probably the best anywhere in the world.

In a word Bundi offers virtually everything to a tourist in terms of its exclusive paintings, exotic forts, unparalleled architecture, lakes and step wells (Baoris), outdoor locations, wildlife or the folklore, traditional music and handicrafts.

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