Bundi, The Capital of Hada Chauhans
General Information
District:BundiState:RajasthanCountry:IndiaArea:0Long Distance Code:+91-747Importance:Palaces,forts and royal cenotaphsBest Time To Visit:October to FebruaryDescription:
Hardly 36 kms from the important town of Rajasthan, Kota, stands the famous small little town of Bundi, famous forts lakes, forts and carvings. One of the most beautiful yet the most unexplored cities of Rajasthan, Bundi was once a capital of the Hada Chauhans.
Today only relics stand witness to this glorious past. Bundi famous for its intricate carvings and murals is surrounded by the Aravalli hills on three sides and a massive wall with four gateways keeps a guard on the fourth. Although a sleepy little town, it has many interesting places and tourists sights to be visited.
The Taragarh of the Star Fort and the Palace are two impressive structures of Bundi. The massive edifice built in the 14th century is made in white sandstone and gives a dazzling look to the surroundings. The palace within has some beautiful murals and is built in a typical Rajput architectural style. The Fort has a huge reservoir of water, which could be supplied to all. The chitrashala in the palace is the beautiful collection of murals and paintings, not to be missed.
Raniji ki Baori is a very beautiful and architectural fabulous stepwell situated in Bundi town in Rajasthan. The story behind the Raniji ki Baori was that in late 16th centuary king Rao marry to Rani Nathavati as his previous wife fail to give him a heir. Rani Nathavati did give birth to a son but invoked the jealousy of the queen. So she gave child to the elder queen and devoted to serving her subjects. She undertook the project of building a step well. It was 46 m deep and splendid work like beautiful carving. It was completed in 1699 . Its high arched gate and multistoreyed structure with places of worship on each floor make it very different architecture. Rani-ji ki Baoli is thus Stepwell made by the Queen or Queen’s well.
In the entrance there is a narrow gateway of four pillars which are joined superbly at the top by slender arches just under the roof. Ogee (S-shaped) brackets play an important role in Rani-ji ki Baoli, and all arches are decorated with intricately carved stone brackets.
Bundi is a fascinating Rajput kingdom. One of the chieftain, Rao Raja Dev Singh established the kingdom of Hadoti by conquering Bundi from the local Meena tribe in about 13th century and Bundi was made the capital of this dynasty. Fortified by high walls Bundi, was a well protected kingdom. The city is situated at the foot of a large hill with grand palaces and forts built on top of this hill. The city has a few lakes as well and a number of step-wells some of them dating back to the 17th century.
Chaurasi Khambhon ki Chhatri on Bundi-Kota road located in Devapura was built by Rao Raja Anirudh Singh in 1683 A.D. in the memory of his wet nurse Dewa Gujar. The chhatri a large double storied cenotaph built on a high podium has 84 pillars or chaurasi khambe. Inside the chhatri on the lower level is situated a Shiv linga. The upper level has a large central chhatri surmounted by a dome supported by 16 pillars. Around the central chhatri are four smaller ones at the four corners. The Chhatri is ornately decorated with engravings depicting elephants, deers, fishes, apsaras and dancers in various poses.
Built by Maharao Raja Vishnu Singh in 1773, the Palace has a beautiful garden. It was used as a summer palace by the Maharajas of Bundi State and was the scene of festival processions. The Sukh Niwas palace is made up of the locally mined stones of Bundi. The palace is an example of one of the premium specimens of Rajput structural design. There are beautifully carved brackets, pillars and balconies in the palace. The statues of elephants are very gorgeous and made to use abundantly all over the palace.
There is a Diwan – E-Aam, Hathi pol and Naubat khana inside the palace. There is a famous Chitrashila or painting room located in the palace. It gives you a glimpse in the history of the past. The walls and ceilings are completely covered with paintings of the Bundi School. There are shooting scenes, court scenes, festive processions and celebrations on the wall. There are also pictures of beautiful birds, animals and the scenes from the life of Lord Krishna. All these paintings are in very good condition and tell you a lot about the art and existence in the past. Rudyard Kipling stayed here at the Sukh Niwas Palaces, Bundi as he spent quality time in this palace and has many good memories.