Showing the ticket to the gate keeper with a wicked smile, we moved into the Bundi’s famous Garh Palace. Taking the steep steps on the right hand side I reached the next level. The pass ways were spacious when compared to the ones in Bundelkhand but the rooms were pretty ordinary. Whatever, had originally been there had been stripped off, leaving behind only the superstructure. The was a sense of abandonment written all over the place – falling doorways; ripped off walls, faded disfigured murals all stand in mute testimony to a glorious past that only remains in imagination. A bunch of bats have made it their shelter causing a lot of intolerable smell. Whatever has remained after this disdainful treatment does indicate the glory that once Bundi reached.
The construction is rock solid; ornamentation is secondary but even there no efforts have been spared to create a masterpiece. The finely chiselled stone blocks that form the main structural spine must have been locally quarried. Hence the availability of raw material never came as a hindrance and so was for the sculptors, who I presume were local who created these exquisite pieces of quality workmanship. Ornamentation has been taken care by primarily two means (a) Stone cut structural pieces like pillars, support brackets, Jallis, and (b) Plentiful use of miniatures that would define what Bundi School of miniature is all about. The plan is quite simple; palatial complexes around an open courtyard with hidden but broad and high rise stair cases leading to the upper floors. This palace has a close resemblance with the one at Karauli, in terms of thematic, orientation, use of mural and location of stair cases. At many places even, the very basic concepts of symmetrical patterns have been dispensed off.
Most of the rooms on the front side of the palace directly above the Hathi Pole are in absolute disrepair and needs immediate restoration. A corridor protruding along the walls of these rooms leads to the large hall. Close to this hall and facing the Hathi Pole is a large hall meant for ceremonies. A marble throne was also kept in line with the main gate that was used for such royal ceremonial gatherings. Moving past this hall, we entered a labyrinth of zig-zag up-down passages that took us to hall that had beautifully crafted pillars with painted elephantine support brackets. Next we moved to the famed “Phool Mahal” or Flower Palace. This palace has no connection what so ever with its name but is actually a treasure trove of miniatures. Of particular interest is the main entrance lintel formed by a set of four elephants, the miniatures depicting armies waging wars with elephants leading the charge and the magical mosaic patterns on the floor. The spacious open balconies on the southern face of the Garh palace offers some of the best aerial views of Nawal Sagar.
Taking the neatly laid passage we reached the open courtyard at the South-Eastern corner of the palace. This courtyard offers a grand view of the Palace Interiors. The elevation advantage makes it an envious photo shoot location. We did a lot of family photographs after leaving the place through a straight flight of spacious but hidden steps that brought us to an open courtyard in front of another of those Mahals. This one had the same flair when it came to beautifying the walls with murals. Red dominates the canvas although intermediate streaks of bright yellow do break the monotony. Ornamentation for wooden doors must have made the elephants to run for their lives as finely crafted ivory pieces have been delicately placed on the wooden planks to create something superlative.
Just as we were about to leave for Chitrasala – the main arsenal of Bundi miniatures, the palace guard came to us an offered us help in trafficking us through a secret passage, closed to tourists, for a mere Rs. 20/-. For sure, the deal was worthy as it saved a trek of around half a kilometre multiplied by 4 Adults and 2 Children. The passage actually is a vertical set of steps that start from the North-Eastern corner of Garh Palace part that is still with the Maharaja and open up in the garden of Chitrasala, now maintained and cared by ASI.
The difference was prominent in all senses – the gardens were beautifully maintained, the area was clean and wooden supports have placed along the open steps. The immediate query that cropped up in my mind – why does the maharaja does not give away the entire palace to ASI? What are his apprehensions in doing so? And now, when maharaja is no more what will happen to his personal property that includes this massive crumbling fort as well. I don’t know what Maharaja Ranjeet Singh has written down on his will, but I feel art connoisseurs across the whole must be able to see what lies hidden in the remaining closed chambers. Even by conservative standards, I feel, not even 50% has been made open for public viewing. Reasons are unknown, but the guard did tell us that part needs repairs and is abandoned. The argument is hard to accept as the chambers with entry prohibition look in good shape at least from outside. What is that the Maharaja is trying to hide? Satyajit would definitely have written a good short story on this quite like Fritz.
