It is an unforgettable evening! The stars come up in the sky. Men in bright red turbans and women in multihued tie-and-dye odhnis (scarves) and lehngas (full skirts) throng the streets. Armed with handy-cams and cameras, the foreign tourists rub shoulders with the local residents. The whole town glows in colourful lights. We are seated along with some foreign tourists atop a residence opposite the Shivam Guest House. Minutes later, crackers light up the distant sky, announcing the start of the Kajli Teej procession from the Nawal Sagar Lake in Bundi, Rajasthan.  
The Kajli Teej festival of Bundi is dedicated to the love of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi. It commemorates Gauri’s union with Bholenath and also marks the advent of monsoon month of Shravan. Jhoolas (swings) are hung from the trees and decorated with flowers. Young girls swing in the jhoolas and sing to celebrate the arrival of monsoon. 
Women and children in their finest multihued costumes emerge from their houses, and assemble on both sides of the road, waiting to catch a glimpse of their most favourite goddess. A musical bandwagon accompanies the procession. The decorated camels are first to pass by, with brightly and colourfully dressed children sitting on their back. Then come many decorated horses and gorgeously caparisoned camels. Folk artists and musical groups, in their traditional dress, dance and sing folk songs, all along as the procession moves slowly.
The local school girls perform the Rajasthani dances in the canopied camel carts. A traditional procession of goddess Teej in a decorated palanquin follows. The palanquin stops before the houses and women offer prayers to the goddess, seeking a long and happy married life. Thousands join the procession as it winds its way through the narrow lanes and by-lanes of Bundi.

Colourful legend
The Kajli (black) Teej is so named because it is celebrated on the third day after the full moon in the Krishna Paksha, that is the dark or waning half of the month of Bhadra. It is one of the rare Hindu festivals, which falls in the days of the waning moon, and there is an interesting legend behind it.
Legend says that Thakur Balwant Singh of Gothda was once sitting with his friends. One of them remarked thawt it would be good if Teej were to be celebrated in Gothda as it is celebrated in Jaipur. On hearing this Balwant Singh set off to Jaipur with 15 of his best friends. On that day, Teej was being celebrated in Jaipur. Balwant Singh attacked the procession and carried off the idol of Teej to his village, Gothda. The journey must have taken five to 10 days, as Balwant Singh then took out a Teej procession in his village on the third day after the full moon in the month of Bhadra, that is 15 days after the Teej celebrations in Jaipur. The Kajli Teej procession was taken out in the village of Gothda for a few years. After the death of Thakur Balwant Singh in a battle, Rao Raja Ram Singh of Bundi brought the idol to Bundi and continued the tradition started by Thakur Balwant Singh by celebrating Teej in the month of Bhadra.
Though the main function of Bundi Teej is held only on two days, the celebrations continue up to Janmashthami, which marks the birth of Lord Krishna. A local fair is also held at Kumbha Stadium on this occasion exhibiting lot of local handicraft, including Katar, paintings and bangles. Both the urban and the rural people join the festivities. The fair is a manifestation of the local culture.
Next day we take time to visit the 12th century Taragarh fort built by Ajay Pala Chauhana on a high hill. The fortress was made impregnable with its 4.5m thick walls, and was further fortified with strong bastions. It was later modified and additions were done by Maharao Anirudh Singh (1675-85 A.D). Faujdar Dalil of Jaipur constructed the outer fort wall.
The fort’s original name was Ajay Meru Durg, and it was named Taragarh because when viewed from the valley below, it appeared like a star. Set in a narrow encircling gorge, these palaces and fortress have a fairytale-like quality about them. Isolated and independent, the entire township appears like a miniature painting, frozen in time for the traveller.

Grand architecture
The Garh Palace is a magnificent building complex housing many private sub-palaces, reflecting the high point of Rajput architecture. The most impressive palace of Garh complex is the ornamental gallery of paintings namely the Chitrashala, or Umed Mahal. Its walls are profusely embellished with fascinating Bundi murals capturing varied themes; and its pillars are ornamented with bright mirrors, which further enhance the beauty of the palace. Art galleries surround it on all the four sides, with a fountain in the center! The sunlight falling in the center of the hall, illuminates the 200-year-old paintings with brilliance, creating is own magical effects!
Ranked amongst the masterpieces of Indian art, these Bundi murals have earned worldwide fame and still continue to fascinate the tourists with their charm and glory. The colours used here are blue, green and turquoise, on white with a touch of terracotta or yellow. The lower portions of the walls are painted with khakhas (line sketches on a dark background). The upper part is painted with chitras (pictures) showing ceremonial processions, hunting scenes and scenes from Raasalila. These murals depict the colourful nature in all its magnificence, charm and glory. They give a picture of rising mounds and dunes, black, blue and gold coloured clouds dotting the colourfully illuminated sky. These works include ‘An elephant in summer (1750 A.D)’ and ‘Bathing women (1775 A.D)’.  The visitor’s eye is automatically drawn to the 18th century murals depicting ‘The Union of Radha and Krishna, Rasaleela’ due to their exquisite beauty, fine artistry and craftsmanship.
We spend the last one hour relishing the bajre ki roti and lahsun ki chutney in a roadside dhaba. Gatte ki sabzi, dal bati churma, sangri and kuttha baati are delectable dishes of Bundi. Ghewar, a spongy sweetmeat, coated in sugar syrup and flavoured with cardamom is also worth a try. The local maize (bhutta) roasted in coal oven and served with salt and lemon, forms a special diet of this region.