| | | Orchhâ
Orchhâ (India)
| | | | Orchha (or Urchha) is a town in Tikamgarh district of Madhya Pradesh state, India. The town was the seat of an eponymous former princely state of central India, in the Bundelkhand region. Orchha lies on the Betwa River, 15 km. from Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh. | | Orchhâ : Virtual tour |  | 28 sections and 64 items |
 |
Orchhâ : Building(s) (2)
|  | Badgir Sawan Bhadon Towers
Dastagirs
approx. between 1605 and 1627
During the hot summer months, the rulers and their families literally went underground of the Phool Bagh to beautifully constructed rooms called the Thakhana below the pavilion.
|
| Chhatris of Orchhâ (12)
Cenotaphs
between the XVIth and the XVIIIth century
Fifteen cenotaphs, (or Chhatris), to the Bundela kings and members of their clan are located on the northern bank of the River Betwa about 500m south of the village.
|
|  | Diwan Ka Mahal
approx. between 1604 and 1627
The palace, located at the south of Chaturbhja temple, was constructed by Vir Singh (1604-1627), but was used by Arjun Singh Dhandhera, the brother in law of Vir Singh. Arjun Singh was a land lord of Sahara Shahabad and the Diwan of Orchhâ.
|
| Jahangir Mahal (6)
Jehangir Mahal
1626
The Jahangir Mahal is the Orchha's single most admired palace. It is a fine example of Rajput Bundela architecture and the culminating point of the evolution of medieval Indo-Islamic architecture.
|
|  | Jujhar Singh Palace
approx. between 1604 and 1627
This palace was constructed by Vir Singh Deo. It is said that he built nine palaces for his son called Nauchauki. Jujhar Singh palace was one of them.
|
|  | Orchcha Fort (4)
1521
The Orchcha Fort is built on a small island in the Betwa river. The island is connected to the mainland by a multi-arched bridge.
|
|  | Palaki Mahal
approx. between 1605 and 1627
The palace, located in front of Hardaul Bathaka, is called Palaki Mahal due to its large palanquin roof. It was built by King Vir Singh Dev (1605-1627).
|
|  | Phool Bagh (1)
Phool Bagh Palace
approx. between 1605 and 1627
The Phool Bagh is a flower garden containing a palace, named after it. King Vir Singh Dev, (1605-1627), built this garden and palace.
|
|  | Rai Parveen Mahal
Anand Mandal Bagh
approx. between 1672 and 1676
The palace is a low brick building, only two storeys high, combined with a garden divided into two parts by a wall and which is popularly known as Anand Mandal Bagh.
|
| Raja Mahal (6)
between 1531 and 1539
The construction of the Raja Mahal was started in 1531 by Raja Rudra Pratap, (the first Bundela ruler of Orchha between 1503-1531), and was completed in 1539 in the reign of Bharti Chandra (1531-1554).
|
|  | Shyam Daua Ki Kothi
approx. between 1604 and 1627
The building has two courtyards having arched entrances facing east that are decorated with full bloomed lotus flowers on both sides. The three storeyed gateway is topped with a palanquin roof.
|
|  | Kanchana Ghats of river Betwa (1)
Multitudes of devotees come to the river to pay homage to the Sun God at the bathing ghats where pilgrims immerse themselves in the water of the Betwa.
|
|  | Betwa Retreat (3)
MPTDC Betwa Retreat is located next to Betwa River, at a walking distance from the Fort.
|
|  | City of Orchhâ (5)
Orchha (or Urchha) was the seat of an eponymous former princely state of central India, in the Bundelkhand region. Orchha lies on the Betwa River, 15 km from Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh.
|
| Guide, map and satellite view of Orchhâ (3)
Orchha is a town in Madhya Pradesh near the banks of Betwa river. The medieval city of Orchha seems to have frozen in time, its palaces and temples still retaining their original grandeur.
|
|  | Jhansi Railways Station (5)
From Agra/Delhi/Gwalior : Take a train to Jhansi station, and then hire a car or auto-rickshaw to Orchha which is 15km away.
|
| Markets in Orchhâ (3)
The main market is located in the square in front of the Ram Raja Temple and the road that leads off it through a gatehouse towards the palaces.
|
Orchhâ : Place(s) of worship (8)
|  | Chattri of Dinman Hardaul (1)
Dinman Hardaul is second-son of Vir Singh Deo. He gave up his life to prove his innocence to his elder brother Jhujhar Singh who doubted the relationship of Hardaul with Jhujhar's wife.
|
|  | Chaturbhuj Temple (1)
between 1558 and 1573
This huge temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu's four armed reincarnation (Chaturbhuj). The temple plan is a combination of temple and palace architecture and was built by Raja Madhukar between 1558 and 1573.
|
|  | Ram Raja Temple (1)
approx. between 1531 and 1554
This palace turned temple, which was constructed by the Bundela king Bharti Chand (1531-1554), With its soaring spires and palatial architecture, is one of the most unusual in India.
|
Orchhâ : Watercourses (1)
|  | River Betwa
The Betwa is a river in Northern India, and a tributary of the Yamuna. Also known as the Vetravati, the Betwa rises in the Vindhya Range just north of Hoshangabad in Madhya Pradesh and flows north-east through Madhya Pradesh and flow through Orchha to Uttar Pradesh.
|
| | |
| | Orchhâ : Description | |
|
Places of tourist interest
On a seasonal island on the bank of the Betwa River, which has been surrounded by a battlement wall, stands a huge palace-fort. The fort consists of several connected buildings erected at different times, the most noteworthy of which are the Rajmandir and the Jahangir Mahal.
