The most beautiful tales are told by the walls of the destructed forts
-Varsha Vaishnav
Orchha is a small, very small town located in Madhya Pradesh, just kilometers from Jhansi, waiting to be discovered. Located on the banks of the Betwa River, it basks in the glory of it’s past when it was the center of the massive Bundelkhand Empire in India, 7 centuries ago.
The first king of Orchha, Bundela Rajput, found it in 1531. And also built a massive fort, right on the banks of the Betwa River – the Orchha Fort. Which is now a protected monument in the list of Archeological Survey of India. The fort complex comprises of palaces, temples and other important structures. It was strategically built on the confluence of the Betwa and the Jamni River, on an island town cut from the main land. Some of the important places to visit inside the fort consist of the Raja Mahal, Jahangir Mahal, Sheesh Mahal, Gardens and Pavilions.
Located just 2.5 hrs drive from the world famous tourist attraction of India – The Khajuraho Temples – Orchha is often overlooked and remains very offbeat. I myself didn’t know about this place until recently. When I discovered it through an article talking about offbeat places to see in Madhya Pradesh. The ancient architecture and the beautiful carvings and paintings of the fort immediately caught my attention. And in that moment rooted the desire to visit here.
So, we visited the Orchha fort of Bundelkhand on our recent road trip to Madhya Pradesh. In fact, we stayed in Orchha for one week, visiting the cenotaphs, Raja Ram Temple and few other places of interest apart from the Orchha fort of Bundelkhand, but more on them later. For now, let us take you through an armchair tour of the Orchha Fort of Bundelkhand.
PS : Before arriving at Orchha, we also visited Jabalpur and Bhedaghat , stayed for a couple of nights in Bandhavgarh doing tiger safari and visited the world famous temples of Khajuraho.
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Entrance to the Orchha Fort of Bundelkhand Empire
Orchha is a very small town. Near the main market area, there is a public parking space where one can safely park their vehicle. And then proceed to the entrance to the Orchha Fort. There is a multi-arched bridge from the main road to the main gate of the fort, made of granite stones. Inside, you come to one more entrance. Towards the right of this gate lies the Jahangir Fort and Raja Mahal. Also, towards the right lies the entrance ticket counter. One can either take an audio guide or hire a guide here.
Jahangir Mahal inside the Orchha Fort of Bundelkhand
After buying the entrance tickets, we proceeded to Jahangir Mahal first. While reaching here, we crossed the “Deewan-e-Aam” the courtroom of the king for public. There are clear sign boards all over the fort indicating which way to take. Don’t get mislead by the nomenclature of the palace. For, Jahangir Mahal was not a palace of the Mughal emperor Jahangir. Rather, it was made to humor him, who was a guest of the Maharaja Bir Singh Deo, for just one night!!
As a result, this palace has an interesting blend of Mughal / Muslim and Rajput architectural styles. It has a symmetrical style. With a large central courtyard. Steep steps lead to upper floors of the palace. There are a total of 4 floors. These are all characterised by hallways with arches, domes and huge windows that overlook the vast stretch of forests on one side. And the views of the Betwa River and the temples outside the fort complex on the other side.
The steep stairs and narrow arched passageways reminded me of the grand Palace of Udaipur, where, I had seen similar structure on my 4 days trip exploring Udaipur. And I remembered the interesting story behind it – the narrow stairs and cramped entryways were built on purpose to delay attackers from rushing inside the palace and accessing it’s parts. Interesting, isn’t it? But yes, we need to be extra careful when climbing up and down these stairways.
On the other hand, the courtyards reminded me of some of the vast courtyards we visited on our trip exploring the Amer Fort in Jaipur on our 3 days trip to Jaipur.
Pravin Rai Mahal and it’s legend
A special mention to the entrance gate of the Jahangir palace in Orchha Fort of Bundelkhand, which is decorated with carvings and painted with blue ornamentations, the royal baths that it leads to. And the a small palace within a palace – the Pravin Rai Mahal which is built within a Mughal Style Garden.
There is an interesting legend behind the Pravin Rai Mahal. It is said, this Palace was built for Rai Pravin, a female escort of the king. Her painting adorns the wall of this Mahal. She was a poet and musician whom Emperor Akbar had taken to his palace to be his courtesan. But, she wanted to return to Orchha, where her heart resided. So, she composed a poem stating how she was already “taken” and not “fit for the emperor”. It actually moved Akbar and she was able to return to Orchha.
