India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (296 page)

Note:
There is absolutely no need to waste time with the stuffy Moti Mahal Museum of rotting taxidermied animals and Bundi family portraits.

Sights farther afield, like
Sukh Mahal,
a summer palace where Kipling wrote
Kim,
are best explored with Haveli Braj Bhushanjee’s picnic and sightseeing tour, or with the expert guide Om Prakash Kuki. Closer to town (2km/1 1⁄4 miles) are the Royal Cenotaphs (Shaar Bagh), which are way better than Jaisalmer’s and reputed to be the best in India—ask the caretaker for the key. This can also be arranged through Bundi Haveli.

ESSENTIALS

VISITOR INFORMATION
The
Tourist Information Bureau
(
0747/244-3697;
Mon–Sat 10am–5pm, closed second Sat of the month and Sun) is located at Circuit House, but the owners of the Haveli Braj Bhushanjee heritage hotel (see below) are a mine of information, supplying you with maps, arranging transport, and ready with advice on anything from how much to pay for a rickshaw to opening hours. For an expert guide with true archeological and historical passion for all sights in and around Bundi call Om Prakash Kuki (on his mobile
982/840-4527
or arrange through Bundi Haveli). You can usually change money at your guest house and there are several currency traders in town; ATMs are in the southern part of the town.

GETTING THERE
You’ll likely be arriving by car which is 37km (23 miles) from Kota arriving by bus. If you’re bussing it, it’s only a short Rs 40 at most to the guesthouses. The better option is rail now that the train stops in Bundi proper (20 minutes after the Kota stop) and is well connected to the rest of the state, including the main Delhi-to-Mumbai line, Jaipur, Sawai Madhopur, and Chittaurgarh. From the station it’s a short Rs 50 rickshaw ride to your hotel. Kota is 130km (81 miles) by road from Sawai Madhopur and 175km (96 miles) from Chittaurgarh, so you can either visit it after you see Ranthambhore and/or Jaipur or combine it with a trip from Udaipur via Chittaurgarh. An A/C taxi to Bundi from Kota will run you Rs 600; a jeep costs Rs 550.

GETTING AROUND
You can get around the town on foot with ease. Should you tire, auto-rickshaws traverse the narrow streets. If you book into Haveli Braj Bhushanjee or Bundi Haveli, the proprietors will arrange all your transport at very reasonable prices—yet another reason the hotel is so highly recommended. Expect to pay around Rs 1,200 for an air-conditioned taxi for the day.

WHERE TO STAY & DINE

Bundi Haveli Hotel
This 250-year-old beautifully restored
haveli
literally opposite Naval Sagar, the town lake (and 3 min. from Haveli Braj Bhushanjee), is owned and managed by Salim and Lulu. Its loving renovation, clean lines, and whitewashed walls with splashes of fine, colorful detail are testament to their eye (and successful other business, Nazim Handicraft, based in Udaipur). Rooms are uncluttered and free of mismatching antiques and ageing bric-a-brac found so common with haveli-style decor. For a beautiful super deluxe room ask for no. 109, which has partial lake and fort views. Room 107 is large and spacious, while 110 and 104 are the Haveli Suites, where Mick Jagger reputedly spent a night. The restaurant serves both typical nonvegetarian and vegetarian dishes and can be taken downstairs in the open air courtyard or on the rooftop terrace accompanied by 360-degree views.

Bundi Haveli Hotel, 107 Balchand Parra, near Naval Sagar, Bundi 323 001.
747/244-6716
. Fax 0747/244-6046.
www.hotelbundihaveli.com
. [email protected]. 12 units. Rs 1,000 standard double (no A/C but with fans); Rs 2,000 super deluxe double; Rs 3,000 Haveli Suites. 10% taxes extra only on suites. MC, V.
Amenities:
Restaurant, roof dining; doctor-on-call; Internet (Rs 50/hr.); room service; In room: A/C (nonstandard room), fan, TV.

Haveli Braj Bhushanjee
Situated on a narrow lane inside the walled city, just below the palace, this is an authentic and professionally run guesthouse in India, managed by the discreetly proud Braj Bhushanjee brothers (four of whose ancestors were prime ministers of Bundi State in the 19th c.). Many of the walls are covered with exceptional-quality murals (recently repainted by a local expert), and though each room is traditionally decorated, the choice of objects, fabrics, and carpets (all sourced from Bundi and surroundings) shows a great deal of thought and innate flair. Two brand new rooftop suites were being built at time of writing, promising the best views of the Fort and Palace; on top of these will arguably be the best terrace in Bundi, with a 360-degree view. No alcohol is served and meat is definitely not permitted on the premises but the home-cooked meals are of exceptional quality.

Below Fort, opposite Ayurvedic Hospital, Bundi 323 001.
0747/244-2322
or -2509. Fax 0747/244-2142.
www.kiplingsbundi.com
. 25 units. Rs 750 economy double; Rs 1,500 standard double; Rs 2,850 deluxe double; Rs 5,000 super deluxe double. Taxes extra. MC, V.
Amenities:
Dining hall; doctor-on-call; Internet (Rs 50/hr.); room service. In room: A/C, fan, TV, Wi-Fi (Rs 50/hr.).

5 Shekhawati

200km (124 miles) SW of Delhi; 160km (99 miles) NW of Jaipur

Shekhawati, known as the open-air art gallery of Rajasthan, lies in the roughly triangular area between Delhi, Jaipur, and Bikaner, and encompasses the districts of Jhunjhunu, Sikar, and Churu. Its largely semidesert, wide-open (uninhabited) spaces offer a peaceful respite from the cities, and its ubiquitous evergreen
kejri
trees create a far greener landscape than the Jaisalmer area. But the primary drawing card is its remarkable art collection—unusual for the unique painting styles and for the fact that the exhibition space consists of the exterior and interior walls of literally hundreds of havelis, temples, cenotaphs, wells, and forts in the region. The trend for decorating walls in this way was imported from the courts of Amber and Jaipur, where the Rajput princes in turn were inspired by the Mughal emperors’ patronage of the miniature-mural art form. The Shekhawati’s patronage was funded by duties imposed on merchandise carried across that section of the Spice Route that traversed their region (cleverly, the local barons here ensured that their duties were lower than those of the house of Jaipur, thereby diverting trade), or by raids across the borders, but patronage truly flourished during the British Raj, a period when the Shekhawati merchants, renowned for their business acumen, moved to the ports of Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay to capitalize on the growing trade in these new centers. There they made small fortunes and celebrated their wealth by adorning their mansions—an age-old urge, and the result here is a great deal more interesting than anything Martha Stewart might have suggested.

The demand was such that skilled artists could not paint fast enough. Even local masons tried their hand, injecting a wonderful naiveté and humor into many of the paintings. Subject matters vary tremendously, from mythological stories and epics such as the
Ramayana
and
Mahabharata
to local legends of battles and hunts and of course the ever-present erotica, nearly all of which has now been painted over; but perhaps the most amusing are copies of British photographs featuring hot-air balloons, “airships,” trains, and cars—objects most of the painters had never set their eyes on but faithfully rendered according to the descriptions and prints supplied by their employers.