Thursday 10 April 2014

Bundi- The Abandoned Fort

Bundi was just a few hours train ride from Udaipur, we got a late train and arrived in the evening, very easy, very comfortable the sort of journey that makes you appreciate the wide reach of the Indian rail network. We booked a guesthouse in advance as it's never fun looking for a room to stay when it's dark and you don't know your way around the town especially in a notoriously untouristic place. We stayed at the friendly Shivam guesthouse. The room was comfortable and spacious, unfortunately no rooftop restaurant this time, however, we actually bumped into a German couple we met in Bikaner so spent the evening chatting with them, sharing travel stories as you do. Whilst in S.E Asia you see pretty much everyone you meet everywhere you but in India it's far less common and always a welcome treat seeing familiar faces.

No photos of the guesthouse, but here are some monkeys asleep right outside our guesthouse, pretty cute!

Bundi really felt anything but touristy, we had a wander round and went to, yes that's right ANOTHER fort and palace. However. This one was different, the Bundi palace was not in very good condition, it was pretty dilapidated, and there are now various creatures that no call this impressive hill palace home. The old maharaja family obviously couldn't afford the up keep after their funding was pulled by Indira Ghandi, the whole place was falling apart except for a pretty garden they maintained on the top of the palace.

Saying that, not all parts of the palace was worn out, this seat was I'm good condition, and if I remember was the maharaja chair.
One of the few rooms left with paintings and murals in good condition

The fun bit was the Taragarh fort above the palace perched ontop a hill. We were asked of we wanted a guide/protector as the monkeys might attack you, or if we wanted to buy some big bamboo sticks if they do, but we declined, we will fight them off ourselves if we have to. But of course we didn't, there were loads of monkeys around but they were not interested in humans one bit, maybe if you had a bunch of bananas in your hand it might have been a different story, don't take bananas. They are the keepers of the fort nowadays.

The fort was just really cool, again not in great condition... in fact abandoned and in ruins. It would be a great place for a horror film, or to play the most epic game of hide and seek in. We could wander around anywhere we wanted, nothing was off limits. Plus we were the only people in it for most of the time until an Indian family came in and waved at us avidly from across the reservoir. Literally so much room for activities and no one to tell you what to do.

The fort also over looked Jait Sagar Lake which is where rudyard Kipling wrote The Jungle Book! Fun fact for the day.

We also went to some stepwells in the middle of town which are good examples of Jain and Hindu architecture. They used to be used as the towns water supply.

We went for a little stroll down to the lake and posed for a photo

 

We also walked round a lake in town
I found this little fella in the fort. Olly thinks it's a creepy weird voodoo doll, I think it's cute, however I have been sticking needles in it when he annoys me...

Short but sweet stop, interesting and fun, good weather, good times!

 

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