Ever imagined a place which itself is a complete destination for every history enthusiast who loves traveling? From ancient temples to Baori, cenotaphs, forts, temples, and lakes, what else do you need? When you sit and look for such places in India, where exactly do you find yourself traveling to? And that too an offbeat place, where you won’t find yourself surrounded by the crowd, where you can roam easily passing through narrow ancient alleyways and markets. I have visited Jaipur where I did find all such sites but Jaipur is commercialized and crowded. Thus, I reached Bundi, a small town near Kota which fulfilled my thirst to visit such a place. On my personal experience, I have prepared a one day itinerary of Bundi which includes all major places which can be visited in a day. This is a complete tour guide to Bundi which includes major iconic sites of the city of the stepwells.
Four Places – One Day in Bundi
I toured Bundi for a day on my weekend trip to Kota. I spent one day in Kota and from Kota, I reached Bundi the next day via bus. The distance is around 40KM and takes an hour or so to reach here. Thus, I left Kota in the morning and took a local bus to Bundi. Bundi is a small town in Hadoti region and boasts of its ancient architectural heritages which narrate the glorious past of the town. Bundi has been ruled over by several dynasties, chiefly Hada Chauhan kings. These Rajput rulers ruled over Bundi for a very long time. Before Hada Rajputs, Meenas were ruling Bundi. After Hada Kings, Bundi came under the rule of Akbar, and then the British ruled here. If you are thinking to plan one day itinerary of Bundi, you are at the right place.
Which places did I visit as per my one day itinerary of Bundi?
The forts, castles, Havelis, stepwells, summer palace built here are standing even today and are major tourist attractions. People from all across come here to witness the fine Rajput architecture, Bundi paintings. This place holds a special place among history lovers. Though it is not possible to cover all the places to visit in Bundi in just one day since you need at least two days to cover; I, based on my personal experience, have prepared a one day itinerary of Bundi and you may visit this town as per the one day itinerary. My one day itinerary of Bundi may help you plan out your visit to this place.
While I was in the hotel room in Kota, I checked places to visit in Bundi online and chalked out one day Bundi’s itinerary. I must have reached Bundi in the morning by 10 or so. After reaching Bundi’s main bus stand, I hired an auto-rickshaw and headed to my place which I had included in one day itinerary of Bundi.
Taragarh Fort Bundi – A Star at the hilltop
Taragarh Fort or Taragarh Bundi is among the oldest forts in Rajasthan which was built in 1354AD on a steep hilltop. The fort was on top of my one day itinerary of Bundi. While I was searching online who built it, I got multiple names. Somewhere it was mentioned that it was built by Rao Dev Singh Hada while at some websites I found that it was built by Rao Bar Singh. Tara means star and Garh mean fort. The fort would look like a star built on Nagpahari hilltop and thus was named Taragarh. It is a major tourist attraction of Bundi. The fort has several different sections including palaces, open art galleries which are the main attraction of this fort.
Ticket Price – Rs 80 for adults and kids above 12 (photography excluded)
Time Taken – 2 to 3 hours
Timing – 8 AM to 6 PM
Raniji Ki Baori – Architectural marvel of Bundi
Raniji ki Baori was placed at second in my one day itinerary of Bundi. Baori or stepwell holds an important in ancient Indian architecture. You will get to see them a lot in Rajasthan and Bundi stands at the top. The town has several incredibly beautiful baoris and Raniji ki Baori is among the most beautiful. It was built in during the rule of Raja Anirudh Singh and was built by his younger wife Rani Nathavati in 1699 as a part of her charity project. The stepwell is adorned with lots of statues, intricate carvings, and several architectural beauties that make this Baori one of the most beautiful stepwells to visit. The stepwell is accessed through its 2nd floor as the first floor is closed for entry.
Time Taken – 30 minutes
Ticket – Buy composite ticket of Rs 75 which includes Raniji ki Baori, Sukh Niwas and 84 Pillared Cenotaph
Sukh Niwas Mahal – Summer Palace where Rudyard Kipling stayed
The third-place I visited as per one day itinerary of Bundi was Sukh Niwas Mahal. This place was built a summer place at the bank of Jait Sagar Lake with mountains in the backdrop. During the British Raj, the famous writer Rudyard Kipling stayed at this place for two days. There is a room dedicated to the author which has his several photographs tucked on the walls of the room. You will also get to see lots of paintings belonging to the Bundi School of paintings. It is said that the kings would come here to relax, enjoy, and perform their evil deeds. The Mahal is located outside the main city and can be reached by hiring an auto-rickshaw.
Time Taken – 1 Hour
Ticket – Composite Ticket
84 Pillared Cenotaph – Chaurasi Khambo ki Chhatri
one day My one day tour plan of Bundi came to an end at Chaurasi Khambo ki Chhatri. Also known as 84 Pillared Cenotaph, it is a trick to count all the 84 pillars of the cenotaph. I couldn’t count all 84 even after counting for two times. It was built by Rao Raja Anirudh in 1683 in honor of his nurse Deva under whose patronage, the king was raised. The cenotaph is also called Music Maharani Chhatri, however, I am not aware of the reason behind it. The monument is two-storeyed, adorned with wall carvings, paintings, and 4 cenotaphs placed at all the four corners with a dome in the center.
Time Taken – 30 minutes
Ticket – Composite Ticket
This is how I spent one day in Bundi. Well, I didn’t stop for lunch. I visited a fine restaurant after visiting all the above-mentioned places to enjoy a nice meal which was the most needed since I didn’t take any lunch. I did take some light snacks and jamfal (guava) which I bought from a cart in the market there itself.
I hope you liked this blog post on things to do in Bundi. However, there are more places to visit in Bundi which I couldn’t cover in just one day. I wish to return to Bundi and cover them someday for sure!
