India 2023-Back to India-Camels, Mustard, Safaris and Living like a Maharaja.

RB · Mar 19, 2023

Last of Chittorgarh Fort
Samidheshwar Temple of 15th century is also found close to the tower. This temple is famous for holding three-headed Shiva.

Newlyweds

Towards the south of the fort, you will find an 8th century sun temple, Kalika Mata temple. This temple was later dedicated to Goddess Kali. A little away from the temple, you can find the palace of Queen Padmini. It is said that the gates of this palace were later taken by Akbar for his Agra Fort.

Trying to show how steep the path is that leads up to the eastern gate

Part of the vast view to the east

Tower of Fame

RB · Mar 19, 2023

Magan wasn’t a fan of Chittorgarh hotels so we drove to Bijaipur. From the fort it was an excellent drive with fantastic farmland. We saw our first opium crops of the trip and got to have a walk through the paddocks. Some technical background UNODC - Bulletin on Narcotics - 1954 Issue 3 - 001 and more on the current state of play Explained: Why has the government opened opium production and processing to private players? | Explained News,The Indian Express

Ladies walking to get water-Clean drinking water | UNICEF India

RB · Mar 20, 2023

Bijaipur Castle

This was another 1 night stay- they really weren’t an inconvenience considering how & where we were travelling. Without exception, our vehicle was met, our bags were carried to the room, the check-in was an orderly short process ( usually with a chilled welcoming soft drink) and then straight to the room. On departure the bags were carried back to the vehicle to be packed, all the while with no expectation that such service required a tip.
“A 350 year old Castle set amidst the Vindhyanchal hills. The Castle is run as a heritage hotel by the ruling family. The Castle enjoys a scenic location as it is surrounded by hills, lakes, forests and farms.The castle was built in the 16thAD century during the reign of Rao Vijay Singh and was converted into a hotel in 1991 by the ruling family. Covered with fortified walls, the ruling family believes that history is not only about artifacts and antiques but about the culture and experience.”
Our room was located on an upper floor with views of the village. We had plenty of room & we were very
comfortable. The corridors & verandahs were very nicely done & the big pool & surrounding area looked excellent We had pre-dinner drinks in an inside courtyard with a local/cutural music show provided. Then it was upstairs for food. We opted for a la carte rather than the banquet and it was an OK meal. Breakfast was a pretty standard fare of omelette, juice, toast coffee etc.
Prior to departure we went to the stable area to view the Marwari breed horses. Horse safaris are held here & the horses were very well looked after.

A drummer waiting to greet us at the hotel

Our room

Dressing area had vanity area separate from bathroom

Nice sitting area

Village view from dressing area

Outside room

RB · Mar 20, 2023

Bijaipur Castle continued
View from corridor

Mrs RB prepares for drinks

Pre-dinner drinks

Pool area

Couple of the Marwari horses Marwari horse - Wikipedia

RB · Mar 20, 2023

Bijaipur to Bundi via Menal Waterfall
Another very interesting day in the car. Good roads, some fantastic farms early (sugar cane, wheat, coriander etc), a dry waterfall (photos show it certainly roars into life during the monsoon), temples, more granite, weddings and the usual frantic traffic and train crossings to keep us entertained.
We initially check out the waterfall from the nearby hotel. The ruins of Menal have a unique vibe and give a glimpse into the lifestyle of the dynasties who ruled the region since 11th Century AD. The crowds at the waterfall were particularly inquisitive and followed us around but remained very polite.

Fresh harvest near Bijaipur

No matter the number of lanes, drivers always straddle the lines

On the hotel wall

Waterfall face viewed from hotel

Some of the ruins seen from hotel

RB · Mar 20, 2023

To Bundi continued

Waterfall as seen from the ruins

RB · Mar 20, 2023

More of to Bundi

Only about 90 degrees round from the previous shot

A pretty rough cricket ground

Coriander crop

RB · Mar 21, 2023

Around Bundi
There are some great views over the lake & towards the Fort as you head to the Old Town
After check-in we had a bit of a spell and then walked around the Castle & Old Town area. Our hotel was sited next to Bundi Lake. A very busy area of commercial/residential mix on narrow laneways with very friendly locals. We visited our first stepwell of Bundi- a poor example of a privately owned structure that had fallen into disrepair but we saw other superb structures later on. We enjoyed our best ever cup of tea at Khrishna’s Chai Best Tea In Bundi, India: Krishna's Chai! - YouTube - quite an experience sitting up off the street watching the 20 minute process & then paying the equivalent of 50c a cup.
A “highlight” of the walk back to our hotel was being picked out by an upset cow-managed to wrestle my way out of trouble & we got to laugh about it later as we had a beer on the hotel rooftop and looked at the nearby fort Taragarh Fort Bundi : Visiting Timing, Entry Fee, History, Architecture
Approach to Old Town

Hunja Horse

RB · Mar 21, 2023

Bundi Walk Continued
A local method of keeping monkeys off the car roof

Next customer lining up

Typical painted up street

Local lads enjoying their music

RB · Mar 21, 2023

Last of Bundi walk

Our cups being made

It has been a hard day

Views from hotel rooftop bar

RB · Mar 22, 2023

There seemed to very few other tourists ( one other group of 3 at the hotel). During our guided tour of the massive Taragarh Fort we only encountered 3 other groups. It is quite a hike up to the serpentine structure (not sandstone like most others we saw & also less sculptures) & very steep in parts. Parts of the structure are now in ruins and some of the murals and paintings are pretty faded. There were some areas locked (our guide gained us access) as a result of some groups defacing the paintings & trying to scratch off the gold. There are still some excellent examples of the exquisite paintings. There are plenty of ramparts & battlements, excellent district views and the reservoirs are keeping the garden areas in beautiful condition.

