SOUTHERN RAJASTHAN 221 Kota Bundi Chittorgarh Udaipur Kumbalgarh Ranakpur Mt Abu
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© Lonely Planet Publications 220 lonelyplanet.com 221 Southern Rajasthan Southern Rajasthan holds arguably Rajasthan’s most enchanting city, Udaipur, a milk-white confection meandering around several lakes. The city is the ultimate in Rajput fantasy with its cream-coloured havelis (traditional mansions) and palaces, one of which, floating in Pichola Lake, is among the world’s most famous hotels, the Lake Palace. In the south of the region are Rajasthan’s two finest forts, Chittorgarh (Chittor), sprawl- ing over an enormous hilltop plateau, and remote Kumbalgarh, perched at 1100m, with breathtaking views over the dense Aravalli Hills fading into a pale blue horizon. Here, too, are two Jain temple complexes where artistic virtuosity reached dizzy peaks. Ranakpur, deep in an Aravalli valley, has a hall of 1444 pillars, each one different; Dilwara, on a hilltop near Mt Abu, sports marble carving so delicate that it’s almost transparent. Mt Abu is Ra- jasthan’s only hill station; a cool holiday destination for locals, it’s still largely undiscovered by foreign tourists. If you’re keen to get off the well-beaten track, Bundi, though definitely discovered, is an enchanting town, painted Brahmin blue and overlooked by a palace; nearby Kota holds another fine palace. Jhalawar, meanwhile, is really off the trail, with its mighty, forgotten fort and nearby city of temples. Serene Jaisamand, a vast blue-reflecting hill-ringed expanse, is Asia’s biggest artificial lake. The region offers some exhilarating activities too. You can trek or ride the beautiful countryside near Udaipur, Mt Abu or Kumbalgarh, cycle about Bundi, or take a boat trip down the crocodile habitats of the Chambal River. HIGHLIGHTS Explore the vast forts of busy Chittorgarh ( p236 ) and remote Kumbalgarh ( p259 ), whose architectural magnificence reflect nobler times Bundi Kumbalgarh Mess about on the river at Kota ( p228 ), by Kota Ranakpur Chittorgarh taking a leisurely Chambal River boat cruise Mt Abu Udaipur Indulge in Udaipur ( p240 ), an ice-cream cake of a city, with dreamy lakes overlooked SOUTHERN RAJASTHAN by shadowy hills Examine the exquisite, mind-blowing carving in the Jain temples at Mt Abu ( p265 ) and Ranakpur ( p261 ) Kick back in endearing Bundi ( p223 ), a blue-painted small town, overlooked by a ramshackle fort and a magical palace SOUTHERN RAJASTHAN 222 0 60 km SOUTHERN RAJASTHAN 0 40 miles SOUTHERN RAJASTHAN To Jodhpur To Beawar To Ajmer To Jaipur (39km) (46km) (95km) (135km) Pali BUNDI M A D H Y A BHILWARA 12 Shivpuri P R A D E S H Jahazpur Bharodia Asind KOTA To Agra Deogarh Shapura Bundi National (230km) Chambal 14 Wildlife Bhilwara Talera Sanctuary BARAN Narlai Kota Jalor RAJSAMAND Bassi Mandalgarh Sorsan Baran Ghanerao Wildlife Grassland Sanctuary Bijolia Kumbalgarh Rajsamand River Parvan Sorsan Bassi Menal Ranakpur Lake CHITTORGARH Nagri Chambal Kelwara Rajsamand Baroli River Kankroli Bijaipur Darrah SIROHI Kumbalgarh Chittorgarh Bhainsrodgarh Wildlife Wildlife Nathdwara Rana Sanctuary Sanctuary Pratap Sirohi Haldighati Sagar Gagron Guna Jhalawar C Guru Shikhar h Gandhi a (1722m) Eklingji Ahar Mangarwar ndrab Achalgarh Nagda C Sagar Jhalrapatan Kakuni Mt Abu h a Aklera Udaipur Udai p er Mt Abu Wildlife p a haga Sagar n Sanctuary Riv Dalhanpur H Manohar Abu Road UDAIPUR i JHALAWAR Thana l River Jagat Bambora l Ahu Phalasia s 8 Jaisamand Lake Jaisamand Wildlife Sanctuary Kolvi River Rajgarh Sitamata Mandsaur Palanpur Wildlife Jakham Rishabdeo Sanctuary Dhariyawad Dhamotar Som River G U J A R A T Dungarpur River Baneshwar M A D H Y A Unjha BANSWARA P R A D E S H DUNGARPUR Mahesana Shajapur lonelyplanet.com Galiakot Banswara Himatnagar Bhopal Ratlam Mahi 8 Ujjain Gandhinagar 3 To Ahmedabad (39km) sacked three timesbetween 1303and1568, three sacked valour. of with bloodshedandvastdoses issplattered thesouth,which the historyof andUdaipur)hasdominated ing Chittorgarh encompass- (thearea Mewar The kingdomof History lonelyplanet.com write that novel (asRudyardKipling did,ina thatnovel write and placetorelax theperfect town remains the popularwithtravellers, increasingly onacrag. Though mounted it’sbecoming las andloggias risingfromamighty fortress cupo- a fantastical palace–faded-parchment by atevery turn,Bundiisdominated a temple and hills,bazaars houses, lakes, Brahmin-blue captivating smalltownwithnarrowlanesof A % as 1838. asrecently Jhalawarcreated state of royal withtheremote region, theMewar after formedlong asKotasuch andBundi,were and suffering. tion paramount, even ifthatmeantdepriva- were andindependence them, honour,heritage For the once-influentialMughal emperors. with tointermarry Hindu princeswhorefused theonly anykind, they were domination of Staunchly defyingforeign 