The Bundi Wall-paintings in Rajasthan

Book excerpt: The royal fort at Bundi, an isolated town in the Indian state of Rajasthan, is home to elaborately decorated palaces that are among India's most beautiful buildings. That several of the palaces have been closed to visitors until recently has kept their painted walls hidden from public view, but it has also helped their preservation. This unprecedented volume celebrates the survival of the wall-paintings at Bundi by presenting a stunning photographic survey of these long-hidden treasures, most published here for the first time, and including both abundant details and many small-scale scenes that are not visible without magnification. The paintings depict daily life at the Bundi court from the early 17th to the late 19th centuries, as well as scenes from traditional literary and religious texts. The illustrations together reveal the rich cultural inter-relationships that gave these paintings their unique power and importance. The only substantial publication devoted specifically to wall-paintings in the Bundi royal palaces, this richly illustrated book pays long-overdue tribute to some of India's greatest painted rooms. Distributed for Mercatorfonds