This is the least explored region of Rajasthan and perhaps the roughest. Bundi and its spectacular fort and palaces are inset in a narrow encircling gorge. The great British-Indian writer, Rudyard Kipling, set much of the surroundings into his novels and travelogues. The Bundi palace has typically Rajput carved brackets, pillars and balconies. Inside is the famous Chitra Shala whose walls adorn paintings of the Bundi school. The stepwells of Bundi especially the Raniji ki Baodi, are exceptional with profuse decorations and carved pillars and outside the town is a still more beautiful 64-pillared, 17^th century cenotaph.

Down southeast is Kota, an industrial township, famous for its cotton summer saris called Kotadoria. But once you leave Kota, you are in the heart of Hadoti country whose wooded hills and valleys abound with panther, spotted deer, wild boar and bear that are protected in the Darrah Wildlife Sanctuary. The population is thin and tourists are few.

On your drive, you would come up on ruined temples and deserted forts. Baran is the first stop here and famous for its 9^th century Badoli temple, the 11^th century Ramgarh Bhand Deora temple and the Shahbaz mosque. Below Darrah sanctuary is Jhalawar built copybook around a fort whose zenana khas portion has wonderful wall paintings. Outside Jhalawar are wooden cottages called Rain Baser, the 7^th century Chandrabhaga temples, the Jhalarapatan sun temple and the gorgeous 8^th century Gagron fort.