1400years. over successionfor inunbroken world, reigning the oldestinthe nasty isbelieved tobeoneof intheirpalacesandforts.Theirdy- repeated the sun,andyou’llsee thesun thesymbolof ous SisodiaRajput clan,claimdescentfrom rulers. Mewar the British signedanalliancepledgingtoprotect gles endedintheearly19thcenturywhen battles.These powerstrug- of had itsshare fromtryingtheirluck,andUdaipuralso ers Butthisdidn’tstopinvad- posed Chittorgarh. Hills, wasfarlessvulnerablethanex- Aravalli in Udaipur. new capital asabadjobandestablish his up Chittorgarh UdaiSingh II,wisely decidedtogive Maharaja ruler, thethirdattack, After Mewar’s pyres. huge intotheflamesof throwing themselves committed While themendiedinbattle,women dishonour. deathbefore choosing reliably India) thatformerlyruledwestern rior caste nobleRajputsthe impossibly (aHinduwar- endinginimmense with defeat carnage, each BUNDI BUNDI Other princelystatesinsouthernRajasthan, theillustri- region, theMewar of The rulers Udaipur, shielded by thick forests andthe bythickforests Udaipur, shielded Chittorgarh, Mewar’s formercapital, was Mewar’s Chittorgarh, 0747 /pop100,000 jauhar SOUTHERN RAJASTHAN ••Bundi (collective self-sacrifice), (collective 4-6pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pmSun)Opposite theHaveliBraj Ayurvedic Hospital also useful. is www.kiplingsbundi.com, brother’s website, touristinformation;his sourceof is aterrific ), p228 Bhushanjee ( Braj attheHaveli Mehta, town,nearthebusstand. Mukesh south of hospital inthe government a conventional Along withtheAyurvedic Hospital, there’s Hwy 12. town,acrossNational 2kmsouthof is about town,andthetrainstation (southeast) endof many points.Thebusstand isattheKota through town,andthepalaceisvisiblefrom onlytwomainroads are there the citygates, Onceyoupassthrough through thebazaar. easy tofindyourwaythepalaceonfoot and it’s Bundi issmallandeasilynavigable, Orientation in 1947. Independence Rajasthan after intothestate of incorporated it maintained itsindependenceuntilitwas Kotathe rise duringMughal of times, but Bundi’simportance dwindledwith Jehangir. theMughal emperor at theinstigationof eldest son,wasmadeintoaseparate state Ghori. of by Mohammed pushed southfromtheirstronghold atAjmer being theirnewkingdom,after capital of tribesandclaimingitas the MinaandBhil itfrom inthe12thcentury,wresting this area conquered MtAbu, of fires from thesacred Chauhans, whoclaim descent The Hadoti History early night. an skies asthisstill-sleepy towncloses downfor themexitingthepalaceandtaking tothe of clouds streaming the extraordinarysight of bats;duskheralds ), alongwithlegionsof p232 text, the famousBundimurals(see theboxed quiet streets blazethrough Bundi’s music andfireworks, with complete ), aculturalfestival p224 ( Utsav sees Bundi toNovember soon, whileOctober themon- ), celebratingthearrivalof p224 ( Teej Kajli of festival thecheerful a glimpse of August orSeptember youwith might reward descendinearnest.Avisit crowds really the icing-sugarhouse) before fragile lakeside Information Information Bundi’s crumblingstorybookpalacehouses In 1624 Kota, the land grant of theruler’s In 1624Kota, thelandgrantof ( % 2443708; h 9am-1pm & 223 SOUTHERN RAJASTHAN RAJASTHAN SOUTHERN 224 SOUTHERN RAJASTHAN •• Bundi lonelyplanet.com lonelyplanet.com SOUTHERN RAJASTHAN •• Bundi 225 Tourist office (%2443697; Lanka Gate Rd;h10am- Bhim Burj, the largest of the great bastions, FESTIVALS IN SOUTHERN RAJASTHAN 5pm Mon-Fri) Near Raniji-ki-Baori. You can get a free upon which is mounted a famous cannon; There’s a flurry of colourful festivals in the south, while statewide and nationwide festivals (see map here. a trench alongside it provided shelter for p358 ) are also celebrated with aplomb. the artillery. Baneshwar Fair (Baneshwar, p264 ; Jan-Feb) This large tribal event, honouring both Lord Shiva and Vishnu Sights Taragarh is reached by a steep road leading (worshipped as Mavji) is celebrated by thousands of Bhil people, the fair site lying at the confluence of the Mahi, BUNDI PALACE up the hillside to its enormous gateway. Take Som and Jakham Rivers. Festivities include acrobatic and cultural programmes, and a silver image of Mavji is paraded An extraordinary, decaying edifice, the pal- the path up behind the Chitrasala, then head through the village on horseback and doused in the river. The river is thought holiest at this time, so many people ace (Indians/foreigners Rs 10/50, camera/video Rs 50/100; east along the inside of the ramparts and left bathe along with the idol. h7am-5pm) is actually a series of smaller ma- up the steep stone ramp just before the Dudha Holi (Udaipur; Feb-Mar) Udaipur is the place to be for this joyful festival, which marks the end of winter and the hals (palaces) which have fabulous, fading Mahal, a small disused building 200m from beginning of spring. The Udaipur royal family hosts