Thirty-six kilometres from Kota, in Rajasthan, lies the majestic small town of Bundi. Dotted with numerous magnificent forts and palaces all around, this town transports one back in the pages of history, to the age of valiant Kings, dazzling Queens and fairy tales.

The Garh Palace, the jewel in the crown of Bundi, has a number of petite palaces encircling the central majestic residence, built by various rulers down the pathways of history. Most of these palaces, built during the 17th and 18th centuries, carry innumerable tales of love, valour and sacrifice etched on their walls.  The Garh Palace is a fine example of exquisite Rajput architecture, housing some of the most amazing Bundi frescoes. The palaces inside the royal fort of Bundi are elaborately decorated with vibrant paintings that beautifully depict scenes from daily life in the court of Bundi as well as vivid scenes from traditional literary and religious texts. The illustrations are testimony to the rich cultural interrelationships that give the paintings their unique power and importance. 

Above the Garh Palace, at a height, stands the Taragarh Fort – a renowned fort which stands tall with an identity of its own. The fort, situated on a steep hill, offers a panoramic and breathtaking view of the entire city of Bundi. The fort is an engrossing experience where one can go on exploring the nooks and crannies for hours on end and yet remain awe-struck. Noted novelist and Nobel laureate, Rudyard Kipling is believed to have penned parts of his acclaimed novel ‘Kim’ in Bundi. So enchanted was he by the city that this was what he wrote about Bundi :

‘Jeypore Palace may be called the Versailles of India…. Jodhpur’s House of Strife, gray towers on red rock, is the work of giants, but the Palace of Bundi, even in broad daylight, is such a palace as men built for themselves in uneasy dreams….the work of goblins rather than of men’. Read more about History and Architecture.