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Baolis or step wells were important social
structures in medieval India where people from all walks of life assembled.
Outside the old walls of the original town of Bundi is Raniji ki Baoli, built in
1699. Rani Nathavati was the younger queen of the ruling Rao who had two wives.
The elder bore him no male issue, so he married again with the hope that his
second wife would bear him an heir. Rani Nathavati did give birth to a son and
invoked the jealousy of the queen. So she gave the child to the elder queen and
retired to a life devoted to serving her subjects. One of the finest projects
that she undertook was that of this step well, 165 feet deep and a splendid work
of Rajput architecture.
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The entrance is through a narrow gateway of four pillars, joined at the top by
slender arches just under the roof. Stone elephants facing each other stand in
small nichés in the pillars at the top. Beyond the entrance are broad steps
leading down into the well, again through archways. Ogee (S-shaped) brackets
play an important role in Raniji ki Baoli, and all arches are decorated with
intricately carved stone brackets. (Short
notes)
Gates
Two huge gates at the end of a steep climb
form the entrance to the Garh palace. The
Hazari Pol
(Gate of One Thousand) is the first towering gate. Two trumpeting elephants form
an arch over the second gate,
Hathi Pol
(Elephant Gate), built by Rao Ratan Singh (1607-31). The elephants were probably
originally cast in brass, but were later replaced by concrete ones painted in
bright colours. The Hathi Pol leads into a courtyard beyond which is an arched
façade for stables.
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Ismail Quili Khan’s gate aka
Buland Darwaza (Great Gate) lies at the foot
of the hill and forms the entrance to
Miran Hussain’s tomb.
Looming high over the mausoleum, the gateway is 19.5 meters high and 5 meters
wide, a splendid illustration of proportion gone haywire. The gateway was
originally built in red sandstone, but somebody decided that it would look
better in white, so the gate was whitewashed. On each corner of the roof are two
chattris or covered pavilions, and along the sides of the high arch are
inscribed verses from the Koran. (Short
notes)
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