Raja Mahal
Raja Mahal literally means “King’s Palace”. This is the main palace where the kings and queens of Orchha resided till the fort was abandoned in the 18th century. The interiors of this palace are rich in their architectural design and decoration. Typically depicting murals, animals and mythical animals. Not just the walls , but even the ceilings of the palace are decorated in beautiful paintings, the blue color and the mirrors still very evident through the faded parts, which gives them the shine of the emerald.
This palace is famous for its design. For, it is designed in such a way that through different times of the day, the sunlight lights up different parts of the palace. Creating “cool”, “warm” and other temperature moods all through the palace.
The Raja Mahal also has several levels. While the ground floor houses the official parts like the Deewan-e-khas where the courtroom of the king was setup with his ministers to discuss the important matters of state.
While on the upper floors resided the king, queen and their family in different parts. Also, this being the main palace, it houses several secret passageways which the king and his family used as escape routes in case of attacks.
Sheesh Mahal inside the Orchha Fort of Bundelkhand
The Sheesh Mahal lies between the Jahangir Palace and the Raja Mahal. We passed it on way to the Jahangir Palace inside the Orchha Fort of Bundelkhand. However, it is now converted into a hotel owned by MPTDC. The large hall of Sheesh Mahal has now been converted into a dining hall for the hotel. While the suites on the upper floor are used as guest rooms. We did once think of staying here while in Orchha. But, after our stay in Hotel Raj Mandir inside the Jaisalmer Fort we decided against it. Since, unfortunately these old forts are often dingy. So, while one can enjoy a couple of days here, staying longer may not be suitable. And we planned to stay in Orchha for a week. However, that is our opinion, since, we haven’t experienced staying in the Sheesh Mahal hotel, we can’t really comment on it’s current status.
Raja Ram Mandir inside the Orchha Fort of Bundelkhand
One of the queens of Orchha, Rani Ganeshkuwari, had a dream Lord Ram asked her to build a temple inside the Raja Mahal. That is when, a part of the palace was converted into a temple called “Raja Ram Mandir” . And Orchha is also fondly called “Land of Raja Ram”.
As per the local legend, the Queen initially built a temple called “Chaturbhuj Temple” outside the fort after having the dream. While this temple was under construction, she went to Ayodhya to get an idol of Lord Ram to be installed in the temple. Since, the temple was still not complete, she kept the idol inside the palace. But afterwards when the Chaturbhuj Temple was completed, and attempt made to move the idol there, it couldn’t be moved. So, instead of moving the idol to the temple, a part of the palace was converted into a temple itself, around the idol. And the Chaturbhuj Temple remained without an idol.
A combination of these interesting legends, beautiful architectural designs and a peak into the glorious past of India, it’s culture and tradition from different eras is what really drives me to visiting these forts and palaces. Do let me know what interests you the most when visiting the glorious ancient places like the Orchha Fort of Bundelkhand.
Other places of interest to visit in Orchha
The Chhatris of Orchha
Chhatris of the Maharajas of Bundelkhand lying on the banks of the river Betwa is another major attraction in Orchha. We visited here another evening.
The river Betwa behind the Orchha Fort of Bundelkhand
River Betwa is itself one of the attractions of Orchha. Most of the accommodations in this area are located on the bank of River Betwa. We ourselves stayed in one such place – hotel Bundelkhand Riverside. But, we will not recommend staying here, at least for long. Because, the property is old and the hygiene is not up to the mark, especially when it comes to food and water. However, the staff were very helpful . And we really enjoyed the views of the river from the rooms. Morning and evening we walked to the river banks and sat there for hours. And saw people enjoying rafting on the river. Actually Betwa River in Orchha is one of the best rafting spots in India. And there are many more stay options in Orchha on the bank of river Orchha. You can check them out here.
Other temples, cafes etc.
The streets of Orchha from the highway to the forts are lined with some beautiful old temples and some quirky cafes. So, you can explore them randomly if you have time at hand.
Convenient day trips from Orchha
Gwalior Fort
One can easily do a day trip to the Gwalior Fort from Orchha. The driving distance from Gwalior to Orchha is 2 hours.
Khajuraho Temple Complex
One can also visit the Khajuraho temple complex from Orchha. It is located at a driving distance of around 3 hours. The temple complex is world famous and a UNESCO World heritage site. It really doesn’t need any introduction. Refer to our post for Khajuraho :-
Our complete guide to visiting Khajuraho
Must visit temples of Khajuraho (coming soon)
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