Garh Palace

Garh Palace clings to the hillside immediately below Taragarh Fort, a rambling structure of connected buildings added by successive rulers over several centuries. The finest section is the Chitrashala, or painting gallery — a courtyard whose walls and ceilings are covered in extraordinary 17th- and 18th-century murals in the Bundi School style. The colours remain vivid: elephants, peacocks, court scenes, and scenes from the Ramayana rendered in the distinctive Bundi palette.

The palace is partially open to visitors; some sections are still private. The entry fee is modest and includes access to several rooms of murals. Allow at least 90 minutes to see it properly, and bring a torch — some of the best murals are in poorly lit corridors.

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A story
Rudyard Kipling visited Bundi in 1887 and spent several days painting the palace rooms in watercolour — he later wrote that the Bundi miniatures he saw here were the finest art he encountered in India. The murals he admired are still there: the Chitrashala courtyard is covered floor-to-ceiling in Bundi School paintings, a style recognisable by its particular shade of turquoise and its fondness for depicting monsoon scenes and royal hunting parties.