A wonderful morning in a small town,it was the excitement which woke me up little early in the morning.Orchha, meaning a "hidden place", certainly lives up to its name.Clustered around the foot of the exotic ruins, a sleepy village of neatly painted houses and various small small market stalls.
I planned to visit the temples first,then chattris and then the Raja Mahal.Everything which can be seen in Orchha is at walkable distance.
Orchha is quite a photographer's delight. It turns absolutely magnificent during the evenings and the Morning time.
Orchha's History - Raja Rudra Pratap started the construction of Orchha but he coud not finish it as he was killed trying to rescue a cow from the clutches of a tiger. However, the construction continued. Thereafter, the Bundela dynasty's fortunes depended on the goodwill of the Mughals. Orchha's most illustrious ruler was Raja Bir Singh Deo. During his 22-year rule, Bir Singh Deo erected a total of 52 forts and palaces across the region, including the citadel at Jhansi, the rambling Narsing Dev at Datia, and many of Orchha's finest buildings.
Sad that one of the finest building Sheesh Mahal is converted into Hotel now
Before visiting to the temple i went to Betwa for a swim/Bath
Few Furious kids
The Chhatris - A solemn row of pale brown weed-choked domes and spires, the Chhatris at the Bank of Betwa are Orchha's most beautiful ruins. The fourteen chhatris, memorials to Bundelkhand's former rulers, are best viewed from the narrow road bridge (on the Betwa) or from the boulders on the opposite bank, where one can see the full effect of their reflection in the still waters of the Betwa.
Later i went to Chaturbhuja Temple.It has huge pointed shikharas soaring high above the village.
This job ain't bad
After visiting Chaturbhuja Temple i went to the Devi Temple which is just next to it.
Devi Temple
At the terrace of the Devi Temple,No body is allowed here but i managed to bribe the kid who had the key of the locked door which leads to the Top.From here you can get the Top view of Orchha
Next was the Raja Mahal,which was also on the walkable distance from the Devi temple.
View of the Raja Mahal from the Terrace of the Devi temple
History of the Fort - Work on the Raja Mahal was started by Raja Rudra Pratap, but he died in 1531, leaving the construction incomplete. His son, Bharti Chand, completed the front and the main portion of the palace, but could not complete the building during his lifetime. The final touches to the Raja Mahal were added by one of the most prominent rulers of Orchha, 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 colourful on a variety of religious themes.
The Mahal includes lavish accommodations that are marked by elevated balconies. The various floors are interconnected by paths rise that are proportional tiers on all four sides. The entire structure is marked by towers and domed pavilions.
The interiors are beautifully done up with fragmented mirrors and paintings on both ceilings and walls. Some of them are still in good condition. Your tour to Orchha is incomplete without a visit to the Raj Mahal.
Ah ! what a pleasure i had in watching those beautiful paintings.Like any other Palace Durbar-e-Khas and the Diwan-i-Am were quite beautiful.Visited Jahangir Mahal and Rai Praveer Mahal as well which is in the Raja Mahal compound only.
Spended atleast two hours to admire the beauty of the Mahal's and it was time to bid Adieu to the Wonderful-Enchanting village Orchha.Went back to the Hotel,packed my stuff and started for Khajuraho in the Afternoon.
Orchha to Khajuraho 180 Kms more.Plan was to reach there by evening and i quite succeeded in my plan.I reached Khajuraho,the place was quite crowded with Firangs.Found an decent hotel for 300 bucks.I dumped my luggage and went to the nearby Western Group of temples.
Khajuraho has 22 temples,made up of sandstone.These stone blocks were first carved and then the interlocking pieces were assembled to form a temple. Each temple is different from one another.These beautiful group of temples shows us the golden time of art and devotion at their peak.
Temples usually close at 06:00 PM.I still had 30 mins in hand,so i purchased the entry ticket and started clicking the beautiful architecture and Kamasutra Poses
Many Kama Positions carved very nicely on the Sandstone
Now this is INSANE
:P
And Squirrel in action
More pics of Western Group Of Temple
And finally sun went down,I went back to my Hotel.Meanwhile i heard about the night show but i gave it a miss and planned to check out the show tomorrow night.I went out for a night walk and a beer.This sums up the end of the Day 08
Cheers
Biru
I planned to visit the temples first,then chattris and then the Raja Mahal.Everything which can be seen in Orchha is at walkable distance.
