{"id":1849,"date":"2020-11-18T09:47:12","date_gmt":"2020-11-18T09:47:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/toonsarah-travels.blog\/staging\/?p=1849"},"modified":"2021-03-18T11:16:19","modified_gmt":"2021-03-18T11:16:19","slug":"the-palace-of-bundi-kiplings-work-of-goblins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toonsarah-travels.blog\/staging\/the-palace-of-bundi-kiplings-work-of-goblins\/","title":{"rendered":"The Palace of Bundi: Kipling’s ‘work of goblins\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u2018The Palace of Bundi, even in broad daylight, is such a palace as men build for themselves in uneasy dreams, the work of goblins rather than of men.\u2019<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

So said Rudyard Kipling of Bundi Palace, contrasting it with other parts of Rajasthan<\/span><\/strong>. <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also known as Garh Palace, this was home to the rulers of Bundi for centuries, although the present king Ranjeet Singh lives in Delhi. The current ownership of the palace is disputed between two family members, the maharaja and his sister, following disagreements about inheritances.<\/span><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The palace was shut up completely between 1948 and 2000. Although it is now open to the public for visits, it has never been properly restored after those years of neglect. Neither family member will take responsibility for its repair until sure that they are spending money on property they own. Many bemoan this air of neglect; certainly it is sad to see that many of the beautiful wall paintings here have suffered damage (some deliberate, some the result of time and weathering). And yet the palace has a special charm of its own; this very dilapidation seems to imbue it with a special atmosphere that I found nowhere else in Rajasthan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hathi Pol<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Construction of the palace was started under Raja Rao Ratan Singh who ruled 1607-1631; it was added to in piecemeal fashion by his successors. You approach via a steep cobbled path; halfway up the path turns back on itself and you find yourself passing beneath the Elephant Gate or Hathi Pol. The two massive elephant statues high above it reach towards each other, their trunks entwined. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Looking
The Elephant Gate, Hathi Pol<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As you pass through look up to see the marvellous ceiling painting. And note the huge spikes on the wooden doors designed to deter charging elephants.<\/p>\n\n\n