TRAVEL + LEISURE / JANUARY 2017 117
1773 and 1821. I gazed in awe at intricate scenes of
dancing girls, marching soldiers, royal processions,
local festivals, and polo matches; portraits of
princes and princesses, and gods and goddesses—
all in a delightful turquoise palette.
Among the paintings are depictions of
Ras Leela—the cosmic dance of Lord Krishna;
the wedding of Hindu gods Ram and Sita; amorous
scenes from Dhola-Maru, the region’s own Romeo
and Juliet. “Note that most of the pictures are side
profi les with just one eye, very few show both the
eyes of a person,” explains guide Bhati.
I noticed that some of the walls are peeling, and
some have blackened over the course of time, but
these imperfections only add to the allure of these
ancient painting. The intricacy with which they
have been decorated is astounding—petite birds
perched on fi ne tree branches, paintings of palaces
and buildings, costumes and jewellery—all detailed
with minerals and precious stones. Interestingly,
the paintings display an assimilation of divergent
styles—the oval shape of the eye borrowed from
Mewar paintings, the male attires had Mughal
infl uences, and the placement of the pavilion had
Deccan origins.
Within the premises of Taragarh Fort,
the zenana (pertaining to women) Badal Mahal,
is a sequestered area with little access to the outside
world, home to the women of the royal family. It has a
brilliant ceiling mural with a bright red background,
a kaleidoscope of diamonds and triangular arches
painted with vivid images of Krishna’s Raas Leela
and scenes from the Ramayana. This was done by
Chinese and Mongolian artists, which harks back to
the source of Bundi’s riches—poppy, cultivated for
the lucrative opium trade with China.
Next, I headed to the jüSTa Lake Nahargarh
Palace, a beautiful hotel property surrounded by a
man-made lake and fl anked by the Aravalli hills on
one side. Their annual art initiative also called the
Chitrashaala, attempts to perpetuate the rich artistic
traditions of the region. The organisers, fashion
designer Deepika Govind, and her husband
Ashish Vohra, a former art-gallery owner from
Delhi, host over forty artists from countries like
Iraq, Lebanon, Russia, Jordan, and Germany to
name a few, at this annual aff air. These artists visit
Bundi and Chittorgarh, collaborate with local artisans
to create masterpieces. I was lucky to witness a
painting made by Dheeraj Choudhary, an Indian
artist who taught art at the Delhi University for over
forty years. Now, he works with villagers and ploughs
back interest from the proceeds of their art into the
development of their region. Malak Jamil from Iraq
paints in the Baghdadi style of vibrant colours with
Islamic motifs. Olivier Barrot, a French photographer
who lives in Auroville, does monochrome portraits
and images, drawn from India’s history and culture.
Sailesh Sanghvi does exquisite acrylic collages on
canvas. Breathtaking no doubt, but my heart was still
rapt with the blue murals of ancient Bundi.AMONG THE PAINTINGS
ARE DEPICTIONS OF
RAS LEELA, THE COSMIC
DANCE OF LORD
KRISHNA; THE WEDDING
OF RAM AND SITA;
AMOROUS SCENES
FROM DHOLA-MARU.
Beautiful murals lining
the walls and ceiling
of the Badal Mahal.TRAVEL + LEISURE / JANUARY 2017 119