Orchha the dream place by:- Durga Charan Mishra

We  visited Orchha on march,2018 during our "Trip to India Project", is a small town in Madhya Pradesh on the
banks of the river Betwa , it was once the capital of Bundela Rajput kings.

Orchha  to Jhansi, just 15 kilometers and the nearest railway station connecting trains from all parts of India.  We arrived at Jhansi railway station from Chennai at 5.15 am by Chennai- Hazarat Nizamudin garib rath train.  The railway station retiring room was booked in advance so we get our room and take few minutes rest after completed our morning routine work we planned to visit Orcha.

We started looking around for shared autos to Orchha. An auto wallah informed me that shared autos to Orchha start from the bus stand and he took us there. From there a shared auto to Orchha takes 40 minutes and Rs15.  we reached Orchha by 9.30 am. This is a very cheap mode of transport for visitor like us. 

the days were pleasantly warm but  morning evenings were cold. Orchha is a small  agricultural village one of the most important urban areas in this part of India with a supreme display of Mughal-influenced Rajput architecture. there many temples, fort and tombs are surrounding on the little town. 

Orcha, the best rural places to live the simple life with cheapest  tropical place  where anyone can made as simple as possible.

Orcha street foods are famous for its cheap and taste, there are  many small, traditional and rooftop  restaurants and each has its own specialty.

People of Orchha normally used bundelkhandi language for communication. Orchha has the multi-cuisine food of roadside eateries and shop various handicraft items in the local market  with traditional handicraft items in attractive prices.

Orchha is best explored by walking  It is a small town and everything is within 1 to 1.5 Km from the main central place of Orchha.

The people of Orchha are  predominantly  Hindus and  strongly  tied with the land. They are very simple, hospitable  and  are quietly friendly  with the tourists. They follow traditions and customs that are typically followed by the rest of the people in the Bundelkhand region and are very religious,.

A lot of people living here are involved in creating art and craft works like clay paintings. They also make pottery and weave baskets. 

We visited many popular tourist spots in Orchha. Some religious places like Ram Raja Temple, Laxmainarayan Temple, Chaturbhuj Temple, other than temples there are many travel attractions like Raja Mahal (Orchha Fort) Jahangir Mahal, Chattris on the banks of river Betwa.    

Raja Ram temple is one of the most known religious place in Bundelkhand area. Here you will get a dip of religious sentiment for sure. The place is too good and one gets religious feeling,  the moment enters the temple. This temple  receives devotees in large numbers regularly.

The Raja Mahal  was built in the early part of 16th century   where the kings and the queens had resided till  1783. than it was converted into a temple and named Rama Raja Temple in honor of the god Ram, it is the only shrine in the country where Rama is worshiped as a King. The temple looks quite new because it is well-maintained..

Orchha attracts many Hindu pilgrims because of its Ram Raja temple.  Every year, thousands of visitors from various parts of the world pay a visit to this majestic palace.

We  find too many beggars sitting outside the temple premises and each beggar has an empty pot some beggars  are truly poor, sick and  needy ,  they ask for alms or charity, when the devotees come to temple , they donate some amount of coins to these beggars.

Line of beggars at  outside the temple,  they are mostly  homeless  people have been living near the temple, Some of the beggars near the temple have made a temporary structures

the people of Orcha  have a very beautiful and attractive lifestyle.they follow traditions and customs that are typically followed by the rest of the people in the Bundelkhand region.

India is one of those countries that you can love and hate at the same time

Cow is not a mere animal, Cow is one of the most worshiped animal in India treated as the highest and most pious animal and given the most importance in Hindu siciety. Stray and homeless cows are always supported by temples.

The Orchha complex,  a large number of ancient monuments consisting of the fort, palaces, 

temple  built by the  Bundel Rajouts starting from early 16th century .

The monuments in Orchha are still in good condition. they  The architecture and design of the palace, fort, and temples are mainly Bundelkhandi with strong Mughal influences and  they designed in such a way that sunlight entering the palace creates different temperatures and moods throughout the day. There are many secret passages inside the palace.

The fort we went around was quite interesting right opposite the temple it seems so old and historic nice place. We were there for almost 2 hours and saw the entire place. There are several places to visit in Orchha ,  the most popular are Orchha fort , Orchha Palace.The fort palaces showcase a supreme display of Mughal-influenced Rajput architecture.

Raja Mahal. inside the Orchha fort complex is a masterpiece of great art work .From the outside, the fort looks faded, but once you get inside, hidden corners plastered with murals still burst with colors. We were so impressed and so glad with Orchha we did. The interesting history and the amazing architecture makes it one of our favorite place of our life.

Jahangir Palace this is a place of photographers , was constructed in honor of the Mughal emperor Jahangir on his first visit to Orchha built by King Vir Singh Deo. This three storied structure is one of the beautiful examples of Indo-Islamic style of 17th century architecture. Visiting hours are, from 7.30 am to 6.00 pm.

Chaturbhuj Temple, it  was a old temple built during  875 AD, Chaturbhuj Temple  is now dedicated to Lord Vishnu  'Chaturbhuj'  who has four arms.and one of the largest of the temples in Orchha.  there are number of steps to climb up to the  level,  Views from the top are amazing. the  Chaturbhuj Temple is  quite spacious with well-lighted inside.The temple today also has idols of Radha Krishna

The temple was constructed by the Bundela Rajputs one of the most fabulous and ancient architectural marvels of that time. the temple stands on a huge stone platform. The exterior of the temple is heavily decorated with the symbols of the lotus. The roof of the temple is accessible from where one can see the scenic views of the Orccha town, 

Chattris, situated on the banks of river Betwa is a magnificent Maharajas tombs. the view of this tombs are more beautiful from  the opposite side of the river.The reflection of the tombs in the river water is picturesque.There are several monuments on either side of the Betwa river. 

it is a worth to visit for us , a fabulous destination, we  enjoy the local culture and make our trip  a fulfilling one..

Durga Charan Mishra
dcmishradc@gmail.com