bundi

About Bundi :

With narrow Brahmin-blue lanes, assorted temples, classic havelis, and a picturesque hillside lake, Bundi is the kind of effortlessly charming Indian town you wish you dreamed of – or at least stumbled upon – first. There’s an air of the wonderful here – as Kipling found when he moved here to write – which is most readily felt around the fairy-tale palace looming large and cupola-clad. ADVERTISEMENT Bundi is also a great place to hire a bike for day trips into the nearby countryside. Get home fast though, as the night sky fills with bats, and this discreetly spiritual town closes up shop soon after sundown. Bundi was the capital of a major princely state during the Rajputs’ heyday. Although its importance dwindled with the rise of Kota during Mughal times, it remained independent until incorporation into Rajasthan in 1947. From January to March, delicate pink poppies fill surrounding fields, while in October/November the festivals of Bundi Ustav and Kashavrai Patan inject some evening energy into an otherwise daydreamy town. In August, the town hosts celebrations for Teej.

Bundi is a city with 104,457 101,000 inhabitants (2011) in the Hadotiregion of Rajasthanstate in northwest India. It is of particular architectural note for its ornate forts, palaces, and stepwell reservoirs known as baoris. It is the administrative headquarters of Bundi District.

History of Bundi

In ancient times, the area around Bundi was apparently inhabited by various local tribes, of which the Parihar Meenas were prominent. Bundi and the eponymous princely state are said to derive their names from a former Meena king called Bunda Meena. Bundi was previously called “Bunda-Ka-Nal", Nal meaning “narrow ways”. Later the region was governed by Rao Deva Hada, who took over Bundi from Jaita Meena in 1342 . renaming the surrounding area Haravati or Haroti.

Getting to Bundi