After breakfast, during which I chatted to an amusing American couple in the rooftop restaurant who imported Indian handicrafts for US consumers and who squirmed with acute embarrassment at the mention of Trump's triumph in the US elections, I made my way to Bundi fort. Its a wonderful place with powerful echoes of the distant past, and you could easily picture the Rajput kings and their entourage swanning about the place.
Stunning architecture throughout, but I was more impressed by the paintings in the Chitrashala that were located in the part of the fort built for wives and concubines of the maharajas. Given that the fort was built in the 1300s, it was amazing to think that the colours had survived in the way that they had. It became a bit of a bugbear to me in various historic places in India so little is done to preserve these places, and the chitrashala was no exception. Wandering around that part of the fort, I got into conversation with a man who I thought was a fellow tourist but was actually one of the official guides who scampered off and reappeared with a set of keys to a room containing the Chitrasala frescoes that I otherwise would have missed. Standing in these little rooms as he showed me this incredible artistry, I couldn't help thinking about the damage that may affect them over time and the lack of care for this magnificence.
In the UK the heritage culture is so strong that it would be inconceivable for such historic items to be left in that condition, with no control over the environmental circumstances and how these might affect the frescoes over time. Although I suppose there is an economic dimension given the high cost of maintenance. I just hope this artwork survives! Some of the frescoes depicting Hindu mythology had been painted by Mongolian and Chinese artists, highlighting the kind of cross-cultural relations that would have existed back then. Really fascinating.
Afterwards I had a whistle-stop tour of Bundi's sights in an auto-rickshaw, principally the gorgeous step wells that are about 300 years old and which were used to store water. Interesting how something so utiitarian could be constructed in such an elaborate and sophisticated manner. The 84 pillared cenotaph that is decorated with elaborate stone carvings of animals was another highlight.
I then took a bus to the town of Ajmer, which was not the most comfortable due to it being pretty overcrowded, and was less pleasant than the bus from Jaipur to Bundi (although I didn't think that was possible!). Alas there wasn't time to look round Ajmer itself, which is home to a famous Sufi shrine, and I then waited ages for another bus to Pushkar, which never arrived, so I ended up getting a taxi with a group of Indian software engineers (most urban middle class Indians seem to work in IT!) to Pushkar, with my rucksack precariously resting on the roof of the taxi, and I subsequently arrived at a hotel in Pushkar, which was a pretty dreadful place to stay. So a mad hectic day but well worth it for a trip to Bundi.
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| Bundi stepwell |
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| Chitrashala |
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| Chitrashala |
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| Chitrashala |
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| Chitrashala |
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| Tahargarh Fort |
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| Tahargarh Fort |
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| Tahargarh Fort |
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