Elephant gate

RB · Mar 22, 2023

Bundi Fort continued

This was apparently the swing set

Some of the rest of the courtyard where the swing was

RB · Mar 22, 2023

We then drove to Raniji Ki Baori. It was built in 1699 and is a 46 metre deep stepwell. The carvings, pillars and arch gate are the standout here. At all the stepwells the water looked a bit ordinary & needed a monsoon flush, but the water pumped up to street level was clean

RB · Mar 22, 2023

From there it was out to Sukh Mahal-famous for Kippling staying here for 2 days. It was built as a summer palace beside Lake Sukh Sagar. There is a white marble Chhatri (cenotaph) that captures a lot of attention and a huge tamarind tree. There is also a relatively new Govt museum-noted here that some shields were made from rhino skins because they were light & strong

RB · Mar 22, 2023

In the afternoon drove to Dhabhai Kund-a marvelously engineered structure from the 16th century that assisted the people get through crippling droughts. There are around 700 steps and the water level was pretty low & the water unattractive at this time of year. Apparently alum powder is widely used as a coagulant to collect sediment at the bottom of the water. Apparently many Indian men also use alum blocks as an aftershave.

RB · Mar 22, 2023

Then it was out to the Cenotaph of Eighty Four Pillars-built in 1683 & devoted to Shiva.
"The Chaurasi Khambon ki Chhatri is one of the most amazing places to visit in Bundi. It contains a dome on the first storey, shaped like an umbrella or Chhatri supported by 16 pillars. The lower level has chaurasi or 84 posts.
Historians claim that the number 84 signifies the cycles of rebirths that humans must pass through before reaching salvation. This two-storey structure erected on a high podium contains a shivling with engravings of dancing figurines, elephants, and deer on the base."

RB · Mar 22, 2023

On the way back to our hotel we visited the local dentist - well we stopped at the small roadside open stall in the middle of the street market. Run by families who have run this business over time but without formal qualifications, various procedures are available (spit out into the gutter) and they aim to help the poor. There are dentures, impressions and a variety of tools on display along with a nice range of sunglasses!

Next to the dentist

On the way back to the hotel we spotted this dog-had obviously had a big day

RB · Mar 22, 2023

Hotel Bundi Haveli
A 2 night stay in what was a very comfortable and quiet hotel. Next door to the Naval Sagar Lake, a 5 minute walk to the start of the Old Town and good close views of the Fort. We opted for a suite room that enjoyed more room and had a softer bed. The rooftop was an excellent spot for a few pre-dinner drinks. The food was fine & there were a few options away from the usual curries. We also found the breakfasts enjoyable. The staff were excellent throughout our stay.

Forgot to get photos of the room before we got a spread up!-there were daybeds set up within the windowsills & they had small views down to the lake

RB · Mar 23, 2023

Bundi to Ranthambore
About 3.5hrs on the road via Lakheri with excellent scenery- a huge escarpment for many kms, concrete plants, thousands of hectares of wheat, sugarcane, dairies, massive cow pat collections, excellent watering systems, goat herds, Indegarh Fort, guava farms, corriander & mustard growing and temples in paddocks.
Fair few photos taken from moving car on this day

One of many plants

Indergarh Fort

Typical road scene

Guava trres

A very organised cow pat collection

RB · Mar 23, 2023

Around Ranthambore

We were here for safaris! The area has a name for tiger spotting and we ended up on 4 safaris with 2 tiger sightings, plenty of other wildlife & a fantastic time. Must be adrenaline because we didn’t have time to get tired despite the early mornings- the whole tourist population seems to be operating to the same schedule and the service roads are very busy around pickup and drop-off times. Ranthambore Safari Vehicles - Jeep and Canter
After a great lunch at the hotel it was off on Safari 1. The area allocations are supposed to be random Best Tiger Zone In Ranthambore National Park, Best Zone In Ranthambore . We just went with our ticket allocations and were happy with our lot - the vegetation and landscape certainly varied. The vehicles pick you up and drop off at your accommodation (order is reversed for drop off).
We were in a packed canter and it was a rough ride. We were in Gate 5 - plenty of wildlife and water bodies to keep us occupied. Monkeys, water buffalo, sambar & spotted deer, antelopes, peacocks, a crocodile and plenty of birds were sighted. We also spotted the tail end of a mongoose. In this area, the tracks are very defined, there was a village, a cafe and some locals wandering around in spots (parts of the Kachida Valley I think) which made me question if we were going to see a tiger on this day. We returned to our lodgings (saw a great sunset on the way back) disappointed as no tiger today, but also impressed by the sheer volume of wildlife we had seen that afternoon.