There is a reason some places are off the map for people. The small and beautiful mini town of Orchha is exactly one of those places. As soon as you have made your way to this dusty little place, you cannot miss the feeling of having stepped back into a page of history. Which is precisely why you must go to Orchha right now.
Orchha was a kingdom of the Bundelkhand kings and was established by Maharaja Rudra Pratap Singh over 600 years ago. He has the credit for making the Orchha Fort, a towering piece of architecture built on the banks of the almost-dried out Betwa river. The main attraction of the town has to be Raja Mahal. Built over a massive area, the palace is grand and offers commanding views of Orchha from its ramparts. Try to take in the grandiosity of the place and enjoy the paintings along the walls here.
Next door is Jahangir Mahal, built by Veer Singh Deo to appease the Mughal king Jahangir. Watch out for the pillars on the four corners of the palace to see how it was built keeping the Muslim ruler’s faith in mind. Today, this palace is hailed as the ultimate point of medieval Indo-Islamic architecture – and the effort shows.
Behind this is an open area from where you can still the gates of the palace. Stables and quarters for soldiers and servants can also be seen. You don’t need a guide to take a tour of the place as there are signposts at major places inside the palace. Take your own time – I took almost four hours – to see and marvel at the splendour of a kingdom gone by.
Once you’re done, take a short walk opposite Raja Mahal to Chhaturbhuj temple. Built to worship Lord Vishnu, the temple is the largest in Orchha and almost resembles ancient cathedrals in terms of scale and size. Once inside, adventure lovers must climb the huge stone steps to reach the very top of the temple and get a bird’s eye view of the city. The temple itself is dilapidated but is serene and has many hidden paintings and fascinating views to check out. The actual temple is next door and can be visited once you’ve taken in Chhaturbhuj temple.
A short 10 minute stroll behind the temple will bring you to the outskirts of Orchha (yes, it’s that compact!) where Laxmi Mandir stands. This lone structure has some amazing hand-painted pictures that describe stories from Indian epics. Besides, once you reach the top of the temple, you can see Orchha on one side and the sight of Rani Laxmibai’s (of Jhansi fame) fight with the British army on the other side.
Make your way back to town and spend some time at the various cenotaphs on the banks of Betwa river. These are some of the final resting places of the various kings who ruled Orchha in centuries past. Watch the sunset from this point for some amazing views. Also look out for the vultures towering above – Orchha is one of the few places where vultures are still living in such close proximity to humans.
Once you have paid your final respects, make your way to Raja Mahal once again to watch the hour-long light and sound show that explains the history of Orchha with some commendable back story about Bundelkhand. This is a must-visit show to grasp the full extent of this small but important city.
Orchha must be visited for its non-touristy vibe and important history. There is something about this place that calls you out to hear its fabulous story. The fort and temples are some of the best pieces of architecture in all of India and have been preserved well too.
Go soon before tourists start flocking though. When I was there, director Roland Emmerich was scouring locations at the cenotaphs for his upcoming movie Singularity starring Bipasha Basu and Josh Hartnett. Wonder what happened to that!
Important Information:
The closest town near Orchha is Jhansi, about 15 kilometres out. Autos will take you to Orchha for Rs 200. Bargain hard. Orchha is a small town and accommodation can get scarce during high season. Make arrangements beforehand.
Edit:
I wrote this post for Singapore-based Sun Media Online but have been unable to find the link. Instead, I found this document about my Orchha trip with a Google search. Hope you liked the post.
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