The walled town of Bundi is located roughly midway between Jaipur and Udaipur and it is therefore a good place to stop for some interesting sightseeing. Bundi is surrounded on three sides by rugged hills on the edge of the Aravalli ranges and it is a small enough city that much can be explored on foot.
Highlights include the Garh Palace and Taragarh Fort which overlooks the town. Bundi has over 50 step wells, the deepest of which, the Raniji-ki-Baori, is 46 meters (151 feet) deep.
Bundi has a colourful history dating from the 13th Century, and much of this history is evident in its architecture.The palace houses a superb collection of murals. Visit the Chhatra Mahal courtyard and the antechamber that houses finely detailed murals from the 1780’s that are embellished with gold and silver leaf. The Phool Mahal has murals that date back to the 1860’and these feature regiments of soldiers in European dress and a complete camel corps. The Badal Mahal or “Cloud Palace” is where some of the finest paintings in Southern Rajasthan are to be found. The murals here are vivid in colour and feature scenes about Krishna being driven to his wedding by Ganesh and also Rama returning from Sri Lanka to Ayodhya. There are further murals to be found in the Chittra Sala and from here a steep 20 minute climb will take you to the The Taragarh fort. The view from the top of the Fort is well worth the climb.
The Raniji-ki-Baori a step well on the south side of town was built in 1699 and is where locals would have kept cool on a hot day. Descend the flights of steps allowing you to stand on platforms surrounded by pillars that are carved and decorated. Here decorating the side walls are carved panels that show the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu.
Nawal Sagar is a large artificial lake containing many small islets. Here a temple dedicated to Varura the god of water stands partially submerged in the middle of the lake. This is the lake that feeds the many step wells around the town.