An Unknown Treasure in Rajasthan: The Bundi Wall-Paintings

Description

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. Until recently several of these palaces have been completely closed to visitors, keeping their painted walls hidden from public view but also aiding their preservation. This unprecedented volume celebrates the survival of the wall-paintings at Bundi by presenting a striking photographic survey of these long-hidden treasures, most published for the first time, and including both abundant details and many scenes that are difficult to view with the naked eye. The paintings depict daily life at the Bundi court from the early seventeenth to the late nineteenth century, as well as scenes from traditional literary and religious texts. The illustrations together reveal the rich cultural interrelationships 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 a long-overdue tribute to some of India's greatest painted spaces.

Milo Cleveland Beach is a museum director, teacher and scholar of Indian painting. He has written, lectured and organized exhibitions internationally on paintings from Rajasthan and the Mughal court.

'Exquisite' - New Statesman 'Brimming with colourful details revealing the power and diplomatic reach of Bundi's rulers ... will be a revelation even to those who can make the visit to Rajasthan' - Apollo