From My Eyes - Orchha

 This was a part of my trip to Bundelkhand region.

Chattris From Across The Bridge

After seeing a few places in Gwalior and the Pitambari Peeth in Datia, we left for Orchha. We reached Orchha around 3:30 in the afternoon and started looking for rooms. First stop was at Ganpati Guest House, very near the market place. Here I was quoted a room for Rs 850/- with A/C, without TV. I asked for a room with TV to which the owner said none of the rooms have TV as the other guests (foreigners) tend to sleep early and do not want to be disturbed by the noise of the TV. Since I had my son with me and he is a big fan of cartoons on TV, we moved ahead. We went to Hotel Sunrise near Betwa river. Here we were again quoted Rs 850/- with A/C and TV. We then checked out Bhandari Guest House which is next to Sunrise. Here we were quoted Rs 700 for a room with Air Cooler. So after some deliberation we decided to stay in Sunrise. We opted for a room on the first floor. There are also rooms on the second floor which are far better and costlier than the ones on the first floor. After settling down and refreshing ourselves we went towards the Betwa river. There were many people near the river bathing, sitting and chatting. We walked on the bridge and had a good view of the Chattris across the river. The night was spent in the hotel.

The next day we left for Jhansi and came back to Orchha again at around 3:30 in the evening. After refreshing our selves we went to see the Chattris from close range. We wanted to see the garden inside the complex since it was recommended by the hotel guy. He informed us that the garden was renovated for

Garden Inside Chattri Complex

some Hollywood movie shooting. Unfortunately it was closed and I could see just a part of the garden from a small opening in the wall. This scene which was captured in the camera will never be forgotten by a tough cookie, (I think) when it was posted in Where Was This Photo Taken thread here. The chattris are quite huge when you see them from close. I have seen other snaps where I could see vultures sitting on top of the structures. We were unfortunate not to see them. After seeing all the Chattris up close we again moved towards the river. We crossed the bridge and went near the grassland. We sat there for some time till it was the right time to take a few pictures of the sunset with the Chattris in the foreground. It was quite an amazing view which might not look the same in the snaps.

Raja Mahal

The next morning our driver wanted to be relieved a bit sooner. So we had to alter our plan a bit. We first moved to the Laxmi Narayan temple which is atop a small hill from where you could see most of Orchha and their tourist spots. In this temple there is no idol, which was stolen by some thieves. The temple was also closed and a few cows were grazing there. The next halt was at the palace. Here we bid our driver good bye. After making the final payment for the vehicle the driver did not move. This, as most of you must know by now, was an indication that a tip was expected. I paid him Rs 500/- as tip (some might feel this was a too less) which he accepted hesitantly and drove off. We took the tickets for the entrance and as usual accosted by guides quoting Rs 200/- for a guided tour. We settled on Rs 100/- and our tour started with the Raja Mahal. Here there are a few places where there are excellent frescoes which unfortunately can not be captured on camera since flash photography is not allowed neither tripods are allowed. After spending some time at the Raja Mahal we moved to Jehangir Mahal, which was supposedly constructed by the king for Jehangir. It’s architecture is a mix on Indian and Mughal style. After spending some more time here, we moved on to the Chatturbhuj temple.

There is an amazing story related to this temple which was told to us by our guide. Thus goes the story. It was said that the queen was a big devotee of Lord Rama. It is said that once Lord Rama appeared in her dream and instructed her to carry an idol of him from Ayodhya to Orchha without setting it down. If she kept the idol down it would not budge from the spot. On waking up she informed the king about the dream. The king started building the Chatturbhuj temple while the queen herself went to Ayodhya to get a statue of him so that it could be installed in the Chatturbhuj temple. When she reached Orchha the temple was undergoing finishing touches and the queen being tired kept the idol at the palace kitchen. Once the temple was complete when the statue did not budge, it was decided to convert the kitchen to a temple. Thus that temple came to

Chatturbhuj Temple

be known as the Ram Raja temple, the only one of its kind where Lord Rama is revered as a king. He also informed us that if we look at the Chatturbhuj temple we have to climb some stairs. The reason behind that was to keep the place where the idol was to be installed at the same height as the queen’s room so that the queen would be able to see the statue once she gets up in the morning. Another reason as to why the idol did not budge from the place where it was kept down is that Lord Rama knew that he would be placed in such a way that the queen could see him without her making an effort to come to the temple. If the idol did not budge from the resting place then the queen would have no option but to take some effort and come and see him daily. I do not know how much truth is there in this story. But the locals also vouch that story. We Indians do know how to tell a story and relate it to an incident.

The Chatturbhuj temple is a huge building with a huge area. There was no crowd inside the temple. Only a couple of men were sitting at an open space, the pujari and us. I did not know that one could climb up the temple and have an good view of the surroundings. We were unfortunate to miss that also. Since the temple could not be kept without an idol, the king installed an idol of Lord Vishnu with 4 hands, hence the name of the temple. After the Chatturbhuj temple the next halt was the Ram Raja temple. No camera and leather belts allowed inside the temple. You are inspected at the place where you leave your shoes. Even if you request the shoe mender to let you pass, there are security guards at the temple entrance who literally check the belts before allowing you to pass. I had a tough time since I was wearing a loose jean. I had to literally

Ram Raja Temple

hold my jeans and walk around in the temple. It is said that the last aarti at the temple is not to be missed which normally happens around 10:00 every day. When we were there it was some special day hence I avoided going to see the aarti and also I had some mixed reviews of the aarti at IM. Again the evening was spent at the river side. I saw a rafting boat being kept in the shed. I do not remember the rates now. I think it was Rs 800/- for a trip from the Chattris to Bundelkand Resort and back. It starts in the morning at around 11:00 till evening 5:00. It is for a duration of around 45 minutes.

The next day was spent leisurely since we were doing some souvenir hunting at the shops in and around the temple complex. During this time I also took the opportunity to see the sawan badhon (wind catchers). We had asked the hotel guy to arrange for an auto to take us to Jhansi Station from where we took our train back home. The journey was around 45 minutes and cost us Rs 150/-