Heritage Sites

Chaurasi Khambon ki Chhatri

The elegant 'Eighty-Four Pillared Cenotaph' of Bundi

🗺 Hadoti Region 📍 37 km from Kota ⭐ Two-storey cenotaph raised on eighty-four carved pillars

Chaurasi Khambon ki Chhatri, literally the cenotaph of eighty-four pillars, is one of Bundi's most photographed monuments. This graceful two-tiered pavilion is raised on a platform and supported by exactly 84 intricately carved columns, sheltering a central Shiva lingam and a small shrine adorned with sculpted figures of elephants, deer and nymphs.

Set within a quiet garden a little outside the town, the chhatri has a serene, symmetrical beauty that rewards a slow visit. The carving on the brackets and ceilings is delicate, and the elevated pavilion catches the light beautifully in the morning and late afternoon.

It is an underrated gem among Bundi tourist places and makes a peaceful stop on a Hadoti tourism day trip from Kota, especially for those interested in Rajput funerary architecture.

History of Chaurasi Khambon ki Chhatri

The cenotaph was built in the late 17th century (around 1683 CE) by Rao Anirudh Singh of Bundi in memory of his foster brother and nurse's son, Deva. Such chhatris were raised across Rajasthan to honour the dead, combining commemoration with fine sculptural artistry.

The number eighty-four holds symbolic significance in Indian tradition, often representing the cycle of existence, and the builders made a point of raising exactly that many pillars to support the memorial.

Story & Legend

The story goes that Rao Anirudh Singh so loved his loyal foster brother that he vowed to build him a monument grander than any ordinary memorial, choosing eighty-four pillars so that the soul might rest amid a number sacred enough to break the endless cycle of rebirth.