Chitrasala is to be seen by own eyes to believe and appreciate what mural painting is all about. Of the many schools of miniature painting, Bundi had a special place when it comes to this craft of artistic expressions. In the schools spread across Rajputana what is even more interesting that even in dull and monotonous climatic conditions, art has blossomed and attained a full bloom. The painted interiors of Sona Chandi ki dukan in Mahansar (Shekhawati) are in absolute contrast with the landscape. What all one can see around Mahansar is thorny shrubs sprinkled irregularly over the sandy humus. Whereas the painting inside are bright and vibrant, full of life, even today after a century. This indeed is amazing and forces you to scratch your head.
The colours that have been used predominantly include Blue, Green and yellow. Red that otherwise finds over usage in Rajputana miniature is subdued and ignored. The motives generally include (a) Hindu Mythological stories (b) Royal lifestyle (c) Nature and (d) fillers such as borders, centre pieces etc. that help in making the canvas look complete and continuous. One thing that is of particular interest is the way artists have put the subject on a background. “Purple Fringe” is what you get when to try to shoot stark differences in light with a low-end camera. Here the creator has taken dark background for the entire contour of the figure that fades down uniformly into the background. I found this unique about Bundi Style however, my knowledge about Indian Art can only be termed amateurish and hence no conclusions shall be arrived only by reading this travelogue.
Miniatures in Chitrasala were probably done when the Bundi School reached its zenith. The beautiful expressions take Krishna as the model and his frivolous activities have found places on the walls of Chitrasala that served as a Zenana during its use. Literally, not a single square inch rather square millimetre has been spared and the execution is flawless. Walls, Ceilings, carved niches, arches – faces as well the spread have been covered. At places, reflecting mirrors have been laced to add a variety. Some of the rework that could be distinctly segregated does match the initial quality of workmanship. There’s no point elaborating on the individual painting as the best way to appreciate them is to see and not read about them.
Leaving behind the Nawal Sagar, we moved towards the Rani-Ki-Vav. Passing the first cluttered stretch that has old havelis - now turned into guest houses, dharmsalas, temples and grocery shops, was really nightmarish but this time it offered no resistance. An old temple under active worship falls just on the sides of a turn where the passage shrinks further. The total graveness was further worsened by the habit of parking two-wheelers right on the front of these shops that has become ingrained in the people of Bundi. This trait can easily be applied to the entire north India without giving a second thought. Just as we reached the NH, the Bundi Fort appeared on the horizon with sun god hitting it straight; the blue sky further added to the drama as we moved on to the Vav.
Vavs must have been in vogue among the royal women during the medieval times as the association of vavs with the throne queen is not new and isolated. Gujarat that has the highest concentration of these water harvesting social joints with vavs at Patan (with gigantic proportions) and Adalaj that could leave you speechless with their harrowing depth and exquisite stone carving. This one though not as massive and ornamented, when compared to them, still finds mention amongst the largest in terms of its linear layout scales.
Sitting close to a busy roundel, this vav now is maintained by ASI in a rather protective way. Steel Grills have been put right at the mouth of this vav with a locked gate. This view was enough to make my heart crumble with pain at the very thought of not able to see it. Soon a caretaker appeared like a god and without being asked opened the door and asked me to write down my details on a shabbily maintained register. It was as if Christian Barnard has come to my rescue himself. The proportions are indeed massive to drive one to awe and can leave some stiff necks as well. The two side walls are supported with a wall that has three openings with trabeate architectural lintels spanning the gap. The squatness of these openings has been taken care with the positioning of elephantine figurines on either side followed by filigree creating a shape of inverted “V”. This has stark resemblance with the filigree that one can see at Astrologers seat at Sikri Complex however lacks the depth that the Mughal counterpart has. The same streak has been applied on all the three opening at two layers. In between these layers, there are niches with temple like spires on the main walls on both sides. Post this gate, there is no visible signs of ornamentation however to maintain the theme, elephant figurines have been places at the face of the main shaft. Every step took us deeper into the sub-zero elevations; it was silent and peaceful. Largely the vav is divided into two levels but the height of each level is much more when compared to a conventional vav. This concept gives a grand appearance to the entire structure. Had the same depth been traversed down with smaller levels with more number of levels, the spaciousness might have been less.
