Orchha Madhya Pradesh

Orchha : If you are traveeling by road from jhansi to khajuraho , it is worhtwhile making a detour to see the lovely, deserted, 16th century royal capital of Orchha.
Orchha lies 19 kilometer southeast from Jhansi on the khajuraho road. Taxis are available at orchha at the MP tourism Hotel Sheesh Mahal. One can spend an entire picnicking by the pretty river and visiting Orchha's painted palaces, temples and mausoleums.

Raja Rudra pratap chose this exotic site on the loop of the betwa river and built the fortification walls and citadel. The buildings were completed by his sucessors. Bir Singh Deo ( 1605 to 1627) was the ruler of Orchha during the regin of the mughal emperor Akbar. Bir Singh sought an alliance with akhbar's son. Prince salim, later to be known as emperor jahangir, and together they plotted and killed Abu'l Fazl one of Akhbar's cheif ministers. The lovely Jahangir Mandir was built by Raja Bir Singh for his friend jahangir when he visited orchha. During Jahangir's reign Bir Singh rose to great prominence but fell from grace when he revolted against Jahangir's sucessor Shah Jahan ( the builder of the Taj Mahal in Agra). Bir Singh was defeated by shah Jahan's son Aurangzeb, destined to become the next Mughal emperor.

There is a lovely little arched bridge that leads to the rocky island on which stand the remains of three palaces. The most beautiful palace in Orchha is Jahangir Mandir, square in plan with doorways on it massive fortified exterior. the elaborate entranceway leads into a sqaure courtyard surrounded on four sides by decorated palace rooms, passageways, balconies and pretty windows that offer breathtaking glimpses of the Betwa River.

Raj Mahal, stands to the right of the courtyard. Similar to the other royal architectureof the region, the bold, somewhere severe, exterior gives no hint of the opulence and beauty of the interiors.

Rai praveen Mahal is a two - storyed brick structure set in the garden of Anand Mahal. According to legend this delicately proportioned palacewas constructed for a lovely poetess and musician who loved Raja Indramani, the ruler of Orchha. She was taken to the Mughal Court where, having expressed her loyal, undying love for the ruler of orchha was permitted by the emperor to return home.