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Orchha
| India City: Orchha |
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Languages : p; : Hindi.
Telephone area code : 0517
Best time to visit : October to March
Orchha was once the capital of Bundelas. Today Orchha is set amongst a complex of well preserved palace and temples. Orchha was founded in the early 16th century by Rajput chieftain, Radra Pratap and remained the capital of powerful Rajput Kingdom from 1583 till 1783. Orcha's golden age was during the first half of the 17th century when Jehangir visited the city in 1606, a special palace, the Jehangir Mahal, was specially built for him. Later both Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb raided the city.
Orchha today is little more than a village with a population of only a couple of thousands and is definitely worth a visit.
The fort is reached by an arched bridge and the three palaces set in an open courtyard within the fort are the first buildings to explore. The tiered Jahangir Mahal was built in 1606 to commemorate the visit of Emperor Jahangir in 1606. The Raj Mahal, to the right of the courtyard, was built by Madhukar Shah and has bold colorful murals inside. The third palace, is the Rai Praveen Mahal, which is a two storey brick structure set in the gardens of Anand Mahal.
Of the many temples within the fort, three are especially worth visiting. The Ram Raja Mandir was originally a palace and became a temple more by accident than design. An image of Ram was installed while the temple, The Chaturbhuj was being built for it. For some reason the image could not be moved from the palace and despite its spires and ornate decoration became a sacred place. Linked to the Ram Raja is the Lakshminarayan temple, the interiors of which have some of the best preserved murals and wall paintings in Orcha.
How To Reach
By Air
Nearest airport is Gwalior (101 kms).
By Train
Shatabdi express from Delhi & Agra .
By Road
101 kms from Gwalior .
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