Step inside Garh Palace in Bundi as Alwar royal family’s Manavendra Pratap Singh, Janaki Kumari work on its restoration

A fine example of exquisite Rajput architecture, the Garh Palace of Bundi is situated about 215 km from Jaipur, within Taragarh Fort in the Aravallis. Built by the Hada Rajput Chauhan rulers between the 16th and 19th centuries, the palace boasts a rich history and an artistic legacy.

Globally valued for its unique wall paintings and art heritage, the Garh Palace is a sprawling complex of regal residences and offices of the former Bundi State. (Instagram/@archdigestindia)

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On October 4, in an Instagram post shared by Architectural Digest India, Manavendra Pratap Singh, 24, and his sister, Janaki Kumari, of the Alwar royal family, shared their plans to conserve and restore the Garh Palace in Bundi. According to the brother-sister duo, the palace came into their family’s possession through their paternal grandmother, who was a princess of Bundi. Let’s take a look inside:

Inside the magnificent Garh Palace

Globally valued for its unique wall paintings and art heritage, the Garh Palace is a sprawling complex of regal residences and offices of the former Bundi State. While Manavendra told AD India that the conservation project is a lifelong endeavour, Janaki left her criminal law career to support her brother.

Some notable artistic highlights of the palace’s art-filled halls, which are prized by researchers and academics all over the world, include the use of Indian yellow pigments in the wall paintings, the elaborate wall paintings on the walls of the Badal Mahal, and the towering stone pillars of the Jhoola Chowk and Chattra Mahal.

Some artistic highlights of the Garh Palace

According to AD India, the Indian yellow colour, which is obtained from cow urine and featured in the works of European greats such as Rembrandt and Van Gogh, was first seen in the wall paintings of the Garh Palace.

Meanwhile, the walls of the 16th-century structure, Badal Mahal, depict battle scenes, ceremonial elephant fights, court life, and private family life, like royal women swimming and mendicants praying. Some other unique features of the palace include Islamic honeycomb vaulting on domed ceilings with rare motifs, such as dragons, Krishna’s raas leela with gopikas, and mythical creatures.