Tourists in Rajasthan usually flock to Udaipur or Jodhpur, but little Bundi has its own way with travelers, often seducing them into staying for much longer than they anticipated. Indeed, Bundi's most famous resident, Rudyard Kipling, first put Bundi on the map in the early 1900's when he became so entranced with the town that he stuck around and ended up writing the book "Kim." Kipling's experience is pretty standard for Bundi - this is the kind of place where you could imagine yourself writing a hundred different poems about the slumbering hills and mazes of streets, a place that Kipling found "beautifully lazy, doing everything in the real, true, original native way." But there is more to Bundi than the swooning it inspires in its visitors; looming over the town, Garh Palace and Taragarh Fort are dreamy, fading reminders of Bundi's dignified past.
Formerly a small state founded in 1342, Bundi’s fortunes varied inversely with those of its more powerful neighbours. Neither wealthy nor powerful, it nevertheless ranked high in the Rajput hierarchy since the founding family belonged to the specially blessed Hada Chauhan clan. After Prithviraj Chauhan was defeated by Muhammad Ghuri in 1193, the rulers sought refuge in Mewar. However, adventurous clan members overran the Bhils and Minas in the Chambal valley and established the kingdom of Hadavati or Hadoti which covers the area around Bundi, Kota and Jhalawar in southeastern Rajasthan. It prospered under the guidance of the able 19th-century ruler Zalim Singh, but then declined on his death. The British reunited the territory in 1894.
Enquiries: T0747-244 5422. To Ajmer (165 km), 5 hrs; Jaipur, several daily, 4 deluxe, 4-5 hrs; Kota (37 km), 45 mins; Chittaurgarh (157 km), 5 hrs; Udaipur (120 km), 3 hrs. For Jhalarapatan catch a bus from Kota to Jhalawar; then auto-rickshaw or local bus for sights. The Ujjain–Jhalawar road is appalling.
Train
Enquiries: T0747-244 3582. The station south of town has a train each way between Kota and Neemuch via Chittaurgarh. A direct Delhi service may be running, but involves hours waiting in Kota; better to take the bus to Kota and board trains there.
Exchange can be a problem; try Bank of Baroda, T0747-244 3706.
Internet
Dotted around town.
Medical services
City Hospital, T0747-244 2333.
Western Rajasthan
The Rajasthan of most people’s imagination is found in this part of the state; camels crossing windswept sand dunes, colourful tribes dancing against a stark desert landscape, and some imperious buildings surveying the scene from on high. Jaisalmer is perhaps the ultimate expression of these romantic desert images. However, no other fort in Rajasthan exudes the same authority as Jodhpur’s Meherangarh, watching over the town with unmatched majesty. The area south of Jodhpur is dotted with some of the state’s most secluded heritage hotels, while to the north lie the utterly authentic attractions of Nagaur and Osian.
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