After our eventful Jaipur trip, we adventured on a 3-4 hour road trip to Bundi. Bundi is a small town in Rajasthan where my maternal grandmother grew up. In Bundi, we stayed with family in their beautiful haveli, now converted into a heritage hotel run by my uncles. I used to visit often as a child and really wanted to take my girls to experience the authentic atmosphere and traditional lifestyle of this small, rustic yet beautiful, city.
You’ll see in the photos below the original paintings and murals inscribed on the walls by various artists and the traditional interior of the haveli.
Original Paintings at Haveli Brajbhushanjee
Such an ideal place to relax and have a cup of chai!
Close up of the paintings
Just couldn't get enough of this view!
Bundi is truly a hidden gem. If we didn’t have family there, we probably would have never discovered it and would have limited ourselves to bigger, more touristy, cities like Jaipur and Udaipur. The Bundi Palace was totally worth visiting. I wish they did a better job preserving the property -- it has so much potential and is really very beautiful. I hear there are a few other historic sites to explore but the Palace is one of the main attractions and that’s what we decided to go see. The Bundi Fort was a little hike from the Palace but due to time constraints, we could only visit the Palace, which was also a short 5-min walk from the haveli. In fact, the Palace view from the haveli is spectacular and you’ll see that in the pictures below.
Palace in the background
Palace lighting at night
Bundi attracts a lot of backpackers and off-the-beaten-path travelers. With better infrastructure and preservation, Bundi can definitely have a prominent place in India’s mainstream tourism map.
Street life & shops
Bundi Palace:
Garden of Bundi Palace and Chitrashala (Picture Gallery):
A short walk back to the haveli:
We had a wonderful stay in Bundi with family after a long time, and it was simply heartwarming experiencing the old charm and heritage of this ‘under the radar’ treasure.
Girls had a great time exploring. I wish I knew more about the history of the palace!
Garden of Bundi Palace and Chitrashala (Picture Gallery):
This little enchanted garden took our breath away! Imagine the upkeep & beauty when kings & queens actually inhabited this palace.
City views
Temple nestled at base of the mountain
Chitrashala or picture gallery: Original paintings and murals depicting scenes of war, love stories, wedding processions, and more.
We had a wonderful stay in Bundi with family after a long time, and it was simply heartwarming experiencing the old charm and heritage of this ‘under the radar’ treasure.
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