The Taragarh Fort, a historical and famous castle in Bundi, is one of the most popular tourist attractions of the town. Rudyard Kipling, a celebrated British novelist of early twentieth century, had described the Bundi Fort as a creation of the angels rather than any human, having seen its gargantuan size, sturdy construction & strategic location. The distinctive features of miniature paintings in Bundi reflect in colour schemes, background depiction, vivid movement and exotic blend of ‘real’ and ‘imagined’. The subject of these miniature paintings are drawn from epics like Ramayana & Mahabharata, religious Hindu scriptures, historical events, stories of brave warriors and lifestyles of the people. This distinctiveness result in Bundi School of miniature paintings which is one of the famous schools of Rajasthani styles of Indian miniature paintings. So, a lot of tourists who love art have a great time in Bundi adoring these art and paintings.
The people of Bundi have been known to keep their tradition alive throughout the years through various ways. One of the ways in which the town people uplift and showcase their cultural heritage is by organizing the Bundi Utsav. Every year, a three day Bundi Utsav is held in the town to celebrate the Bundi culture. According to the Hindu calendar, the Bundi Utsav is held during the month of Kartik. As per the English calendar, the festival is held during the month of October / November. Not only the culture and the tradition of Bundi are lavishly celebrated during this festival but the whole vibe of Rajasthan is extravagantly showed and lived.
Bundi Utsav or Bundi Festival is annually organized by the Rajasthan State Tourism Department and attended by a large number of tourists from all across the globe. Though Bundi is a quiet and calm town but fills up with a lot of hustle and bustle. Bundi Utsav starts with worship of Garh Ganesh which involves chanting of Vedic hymns followed by ‘mangal vadya’ (holy music). During Bundi Festival, the entire town of Bundi gets decorated with lights and colours and becomes extra lively during these three days. A lot of cultural activities and events take place during this festival. A fair (mela) is also organized in the city where the traders, craftsmen and sellers from across the state come to sell their products. These articles are basically handicraft products that the local artisans, craftsmen and painters create themselves at their homes and sell them. Among the handicraft products beautifully displayed on various stalls are lots of home decor, fashion items, lifestyle products, lights, footwear etc. These handicrafts are so beautiful to look at that tourists make sure to grab their hands on such delights without any hesitation. It is a great time for the household people of Bundi and other regions to put up stalls and earn through it. Thus, along with enjoying the merriment of the festivals, shopping of the souvenirs and handicrafts is one of the best things to do.
Bundi Utsav is basically organized to keep up and promote the arts, crafts, culture, and folk entertainment of the erstwhile principality alive. Crafts fair, classical music performances, turban tying competitions, mustache competition, cultural exhibition, musical band competitions, bridal clothing, ethnic sports, and even fireworks display are presented to the tourists during the festival. The whole vibe of the Bundi city looks different during this time of the year. Some unique sports are also organized during this festival like camel race, elephant decorations, horse riding, kabaddi, etc. Naturally, during Bundi Utsav, the streets of the city come alive.
One of the many attractions of Bundi Utsav is Nirali Shobha Yatra. The festival commences with with the Shobha Yatra. It is a procession in which the local people take part in their traditional clothes to seek blessings from God. Passing through the narrow lanes of Bundi, the procession sees women dressed in traditional attire marching to a nearby well, reservoir or river and then praying to the deity by lighting a lamp here. The women float ‘diyas’, called Deepdaan, in the river and keep chanting prayers. The ‘Deepdaan’ symbolizes the removal of darkness from life and seeks to bring happiness and prosperity in the family.
The venue of the fair is studded with a large number of food stalls preparing and serving authentic Rajasthani food. Naturally, all the merriment doubles up when delicious food is combined with it.