01The Hadas on the ridge
Rao Deva Hada took the Bundi valley from the Meena chiefs in 1342, and his grandson Rao Bar Singh built Taragarh on the Aravalli ridge above it in 1354. The walls follow the crest, with massive bastions; the largest, Bhim Burj, carried the great cannon called Garbh Gunjan, the thunder from the womb. Inside are reservoirs cut to hold the monsoon rain for a siege. The Hadas were Chauhan Rajputs who held Bundi and, later, Kota as one of the clans of Hadoti, and they served Mewar and then the Mughals while keeping their own rule.
02Palace and paintings
The Garh Palace below the fort grew over three centuries, wing on wing, with elephant brackets at its Hathi Pol gate. Its Chitrashala, built under Rao Umaid Singh in the 18th century, is covered with paintings in the Bundi manner: Krishna lila, Ragamala, court processions and hunting scenes, in deep greens and blues. In the town below are the stepwells of Bundi, among them Raniji ki Baori, built in 1699. Rudyard Kipling stayed here and wrote that the palace looked as if made by goblins rather than men.
The life of this place
- 1342 CERao Deva Hada took the Bundi valley.
- 1354 CERao Bar Singh built Taragarh on the ridge.
- 1699 CERaniji ki Baori was built in the town below.
The palace and Chitrashala are open daily; the climb to Taragarh is steep and best done in the morning.
