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Bundi, Rajasthan's untapped tourist paradise
by Lokendra Singh

          Bundi (Rajasthan): About 175 km from Jaipur, Bundi has a scenic panorama of forests, lakes, historical monuments and fairs. However, it has largely remained unpopular despite its big attraction value. The locals blame the absence of proper infrastructure like decent hotels as one of the major reasons why many tourists not like to stay here for long. Such reasons have prevented Bundi from emerging as a major tourist spot. "Tourists come here, roam around, click some photographs, but after seeing these ignored sights, they feel disappointed at the absence of the infrastructure essential for such a place. Therefore, it is not developing. In fact, it's not a problem to develop such a nice place. They have the resources and a legislator. If he does his work properly, it can come up as a big tourist destination," said Nand Singh, a restaurant owner. "It lacks everything. The administration and big-wigs of this place are not concerned and they are not doing anything progressive about it. Therefore, it is lying here unnoticed for a long time," said Fayyumuddin, a local tourist guide.

           Apart from famous places like Udaipur, Bundi also has the distinction of being a place where one can find lakes that rarely dry even in extreme weather conditions. Although a huge fort and hills skirting it reflect the heritage of Rajasthan, it is the two big lakes here that are prominent features of this 'virgin' tourist resort. Sadly, very little information about Bundi along with many special facilities has deprived it of being featured in the popular tourist map of Rajasthan. Locals say Bundi has a glorious past and promising future. Some call it the queen of Hadoti, a popular tourist attraction. "Bundi is known to be a good place among the tourists. Tourists like the atmosphere here. The forts are very nice and especially water resources here are very popular, it has almost 106 Baoris (step wells)," said Ahmad Singh, hotel operator. Bundi paintings also happen to be famous among traditional art lovers. The nearby monuments, local fairs, scenic lakes and the forests can charm visitors from all over the world. It has Bundi Palace, which is situated on the hillside adjacent to the Taragarh Fort and is notable for its lavish traditional murals and frescoes. Bundi is of particular architectural note for its ornate forts, palaces, and Baoris (step wells), or water reservoirs. Bundi is a city and a municipality of approximately 88,000 inhabitants (as per 2001 consensus) in the Hadoti region of Rajasthan. It is the administrative headquarters of Bundi District. But the authorities appear to have failed to recognise the latent potential of such a place. "It's a very natural place of India, very nice people, very calm. Many tourist places in India now are too busy. Here, it's very relaxed. Many nice places to visit palace and outside Bundi also some nice temples are there," said Andy, a British tourist. The annual festival "Bundi Utsav" which is celebrated with great zeal is a big treat for the eyes for everyone here.
-May 27,  2007