Raniji ki Baori

Raniji ki Baori (Queen's stepwell) is the largest among the over 50 baoris that dot the town. Baoris were commissioned by the ruling royalty to take care of water needs during the months of drought. This baori was constructed in 1699 by Rani Nathavati Ji, the younger queen of the ruling Maharao Raja Anirudh Singh of Bundi. 46 metre deep, this stepped well is a multi-storeyed structure decorated with brilliantly-carved pillars and a high-arched gate. Each floor has dedicated places of worship for the people to pay homage. One can enter the baori through a narrow doorway marked by four pillars. Lifelike elephant statues made of stone guard the corners. The baori is a medieval marvel of construction and design. Baoris also worked as social assembly areas in those times since local townsfolk gathered here often.

History
As the history behind this baori goes, Rani Nathavati Ji was the younger wife of ruler Rao Raja Anirudh Singh. She gave birth to a son, Maharao Raja Budh Singh. But the previous wife of the king who was unable to give birth to a baby became envious of the younger queen. Thus, Rani Nathavati Ji gave her son to the previous queen of the raja and devoted herself for the well being of the common man. This is the reason she started the construction of this Raniji Ki Baori.
There is a worshipping place at each of the floors of the stepped well. Raniji Ki Baori is well carved with ogee bracket work.

Monuments in Bundi

Monuments in Bundi It is popularly believed that Nobel laureate Rudyard Kipling penned part of his famous novel ‘Kim’ in Bundi. In fact, so impressed was he by the place, that this is what he wrote about the Bundi palace: ‘Jaipur Palace may be called the Versailles of India … Jodhpur’s House of strife, gray towers on red rock, is the work of giants, but the 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.’ Bundi is a magnificent town located around 36 kilometres from Kota. Dotted with palaces and forts, the place has a fairy tale quality about it. Bundi’s charm lies in its location –surrounded by orchards of orange, guava, pomegranate and mango trees, flanked by the Aravalli range and rivers and lined by fields of cotton, barley and wheat. Situated far from the crowds, it is the simple rural folk that lend Bundi its allure. Bundi was once ruled by the Hada Chauhans. Many historians claim that it was once the capital of the great Hadoti Kingdom, which was renowned for its art and sculpture. However, in 1624, Kota separated and became an independent state and this marked the beginning of the downfall of Bundi. Whether that may be, Bundi still retains its charismatic medieval grandeur. And just like Jodhpur and Rajput, the architecture of Bundi also possesses a noticeable bluish hue, designed to keep houses cool during hot summer, in the intricately carved brackets and pillars.