Magical Orchha!

In the afternoon drive from Jhansi to Orchha.

Orchha was founded in the 15th century AD by Bundela leader Rudra Pratap Singh who became the first king of Orchha.

When Orcha enters, the story collides at every turn. Stay anywhere and you are sure to see a mansion or two from your room or rooftop.

The first palace we visited was the Raja Mahal. This palace was built by Rudra Pratap Singh.

It has beautiful paintings on the ceiling and carvings on the walls. Fortunately, these photos are still visible

original colors!

Then we visited Jahangir Mahal. The Jahangir Mahal was built after Bundel Rajput Veer Singh Deo's rebellion against Mughal Emperor Akbar.

It was completed in 1598 by the victorious Mughal Prince Salim (later known as the Mughal Emperor).

Jahangir) after defeating Veer Singh Deo of Bundela, the archenemy of the Mongols.

By the time we finished visiting these palaces, it was evening and our guide advised us to go.

On the other side of the bridge over the Betwato River, you'll see a gorgeous sunset with the backdrop of the Chhatris or the monuments built in their honor.

Rulers of the Oman Oil Refinery Company.

Next morning it is time to visit Chaturbahuj temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It was built in 875.

During the imperial Gurjara Pratihara dynasty.

Next to it is the Ram Raja temple. Both Chaturbhuj Temple and RamRaj Temple have an interesting legend. King Orsha, King Madhukar Shah Jo Dev was a follower of Lord Krishna and his wife Kamla Devi was a fan of Lord Ram. One day they both went to Lord Krishna temple but at that time the temple was closed. They decide to join a group of devotees singing and dancing near the temple to glorify Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna and Radha were so happy that they danced with them. After this incident, the king asked the queen to accompany him to Mathura, the country of Lord Krishna, but the queen wanted to go to Ayodhya, the country of Lord Rama.

The Queen leaves the palace and goes on a long journey to Ayodhya (Rama's hometown) to take Lord Ram with her to Orchha. Before leaving, she did not tell the king but ordered her servants to start building a temple for Lord Rama (Chattopog Temple).

Arriving in Ayodhya, the Queen began to pray to Lord Ram near Lakshmana Fort on the banks of the Sarayo River. The queen was silent and prayed for a month, but Lord Ram never appeared, so the queen at last, in desperation, decided to jump into the river Sariya. Then something magical happened: Lord Ramp, as a child, slept on the Queen's lap.

The queen cried with joy. The Queen tells him that Lord Ram is pleased with his prayers and asks for his blessings, then the Queen asks Ram to come to Orchha as a child. Ram agreed but made three conditions: 1) I will only travel during the Puk Nakshatra, when the Puk Nakshatra ends, I will stop and continue only when the Puk Nakshatra starts again. So, I will walk from Ayodhya to Orsha with a group of sages. 2) When I reach Orcha, I will be the king of Orcha, not your husband. 3) When Ram's son form travels through the Queen's slap, she will first put me in his final resting place known as Ramraj.

The Queen agreed and began her journey to Orchha with infant Ram in her lap. As the Queen only traveled to Puk Nakshtra, it took 8 months and 27 days to travel from Ayodhya to Orchha (between 1574 and 1575). Meanwhile, King Madhukar Shah has a dream where Lord Krishna scolds him for the difference between Lord Ram and himself and reminds the King that Lord Ramand is the same, it makes no difference. When the king awakens, the queen returns from Ayodhya and apologizes profusely. The king went to meet the queen with horses, elephants, servants, food, etc. I apologize to the Queen. The queen does not accept the king's forgiveness and refuses the king's consolation. The Queen says she now has everything she could wish for (Lord Ram in the form of a child).

On her return to Orchha, the Queen returned to her palace with baby Ram and went to her room thinking that Lord Ram would take her to Chatubhuj Temple the next day. But as in the case of Lord Ram, he took first place where he was placed, so Lord Ram was made into an idol and hanged in the Queen's Palace. Today, the Ram Raja Temple is located in the Queen's Palace and not in the Chatterbog Temple adjacent to the palace.

Orcha is designed for all tastes. There are many restaurants listed by Lonely Planet here and these restaurants prove it.

How to get there :

By train : The nearest station is 16 km from Orchha. Jhansi is located on the main railway line and there are regular train lines to major cities in India.

By air: Gwalior is the nearest airport to Orchha (116 km) and is well connected to all major cities of India.

By car : Several private and public buses run between Jhansi (16 km) and Orchha. Orchha has good bus connectivity to Bhopal, Delhi, Varanasi, Khajuraho and Gwalior.

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