Menal, 19km beyond Bijolia, which itself lies 50km southwest of Bundi on the road to Chittorgarh, is a temple complex built in the Gupta period (4th to 6th centuries AD). The main Shiva temple, still in good condition, has a wealth of carvings of Shiva, Parvati, animals, dancers, musicians and sexual positions on its exterior. Outside the temple compound the Menal River tumbles over a 100m cliff, forming a spectacular waterfall when enough water is released from a dam upstream.
When the water is low, you can cross the river above the falls to reach two more temples and the crumbling Rutirani Palace, said to have been a retreat of Prithviraj Chauhan, the 12th-century ruler from Ajmer who also held Delhi for a while.