At the lower depths, the construction is plain and flat except for a few niches that served as small shrines. Even today, local people offer flowers at these shrines as a routine ritual and blessings are sought by newlywed couples for a happy married life. Our decision to visit the vav at noon paid us as the light was piercing right deep into the bottom. I would have loved to spend some more time at the vav but we were already running late from the scheduled lunch. Freshly drawn stuffed chilly pakoras came handy to put off the initial fire in the belly.
Sitting idle I glanced through the pages of my handy travel guidebook although I have already gone through the chapters on Bundi and Jhalawar on numerous occasions before; I was probing for the details for the affinity of Bundi Royals to the British. Association of Bundi maharajas with the British residents was well-lubricated by arranging leisure shooting parties and other such prevalent means. In fact, when Raja Bishan Singh (1773-1821) contracted cholera and lying on his death bed, he trusted Charles Tod over his other family members and relatives for taking care of his immature son, Ram Singh. This was a politically correct decision as Tod’s presence would mean no difficulty in getting the resident’s nod for Ram Singh to be the next Maharaja. Ram Singh who developed under the tutelage of seasoned Tod went on to became on the most successful ruler who worked for his subjects, introduced reforms and gained immortality for his uninterrupted rule of 68 years.
This passion for English continued for the rest of the rulers to come and the penetration could be understood by the simple fact that the royal prince and princess had an English name other than the traditional Rajput one. While the Maharaj Ranajit Singh as “Prince Peter” as second identity, his sister Maharajkumari Mahendra Kumari had Princess Kitten as her English name. This had actually become quite a practice amongst the elite in those days with “Mookhopadhya” becoming “Mukherjee”; “Chattopadhaya” “Chatterjee”; “Bandopadhyaya” “Banerjee”; “Basu” “Bose”; “Mitra” “Mitter” and more famously “Thakur” becoming “Tagore.” I would have preferred “Mandle” had I given same circumstances and oppurtinity.
The idea of viewing sunset at Jait Sagar drove us again and soon we landed at the lake behind the Main hill that houses Garh Palace. Jait Sagar became famous because of its association with Rudyard Kipling who came to Bundi as a royal guest and was lodged in the royal hunting resort “Sukh Niwas” sitting at ease on one on its banks. It was here that Kipling got inspired to pen down his famous novel “Kim”. Kipling who enjoyed great fame amongst the British intellect for his writings still remains the youngest person to get noble prize in literature. This can give you an idea of what Kipling did to the advancement and spread of English language during those colonial days.
What Kipling saw in those days could hardly be imagined today. He visited Bundi around 1900 when this entire area was nothing more than a jungle – oozing of wildlife. I can only imagine the tranquillity that Kipling got during his lazy days at “Sukh Niwas.” British people had that taste that we Indians can hardly think off. I am desperately looking for a copy of “Kim” to know more about Hurree Chunder Mookherjee and Kimball O'Hara. I can only feel jealous about them and that would not help me in any way. The modern park bordering the lake and facing “Sukh Niwas” initially looked quite morose but the place was not that bad actually. The presence of water has made the entire area green that makes it quite unlike Rajputana. A variety of birds were busy finding inspects to feed on. It was a relaxing dusk as we spent some more time doing nothing but appreciating the Mother Nature with A&A busy with a slip and jammed play swirl. Taking a few parting shots of the “Sukh Niwas” with the fading sun in the backdrop while on move, we left the area for our Hotel. I, didi, and Mom dropped in at the market to buy a piece of Bundi Miniature as a souvenir. I wanted just one but ended up buying five of them.
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