Dungarpur, the painted palaces of Vagad

The elder branch of Mewar

• Two thrones: from then on the elder line ruled in the south while the younger kept the throne of Mewar.
• The founding: by tradition, Rawal Vir Singh founded Dungarpur in 1282.
• Bhil land first: before him the hills belonged to the Bhils, and the town takes its name from a Bhil chieftain called Dungaria.
• An uncomfortable story: Vir Singh had Dungaria killed and took his land, and the chieftain's two wives became sati on his death.
• The shrine in the wall: it is still kept in Juna Mahal, the old palace, and the royal family has honoured it for centuries.
• Why we tell it plainly: the relationship between the Rajput rulers and the Bhils is the deepest thread in Vagad's history.
• Khanwa, 1527: Rawal Udai Singh of Vagad rode north to fight beside Rana Sanga of Mewar against Babur, and was killed there.
• Sister towns: his lands were divided. The elder son kept Dungarpur, and the younger, Jagmal, founded Banswara to the east.
• The British treaty: in 1818 Dungarpur signed one, like the other Rajput states, and was ranked a fifteen-gun salute state.
• The last ruler: Maharawal Lakshman Singh came to the throne as a boy in 1918 and reigned until Independence.
• A moderniser: he enlarged Udai Bilas Palace in the 1940s, and after 1947 had a long political career, including terms in the Rajya Sabha and the Rajasthan assembly.
• The family today: it still lives in Dungarpur, and its members are well known in the town.

Juna Mahal, the old palace on the hill

• The result: seven storeys rising from a high platform of pareva, the local blue-grey stone that turns almost green in certain light.
• Built to slow you: the narrow passages and steep stairs were meant to slow an attacker, and they will still slow you.
• Why it survived: the royal family moved to Udai Bilas Palace in the twentieth century and the old palace was never made a hotel, so its interiors are almost untouched.
• Recognised: the World Monuments Fund placed it on its 2014 Watch list, and historians rank its decoration among the best preserved of any palace in the state.
• How to get in: it is still owned by the royal family, and visits are arranged through Udai Bilas Palace.

Udai Bilas Palace and Gaib Sagar lake

• Three parts: the Raniwas, the queens' quarters; Udai Bilas itself; and the Ek Thambiya Mahal, the palace of a single pillar, also called Krishna Prakash.
• The heart of the place: the Ek Thambiya Mahal is a small, many-storeyed pavilion rising from a courtyard, covered in sculpted pillars, panels, balconies and friezes.
• Return at different hours: musicians, dancers and gods are worked into the stone, and the carving changes as the light moves.
• A family home: the palace is home to the former royal family and has been a heritage hotel for many years.
• The collections: objects gathered by the family, the Dungarpur Mews of classic and vintage cars, and a museum named for Maharani Manhar Kumari that opened in 2015.
• An honest note: there is a room of old hunting trophies from the days of shikar. It belongs to another era, and some guests choose to skip it.

Beyond the palaces

Vagad, the green south

• Closer to Gujarat: maize, not millet, is the staple, and the countryside feels closer to Gujarat than to Jaisalmer.
• Vagdi: a language of the Bhili family that blends Rajasthani, Gujarati and the speech of Malwa. Our guides will laugh at your accent, then help you anyway.
• Many streams: Rajput courts, Jain and Bohra traders, Brahmin priests, and above all the Bhils, who were here before any of them.
• A land of stone: pareva, the fine blue-grey stone of the Dungarpur palaces, is quarried in the district.
• The carvers: local sculptors have worked it for temples and palaces for centuries, and still make images, panels and small carvings.
• A workshop visit: we can arrange one, where you will hear the stone ring under the chisel.

The Bhil communities of Dungarpur

• Here, the majority: in Dungarpur and Banswara districts the Bhils form a very large part of the population.
• Scattered homes: families live in houses spread across the hillsides, each beside its own fields, in hamlets called phalas.
• The rhythm of life: the farming year, the forest and the gods of the hills, with terracotta horses offered at shrines to local deities.
• Holi: the biggest festival of the year in many Bhil villages, with drums, dancing and songs.
• Baneshwar: the fair in Magh brings families from three states to the river confluence.
• The haat: the weekly rural market where families buy and sell grain, vegetables, livestock, silver jewellery, cloth and tools.
• How to go: with a local guide. Buy something, eat at a stall, and treat it as the market it is rather than a spectacle.
• What we don't do: run tribal village tours or ask families to perform.
• To understand more: our guides will talk as long as you like about Bhil history, long struggles over land and forest rights, and the changes of the last fifty years.

Eating in Dungarpur

• After the monsoon: corn cobs roasted on charcoal at every roadside.
• Palace cooking: royal and Rajput. Ask for the family recipes: game-style dishes now made with farm-raised meat, laal maas with its red chilli, slow-cooked dals, and sweets of ghee and dry fruit.
• Vegetarians eat well: southern Rajasthan's Jain and Brahmin traditions run deep, and cooks will leave out onion and garlic on request.
• The Bohra table: a Bohra meal is eaten from a large shared platter called a thaal, starting with something sweet.
• Regional dishes: our Rajasthani food guide describes them.
• A favourite evening: a private palace dinner on the Udai Bilas terrace over Gaib Sagar.

When to visit Dungarpur

• July to September: heavy rain and an astonishing green. The drive through the hills is beautiful, though some rural roads become difficult.
• Baneshwar fair: in the month of Magh, the great Bhil gathering at the river confluence in Dungarpur district.
• Holi: February or March, with particular energy in the Bhil villages, and days of drums and dancing.
• Diwali: October or November, when lamps light Gaib Sagar and the palaces, and the bazaars stay full until late.
• Navratri: nine nights of devotion and garba dancing, a sign of how close Vagad is to Gujarat.
• The whole year: our best time to visit Rajasthan guide.

Getting to Dungarpur

• By train or car: there is a station, but almost all our guests come by private car.
• In town: your driver waits at each sight, and the old city around Juna Mahal is best walked.
• A natural link: between Udaipur and Ahmedabad or Kutch.
• Our offbeat circuit: one of the three heart stops on our offbeat Rajasthan journey, with Bundi and Chittorgarh.

Two days in Dungarpur

Who will love Dungarpur

• And if: a lake at dawn with nobody else on it is your idea of luxury.
• A revelation for: photographers, art historians, architects, birders and repeat visitors who have already seen Jaipur and Jodhpur.
• The best break: travellers driving between Rajasthan and Gujarat will find nowhere better to stop.
• You may not love it if: you want a full programme of famous sights, shopping and nightlife.
• Why: it is a small, provincial town with simple restaurants and modest roads, and its treasures ask for patience.
• Companions: for grandeur on a bigger scale with the same quiet feel, Bundi with its painted Chitrashala and Chittorgarh with its great fort. Together the three are our favourite offbeat circuit.

What we tell friends about Dungarpur

• Dress modestly: for the temples and for Galiakot, shoulders and knees covered, with a scarf to hand.
• Ask before photographing: especially at village markets. Many people are happy to be photographed, some are not, and a no is final.
• No handouts: don't give sweets, money or pens to children. If you want to give, ask us how to do it properly.
• Pack for humidity: light cotton, a hat, and mosquito repellent after the monsoon.
• Give it two nights: in Dungarpur the second day is always better than the first.