Orchha is quite a photographer's delight. It turns absolutely magnificent during the evenings and the Morning time.
Orchha's History - Raja Rudra Pratap started the construction of Orchha but he coud not finish it as he was killed trying to rescue a cow from the clutches of a tiger. However, the construction continued. Thereafter, the Bundela dynasty's fortunes depended on the goodwill of the Mughals. Orchha's most illustrious ruler was Raja Bir Singh Deo. During his 22-year rule, Bir Singh Deo erected a total of 52 forts and palaces across the region, including the citadel at Jhansi, the rambling Narsing Dev at Datia, and many of Orchha's finest buildings.
Sad that one of the finest building Sheesh Mahal is converted into Hotel now
Before visiting to the temple i went to Betwa for a swim/Bath
Few Furious kids
The Chhatris - A solemn row of pale brown weed-choked domes and spires, the Chhatris at the Bank of Betwa are Orchha's most beautiful ruins. The fourteen chhatris, memorials to Bundelkhand's former rulers, are best viewed from the narrow road bridge (on the Betwa) or from the boulders on the opposite bank, where one can see the full effect of their reflection in the still waters of the Betwa.
Later i went to Chaturbhuja Temple.It has huge pointed shikharas soaring high above the village.
This job ain't bad
After visiting Chaturbhuja Temple i went to the Devi Temple which is just next to it.
Devi Temple
At the terrace of the Devi Temple,No body is allowed here but i managed to bribe the kid who had the key of the locked door which leads to the Top.From here you can get the Top view of Orchha
Next was the Raja Mahal,which was also on the walkable distance from the Devi temple.
View of the Raja Mahal from the Terrace of the Devi temple
History of the Fort - Work on the Raja Mahal was started by Raja Rudra Pratap, but he died in 1531, leaving the construction incomplete. His son, Bharti Chand, completed the front and the main portion of the palace, but could not complete the building during his lifetime. The final touches to the Raja Mahal were added by one of the most prominent rulers of Orchha, 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 colourful on a variety of religious themes.
The Mahal includes lavish accommodations that are marked by elevated balconies. The various floors are interconnected by paths rise that are proportional tiers on all four sides. The entire structure is marked by towers and domed pavilions.
The interiors are beautifully done up with fragmented mirrors and paintings on both ceilings and walls. Some of them are still in good condition. Your tour to Orchha is incomplete without a visit to the Raj Mahal.
Ah ! what a pleasure i had in watching those beautiful paintings.Like any other Palace Durbar-e-Khas and the Diwan-i-Am were quite beautiful.Visited Jahangir Mahal and Rai Praveer Mahal as well which is in the Raja Mahal compound only.
Spended atleast two hours to admire the beauty of the Mahal's and it was time to bid Adieu to the Wonderful-Enchanting village Orchha.Went back to the Hotel,packed my stuff and started for Khajuraho in the Afternoon.
Orchha to Khajuraho 180 Kms more.Plan was to reach there by evening and i quite succeeded in my plan.I reached Khajuraho,the place was quite crowded with Firangs.Found an decent hotel for 300 bucks.I dumped my luggage and went to the nearby Western Group of temples.
Khajuraho has 22 temples,made up of sandstone.These stone blocks were first carved and then the interlocking pieces were assembled to form a temple. Each temple is different from one another.These beautiful group of temples shows us the golden time of art and devotion at their peak.
Temples usually close at 06:00 PM.I still had 30 mins in hand,so i purchased the entry ticket and started clicking the beautiful architecture and Kamasutra Poses
Many Kama Positions carved very nicely on the Sandstone
Now this is INSANE
:PAnd Squirrel in action
More pics of Western Group Of Temple
And finally sun went down,I went back to my Hotel.Meanwhile i heard about the night show but i gave it a miss and planned to check out the show tomorrow night.I went out for a night walk and a beer.This sums up the end of the Day 08
Cheers
Biru
Didn't you enter the Ram Mandir? It is another lifetime experience :)
ReplyDeleteDidn't you try photographing the vultures on the roofs of Chatris?
Datia is another place where you could visit a mahal similar to Jahangir Mahal, but much better!
Gorgeous photographs... I liked your motorcycle diaries...keep traveling
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