Bundi
Encyclopedia
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
of approximately 88,000 inhabitants (2001) in the Hadoti
Hadoti
Hadoti , is a region of Rajasthan state in western India...
region of Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
in northwest India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It is of particular architectural note for its ornate forts, palaces, and stepwell
Stepwell
Stepwells, also called bawdi or baoli , or vaav are wells or ponds in which the water can be reached by descending a set of steps. They may be covered and protected, and are often of architectural significance...
reservoirs known as baoris. It is the administrative headquarters of Bundi District
Bundi district
Bundi District is a district of the state of Rajasthan in western India. The town of Bundi is the district headquarters. It has an area of 5,550 km² and a population of 88,273...
.
Geography
The town of Bundi is situated 35 km from KotaKota, Rajasthan
Kota , formerly known as Kotah, is a city in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located south of state capital, Jaipur. Situated on the banks of Chambal River, the city is the trade centre for an area in which millet, wheat, rice, pulses, coriander and oilseeds are grown; industries...
and 210 km from Jaipur
Jaipur
Jaipur , also popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Founded on 18 November 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, the city today has a population of more than 3.1 million....
. It is located at 25.44°N 75.64°E and an average elevation of 268 metres (879 feet). The city lies near a narrow gorge, and is surrounded on three sides by hills of the Aravalli Range
Aravalli Range
The Aravalli Range literally meaning 'line of peaks', is a range of mountains in western India and eastern Pakistan running approximately 800 km from northeast to southwest across states of Rajasthan, Haryana, and Gujarat and Pakistani provinces of Punjab and Sindh...
. A substantial wall with four gateways encircles the city.
Demographics
In the 2001 Indian censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, Bundi had a population of 88,313. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Bundi has an average literacy rate of 67%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 75% and female literacy of 57%. 14% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Kota city is 35 km and Jaipur is 210 km.
Tourist attractions
- The Taragarh FortTaragarh FortTaragarh Fort or 'Star Fort' is the most impressive of structures of city of Bundi in Indian state of Rajasthan. A rather ramshackle fort, with its overgrown vegetation, is located around 39 km from Kota. It was constructed in AD 1354 upon a steep hillside. There are three gateways to the...
, or 'Star Fort' is the most impressive of the city's structures. It was constructed in AD 1354 upon the top of steep hillside overlooking the city. The largest of its battlementBattlementA battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet , in which portions have been cut out at intervals to allow the discharge of arrows or other missiles. These cut-out portions form crenels...
s is the 16th century bastionBastionA bastion, or a bulwark, is a structure projecting outward from the main enclosure of a fortification, situated in both corners of a straight wall , facilitating active defence against assaulting troops...
known as the Bhim Burj, on which was once mounted a particularly large cannonCannonA cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
called Garbh Gunjam, or 'Thunder from the Womb'. The fort is a popular tourist viewpoint of the city below. The fort contains three tanks which never dry up. The technique with which they were built has been long since lost but the tanks survive as a testament to the advanced methods of construction and engineering in medieval India. - The Bundi Palace is situated on the hillside adjacent to the Taragarh Fort and is notable for its lavish traditional muralMuralA mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
s and frescoFrescoFresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
es. The Chitrashala (picture gallery) of the palace is open to the general public. - The largest of Bundi's baoris or stepwells is the intricately-carved Raniji ki BaoriRaniji ki BaoriRaniji ki Baori is a noted stepwell situated in Bundi town in Rajasthan state in India. It was built in 1699 by queen Nthavati Ji. It is a 46 m deep stepped well with some superb carvings on its pillars and a high arched gate...
. Some 46 m deep, it was built in 1699 by Rani Nathavatji. The steps built into the sides of the water-well made water accessible even when at a very low level. The baori is one of the largest examples of its kind in RajasthanRajasthanRājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
. - The Nawal Sagar is a large square-shaped artificial lake in the centre of Bundi containing many small islets. A temple dedicated to VarunaVarunaIn Vedic religion, Varuna is a god of the sky, of water and of the celestial ocean, as well as a god of law and of the underworld...
, the vedic godRigvedic deitiesThere are 1028 hymns in the Rigveda, most of them dedicated to specific deities.Indra, a heroic god, slayer of Vrtra and destroyer of the Vala, liberator of the cows and the rivers; Agni the sacrificial fire and messenger of the gods; and Soma the ritual drink dedicated to Indra are the most...
of water, stands half-submerged in the middle of the lake. the lake feeds the numerous bavdis in the old city by creating an artificial water table. - The Nagar Sagar twin step wells are identical step wells crafted in pristine masonry on either side of the main spine of Bundi town. The kunds (pools) are currently full of waste from the ancient vegetable market in the vicinity.
- The Dabhai Kund also known as the jail kund, is the largest of the kunds in Bundi. Though slightly overgrown, it is well worth a visit for the spectacular carvings on the numerous steps leading down to the water level.
- Sukh Mahal
- Jait Sagar Lake
- Phool Sagar
- Kshar Bagh
- Chaurasi Khambon ki Chhatri, BundiChaurasi Khambon ki Chhatri, BundiChaurasi Khambon ki Chhatri or 84-Pillared Cenotaph is a chhatri located in Bundi town of Indian state of Rajasthan. This memorial was built in 1740 by Maharaja of Bundi Rao Raja Anirudh in memory of his foster brother Deva. The cenotaph with 84 pillars is a piece of architecture of...
or Eighty four pillared cenotaph
Excursions
Gudha Dam {Gudha Turakti Village 20 KM from Bundi}
- Kedareshwar Dham ( Bag Ganga)
- KeshoraipatanKeshoraipatanKeshoraipatan is a city and a municipality in Bundi district in the Indian state of Rajasthan.-Demographics: India census, Keshoraipatan had a population of 21,119. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Keshoraipatan has an average literacy rate of 60%, higher than the national...
- Ramgarh
- Bijolia
- Menal
- Talwas
- Rameshwaram
- Indragarh
Thikarda
- HindoliHindoliHindoli is a small town in Bundi district, Rajasthan, India.Hindoli formerly known as Hindoli, is a town in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan...