Bundi
Former Hada Rajput Capital; The Town Of Stepwells · Bundi, Rajasthan
A small town in southeastern Rajasthan, tucked into a gorge beneath a hilltop fort, and one of the quietest and most atmospheric towns in the state, overlooked by most visitors on the main circuit. Above the old blue-washed town rises the Garh Palace, a rambling structure of balconies and pavilions, whose Chitrashala holds some of the finest wall paintings in Rajasthan, in the Bundi school, with their blues and greens, scenes of Krishna, court life and animals. Higher still is Taragarh fort, overgrown and crumbling, where monkeys rule. Bundi is also the town of stepwells: more than fifty baoris and kunds were built here, the grandest being the Raniji ki Baori of 1699, with carved arches and pillars descending to the water. Rudyard Kipling stayed here and wrote of it. The Sukh Mahal by the lake and the Chaurasi Khambon ki Chhatri, a cenotaph of eighty-four pillars, are nearby. Bundi Utsav, in November, is a colourful local festival. It is a slow place, best explored on foot, and a good stop between Jaipur and Udaipur or Chittorgarh.
Garh Palace Road, Bundi, Rajasthan, 323001, India
NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The usual pattern: the Garh Palace, the Chitrashala, Taragarh and Raniji ki Baori open in daylight, roughly from 8 or 9 am to 5 or 6 pm, every day. The market kunds and Dhabhai Kund are open public tanks. Sukh Mahal keeps daytime hours. The palace is floodlit in the evening and best seen from rooftops. THE TRAPS: climbing to Taragarh at midday in the hot months, arriving at the Chitrashala without the separate ticket, and trying to fit Bundi into a half-day stop. Confirm times and ticket combinations before travelling.