My Rajasthan Diary – 2

Folks, I hope you enjoyed my earlier part of the Rajasthan travelogue. It is difficult to describe the Rajasthan experience in so many words, but I am trying. Here, I present the second and last of the series of my Rajasthan travel accounts.

After leaving Ranthambore, we started for Bundi, a relatively lesser known destination in the state. We were eager to see it, however, after reading glowing recommendations from the Lonely Planet. Bundi is a preferred stopover for tourists from abroad, given its quaint, unspoilt beauty.

Thereafter, we covered the famous Ajmer Sharif Dargah at Ajmer, which is roughly a four hour trip from Bundi. Finally, from Ajmer, we boarded our train to the penultimate destination of our trip: Jaisalmer.

Bundi:

The road from Sawai Madhopur to Bundi is a rather rough one, full of potholes and narrow. We were surprised that the highway was so poorly maintained. It took us three hours to cover the distance, but the journey left our bones rattling.

Bundi is literally an undiscovered, un-touristed hamlet, nestling among hillocks. The town is surrounded by the sprawling Bundi fort. Tourism has not left its stamp on this place which resembles any small town in northern India, with its bustling markets and narrow roads. The only sign of it being a foreign tourist hotspot is the dotting of cafes serving Italian, Mexican and Chinese food, albeit vegetarian fare.

Our stay had been booked at Dev Niwas, a heritage hotel, though actually more of a guest house. It was a 16^th century Rajasthani haveli, converted into a boarding place for travelers. Interiors are dimly lit with open courtyards, overlooking balconies, and hand-painted walls. The sole attraction of this rather basic accommodation (no intercoms or television) is the undisturbed view of Bundi palace from the rooftop restaurant. That is a spectacular sight, especially at night with floodlights on.

Pic: The lit Bundi palace at night visible from the hotel terrace

Otherwise, the hotel lacked basic amenities and services, like room service or tea/coffee making arrangements in the room.

We also had to climb an unbelievably high flight of stairs to reach the restaurant for all our meals. That was rather an inconvenience, especially when we were tired, or longed to flop down on bed. The hotel also insisted on cash payment for food expenses at the end of the stay, which was pretty unreasonable.

Anyway, nothing could diminish our enthusiasm as we set out for visiting the Bundi palace -housed in the crumbling fort-, and other attractions of the town. I had heard about the famous step-wells of Bundi, courtesy Google and Lonely Planet.

 Pic: The Haathi Pol or Elephant Door to the Palace

The palace was a lovely quaint building, with meeting halls, stables, arches, jhanrokhas, gardens, and painting exhibits (Bundi school of art). It was done up in golden hues. We spent a lot of time lingering here and there, clicking photos, and soaking in the atmosphere.

The trek to the remaining fort was, however, too arduous to undertake for us, as large parts of the rocky road were crumbling and unsafe. The fort too was in shambles, not maintained well, and inaccessible to most, barring the locals. It’s surprising that Rajasthan tourism board has neglected heritage sites in this manner, especially considering the number of foreign tourists visiting here.

Pic : The Throne in the Diwan-e-Khas or Main Hall of the Palace

After coming down from the palace, we set out for the outskirts of the town, where the Sukh Mahal was located. 

This was the place where the celebrated English author, Rudyard Kipling, had a room in, and where he had reportedly written a part of his famous Jungle Book. 

Pic : Rudyard Kipling's room

We strolled around the Sukh Mahal that overlooked a lake, and visited the museum in its campus. The museum had exhibits from Rajput history, and a number of depictions of the Bundi school of art.

Dusk was falling when we returned to the town, having exhausted our energy and zeal. I was a bit disappointed at not having seen a step-well, but cheered up at the thought of seeing one on our exit journey the next day.  

Day 2  saw us visiting the Raniji ki Baori, a step-well where the royal queens used to come for a dip. It was a beautifully carved structure with rows and rows of steps leading to the source of water – a tank built into the recesses. 

Pic: Raniji ki Baori

The tank is inaccessible to tourists, as it is surrounded by locked gates. There are carved arches and domes in the garden surrounding the structure. The place is situated right in the middle of the bustling town, which took away slightly from its charm, I thought.

We left for Ajmer by road after seeing the Baori. It took us roughly four hours to reach Ajmer, but the road was good so we didn’t feel any travel fatigue.

Ajmer:

Surprisingly neat and clean, this city was a revelation. Barring the old city areas, most of Ajmer resembles any upcoming city of India. We had heard a lot about the holy Ajmer Sharif shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, the famous 16^th century Indian sufi saint, known for his beneficence towards people of all faiths.  That evening itself we visited the shrine, located in the heart of the city, accompanied by a Khadim or representative of the saint. 

The man took us through the maze of narrow “galis”, and after a short journey through winding roads, the beautifully lit Dargah came into view. We were already dressed in Indian attire and were told to cover our heads before going to the inner sanctum. After offering a chadar at the shrine and our prayers, we lingered for a while hoping to hear the famous qawaali of the place, sung spiritedly by the devout together. But the qawaali evaded us that day.

The fervent were praying and muttering pleas for betterment of their fortunes. The jostling and din apart, what marked the place was the confluence of people of all faiths coming to seek the saint’s blessing. There was a pervading essence of roses, agarbatti and ittar that defined the place.

We shopped a bit at the shops in the market surrounding the Dargah, then made our way back.

Next day our train to Jaisalmer was in the afternoon, so we didn’t keep any outing in the morning, just relaxed a bit in our hotel.

(To be concluded)