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Orchha
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Sightseeing |
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Raj Mahal |
 Situated to the right of the quadrangle, this place was built
by Madhukar Shah, the deeply religious predecessor of Bir Singh Ju Deo
. The plain exteriors, crowned by chhatris, give way to interiors,
with exquisite murals, boldly colorful, on a variety of religious themes. |
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Chaturbhuj Temple |
 Chaturbhuj Temple is
Built upon a massive stone platform and reached by a steep flight
of steps, the temple was specially constructed to enshrine the image
of Lord Rama that remained in the Ram Raja Temple. Lotus emblems
and other symbols of religious significance provide the delicate
exterior ornamentation. |
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Laxminarayan Temple |
 A flag stone path links this temple with the Ram Raja temple.
The style is an interesting synthesis of fort and temple modes .
The interiors contain the most exquisite of Orchha's wall
painting . Covering the walls and ceilings of three halls, these
murals are vibrant compositions and cover a variety of spiritual and
secular subjects. |
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Dinman Hardaul's Palace |
| Hardaul was a son of Bir Singh Ju Deo who died to prove his innocence
over an affair with the wife of his elder brother, Jujhar who had doubts on
his relationship with her. This saintly prince was, after his martyrdom,
worshipped as a god, and even today the villages of Bundelkhand contain
platform-like shrines where Hardaul is worshipped. |
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Rai Praveen Mahal |
| Poetess and musician, Rai Praveen was
the beautiful paramour of Raja Indramani (1672-76AD), and was sent to
Delhi on the orders of Emperor Akbar, who was captivated by her. She
so impressed the great Mughal with the purity of her love for Raja
Indramani that he sent her back to Orchha. The palace built for her is a low, two-storied brick
structure, designed to match the height of the trees in the
surroundings, beautifully landscaped gardens of ANAND MAHAL with its octagonal flower beds and an elaborate water supply system.
Skillfully carved niches allow light into the Mahal which has a main hall and
smaller chambers. |
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Phool Bagh |
| The walled Phool Bagh gardens, a cool summer retreat, are also worth
visiting. laid out as a formal garden, this complex testifies to
the refined aesthetic qualities of Bundelas. A central row of fountains
culminates into an eight-pillared palace-pavilion. A subterranean structure
below used to be the summer retreat of Orchha Kings. An ingenious system of
water ventilation connected the underground palace with Chandan Katora
a bowl like structure from whose fountains droplets of water filtered
through the roof, simulating rain-fall. |
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Jehangir Mahal |
| Built by Raja Bir Singh Ju Deo in the 17th century to commemorate the
visit of the emperor Jehangir to Orchha. Its strong lines are
counterbalanced by delicate chhatris and trellis work, the whole
conveying an effect of extraordinary richness. |
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Ram Raja Temple |
| This places turned temple has a charming legend attached to it.
Follwing the dream-visitation of Rama, the pious Madhukar Shah brought
a statue of the god from Ayodhya to his capital. The statue was to be later installed in a temple (now known as
Chaturbhuj Temple). When the statue proved impossible to move, the king
recalled, too late, the deity's edict that the image would remain in
the place where it was first installed. Today, with its
soaring spires and palatial architecture, the temple is surely one of
the most unusual in India. It is also the only one in the country
where Rama is worshipped as a king. |
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Cenotaphs |
| There are fourteen cenotaphs or Chhatries to the
rulers of Orchha, across the Kanchana Ghats of river Betwa. |
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Shahid Smarak |
| Commemorates the great freedom fighter
Chandrashakhar Azad who lived and worked in hiding in Orchha during
1926-27. |
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Sunder Mahal |
| This small palace almost in ruin today, is still a
place of pilgrimage for Muslims. Dhurjban son of Jhujhar, embraced Islam
when he wed a Muslim girl at Delhi. He spent the latter part of his life in
prayer and meditation and came to be revered as a saint. |
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Others |
| Other places worth seeing in Orchha are Siddh Bawa ka Sathan, Jugal
Kishore, Janki Mandir, and Hanuman Mandir at Ohharedwara. |
