This photo journal features Bundi, a captivating small town (pop 90,000), painted Brahmin blue, which is off the beaten path 206 kms south of Jiapur. (Blue is the color of the Brahmin caste & they usually paint their houses blue. But in these modern times, its not just the Brahmins who have blue houses.)
Surrounded on three sides by hills of the Aravali Range, Bundi is encircled by a substantial wall with four gateways. This quiet rustic town, with narrow lanes & a temple at every turn (there are more than 200 temples
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We stopped at a sugar cane processing place on the way (sc). They're feeding the cane through the...
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sc2 - Laborers, or perhaps farmers collecting the cane for feed?
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sc3 - Yuk,.... is this what my rum looks like at some point in the process??
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sc4 - or this sludge?? Looks like they are making taffee or candy in the background?...
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sc5 - Moooo... These cows were hanging around our van parked on the shoulder of the highway, perhaps waiting for...
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The Ishwari Niwas Heritage Guest House, (gh) our cute lodgings right in town. The traditional haveli (mansion)...
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gh2 - Peaceful setting Handed over to Kesri Singh, the maharaja's brother, in 1945, for his...
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gh3 - View from our doorway The traditional Haveli (mansion), a fusion of Indian & European styles of...
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gh4 - Cute room but the bathroom pretty basic, ie had to have a dipper shower in a dirty tub.
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The "Queens Baori" (qb) Bundi (boon-dee) is famous for its baoris (stepwells) & kunds (stepped...
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qb2 - Inside the stepwell These stepwells & stepped ponds were the only source of water for...
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qb3 - Closeup of that entrance Lots of carved elephants here. India's distinctive stepwells &...
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qb4 - Likened to Egypt's great pyramids but inverted & elegantly lodged in the earth to serve India's...
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qb5 - Look waaaay down....... These stone buildings, some as deep as nine stories with elaborate...
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qb6 - Wall carvings Other Bundi waterworks worth exploring, if you have time (we didnt) are...
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qb7 - A pagoda on the wall
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Town shots - a charming blue town (ts) That's the old ramshakle Taragarh (Star Fort) on top of the hill. It was...
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ts2 - Closer
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ts3 - The Bundi Palace + the fort above it. Taragarh Fort is said to be the most impressive...
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ts4 - Nawal Sagar, the square artificial lake in the background. The lake feeds the numerous baoris...
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ts5 - Temple to Varuna in the center of the lake. Varuna is the Aryan god of water. Another view of the fort &...
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ts6 - The fort at dusk viewed from the palace.
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The Palace (p) The crumbling Bundi Palace, situated on the hillside just below...
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p2 - Steep climb to the main entrance
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p3 - View over the town from the ramparts.
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