Tourists denied free entry to Chitrashala: Bundi’s spellbinding miniature paintings

The eighteenth-century Chitashala of Bundi is nothing lesser than a mesmerizing result of art and creative imagination at one place all together. Numerous tourists from across the world come to come to Bundi to see the miniature paintings of the world-famous school of Bundi paintings.

The mesmerizing miniature paintings of Chitrashala are the most striking reminiscent of the rare art. The walls, ceiling of Chitrashala are completely covered with paintings of the Bundi school which are still in very good condition. These splendid paintings in the Chitrashala are par excellence and can be compared with probably the best anywhere in the world.

Chitrashala is situated within Taragarh Palace, for which the management of the palace is charging an entry fee of Rs. 500/- Chitrashala, however, falls in the list of monuments protected by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and as per the norms, visiting such monuments cannot be charged or restricted between sunrise and sunset.

On our tour of Rajasthan, when we were traveling different places and exploring hidden gems of Rajasthan for the second edition of our coffee table book, Soul of Rajasthan, it was the paintings of Chitrashala that caught our fancy the most. Awestruck by its intricacy we decided to make Chitrashala’s photograph as Soul of Rajasthan’s cover picture.

Depriving the tourists of cherishing these beautiful miniature paintings by charging a fee would not justify the purpose of opening the art palace and injustice towards the connoisseurs of the rare art.

Here’s a glimpse of Chitrashala from the time when we visited Bundi.

Jodhpur’s Sardar Government Museum Got a Facelift

The beautiful blue hues, the grand palaces and lavish hotels, Jodhpur is in itself a paradise. Imagine waking up to the rays to sun falling on you at a place from where the sun seems to rise. Known as the Sun City, Jodhpur is the gateway to the Thar Desert. Not just the palaces and hotels, Jodhpur is also quite famous for numerous museums it holds.

Well, the blue city is calling out the museum fans! Culture, history, animals or books, the Sardar Government Museum in Jodhpur is the way to go. Standing tall amidst the Umaid Bagh, built by Maharaja Umaid Singh and named after his father Maharaja Sardar Singh, the place is simply just lit!

With thousands and thousands of finest of objects at display, Sardar Government Museum is a treasure beyond comparison. The museums takes you on a journey to introduce you to the rich culture, the undying history and tales valour of the people of Jodhpur by the means of artefacts, coins and paintings miniatures, terracotta and so on.  Sardar Government Museum also houses a grand collection of arms among many other objects.

The museum is one of the rare ones to have a library and a zoo. Sadly because of negligence, the museum lost its charm. But with great efforts done lately, it went through a phase of restoration and conservation and is now open again for the public after the inauguration ceremony held earlier this month. We are glad that the museum is now back at being the diamond that it was meant to be.

If you are a keen historian or someone whom the cultural history of places interests, or simply a traveller, we highly recommend you to visit the gem on the lands of the blue city for an experience like never before.

 

Images via Google.

Jaipur Artist Mesmerizes Whitley Art Festival at U.K.

The artistic instincts of people of Rajasthan are on display in all aspects of life. A vast spectrum of forms of Art & Craft symbolize the life of Rajathanis include Music, pottery, drawing and painting etc. From crude painting using lime stone water on walls of rustic hut to golden laced decorative frescos on the wall and ceilings of Royal abodes, Art is omnipresent. Even the earthen pots of daily use are decorated by motifs which depict love for all type of art & craft of local folks.

In consonance to other globally acclaimed craft forms of Rajasthan, miniature paintings done on Ivory panels, leather, marble cloth and walls using natural colors extracted from vegetables, minerals, and precious stones, categorized as Kalam or style of painting prominent among which are Bundi, Kishangarh etc. has caught the fancy of art lovers all over the world. These kalams are artifacts of spiritual paintings, the theme of which is mostly Radha Krishna.

 

This noble art felt the neglect due to change in taste of connoisseurs who shifted their interest to contemporary art. An artistic family under the tutelage of Royals of Jaipur has vowed to conserve this art form and establish its past glory on global art horizon. The scion of the family, Ramu Ramdev along with his family has portrayed his skills at Whitely Arts festival held in U.K. between 16^th and 18^th. July 2015.

 

 

This festival was witnessed by over 3,000 art lovers pouring from all over the world. This is Ramdev’s third participation in this festival. Along with demonstrating his skills to visitors Ramu imparted the basics of Art and conducted workshop on it.

Ramu Ramdev along with preserving miniature art in original form has done some experiments by fusion of contemporary art ideas such as paintings on animals. He has included Rajput and Mughal royalty in his works too.

Bundi – The Blue City

A little drop of fantasy exists in this vast land of Rajasthan. Little is known, not talked much, there lies a tiny town Bundi, which is set 35 km NW of Kota on NH 12.

View from Bundi Palace

With a majority of blue houses this charming settlement is surrounded by the Aravali Hills. Lazy and narrow lanes, Lakes and numerous step wells ‘Baories’, temples and mosque dominate the town.

Not many knew this fact that Jodhpur- the blue city and Bundi have a strong affinity to the color blue.  Either you are atop Mehrangarh Fort at Jodhpur or at Bundi Fort you get a glimpse of the Blue City.

Whilst walking on the streets you are all at your own exhaling the splendor of this scenic town without any noise and pollution. Just like a hidden gem Bundi is not yet highly placed on the tourist itineraries and thus the place is still able to preserve its charismatic charm.

A picturesque Nawal Sagar man made lake in the heart of the town, add more beauty to the place, especially during Sunset when it soaks the reflection of the two-storied fortified complex ‘Garh Palace’.

Gar Palace, built in Rajput style architecture is the face of Bundi. There is no way you can ignore this magnanimous palace, which is also a host to ‘Chitrashala’ where the walls and ceilings are embellished with miniature paintings.

Garh Palace, Museum

The Bundi miniature paintings depict the history and most prominently the lives of kings & queens that wouldn’t be possible to have come out in public if the king had not encouraged painters and artists. Predominantly in blue and green color Bundi paintings reflect the mix of how the Muslim & Hindu culture.

Bundi Paintings

Unbelievable but true that this little town of Rajasthan hoards around 60 Baories or Step well and almost all have supreme craftsmanship and architecture. The finest example being the Rani Ji Ki Baori.

Rudyard Kipling’s Bundi connection is the tale told by almost everyone with an honored smile. ‘Billu’ our guide mentioned firmly, “It was the Mowgli man who stayed here.” Kipling got inspired for writing Kim in Bundi while he was staying at Sukh Mahal situated at Jait Sagar Lake. The lotus flowers when in full bloom enhance the beauty of the Jait Lake.

Sukh Sagar or Jait Mahal at Bundi

There is also an old hunting cottage ‘Shikar Bhurj’ which is the private property of the rulers. While peeping through the narrow lanes we discovered handcrafted Kota Dorias; a special craftsmanship that creates a unique lightweight cloth that helps to beat the heat.It is interesting to know that Bundi Town is named after Bunda Meena, the chieftain of the Meena tribe that once inhabited the town and not after Bundi Ke Ladoo J what we actually thought.

Though rice is not the staple food of Rajasthan as the production of rice demands more of water, which is a scarce resource in Rajasthan but surprisingly Bundi is renowned for its Basmati rice.