The Rajmandir is built on a square base and has an almost entirely plain exterior, relieved by projecting windows and a line of delicate domes along the summit. The Jahangir Mahal is built on a rectangular base and is relieved by a circular tower at each corner surmounted by a dome, while two lines of graceful balconies supported on brackets mark the central storeys. The roof is crowned by eight large fluted domes, with smaller domes between them, connected by an ornamental balustrade. The Jahangir Mahal is considered to be a singularly beautiful specimen of domestic Hindu architecture.
Numerous cenotaphs or chhatris dot the vicinity of the fort and the Betwa river. Elsewhere about the town there is an unusual variety of temples and tombs, including the Chaturbhuj temple, which is built on a vast platform of stone. The more unguarded and neglected of these buildings are popular hangouts for tropical bees, wasps, and other such excitable stingy creatures.
Demographics
As of 2001 India census, Orchha had a population of 8499. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Orchha has an average literacy rate of 54%, lower than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 64%, and female literacy is 42%, 18% of the population is under 6 years of age.
In 2008, a community radio station, Radio Bundelkhand was launched in Orchha. The radio station broadcasts programs daily in the Bundeli dialect and devotes significant amount of its broadcast time to local issues, culture and rich tradition of Bundeli folk music. The station is available on 90.4 MHz.
From Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orchha
Text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_GNU_Free_Documentation_License | | Orchhâ : History | |
|
The history of Orchcha is inextricably linked with Bundelkhand or Yuddhadesa, as it was known. This was a war-torn region in the heart of India. The Bundelas can be traced back to the 14th century AD. There are various legends about the origin of the Bundelas. The Kshutr Purkash, written under the patronage of Raja Chatrasaal, claims that the Bundelas are of the lineage of Lord Rama of the Suryavanshi clan.
Another account states that the Bundelas were Rajputs of mixed blood, their race being traced to the inter-marriage of a Gaharwar Rajput chief and a Khangar girl. Yet another story woven around this dynasty, speaks of the Bundelas as being the descendents of Ekalavya. This is because the Bundelas never use their thumb when shooting the arrow from the bow, in honour of Ekalavya. (Ekalavya was a prince belonging to a low caste. He was very keen to learn the skill of archery from the greatest teacher of the time, Dronacharya. Dronacharya, however, rejected him. Undeterred, Ekalavya built a clay image of Dronacharya and taught himself how to use the bow. He became so accomplished at this skill, that Dronacharya demanded that Ekalavya give him the thumb of his right hand as his gurudakshina or teacher's fee. Without a second thought Ekalavya cut off his thumb. Such was his devotion to the teacher).
Another legend has it that a local Rajput chief, Maharajah Hemkaran or Panchum Singh Bundela was driven out of his kingdom by his brothers. While he was in exile, he decided to offer his life as a sacrifice to goddess Vindhyavasini Bhavani. However, just as he took up his sword, she appeared to him. The drop (būnd) of his blood that had fallen on the ground miraculously took the form of a baby, and was suckled by the goddess herself. The people who were born of this child were known as Bundelas. The Maharajah then, with the blessings of the goddess, established his kingdom in Mahauni which is in the Vindhya mountains. The high-spirited and highly independent Bundelas refused to be subdued by the Mughals. As time passed, some Bundela kings commanded army units in the Mughal army as they moved south. Thus, the legendary Raja De Singh (Tej Singh) features quite prominently in Tamil lore. Similarly, Raja Bheem Singh's 20-year rule in the Rayal Seema area is written about in the Srisaila Charitra of the Kurnool District in Andhra Pradesh.
Closer home, a Bundel chief Rudra Pratap founded the Bundela kingdom at Orchcha. He ruled Orchcha from 1501 to 1531 when he died while trying to save a cow from a lion. He built the Fort of Orchha.
The Chaturbhuj Temple was built, during the time of Akbar, by the Queen of Orchha, while Raj Mandir was built by 'Madhukar Shah' during his reign, 1554 to 1591.
During the rule of Mughal Emperor, Jahangir, his ally, Bir Singh Deo (r. 1605-1627) reigned here, and it was during this period that Orchha reaches its height, and many extant palaces are a reminder of its architectural glory, including Jahangir Mahal (b. ca 1605) and Sawan Bhadon Mahal.
In the early 17th century, Raja Jujhar Singh rebelled against the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, whose armies devastated the state and occupied Orchha from 1635 to 1641. Orchha and Datia were the only Bundela states not subjugated by the Marathas in the 18th century. The town of Tehri, presently Tikamgarh, about 40 miles (64 km) south of Orchha, became the capital of Orchha state in 1783, and is presently the district town; Tehri was the site of the fort of Tikamgarh, and the town eventually took the name of the fort.
Hamir Singh, who ruled from 1848 to 1874, was elevated to the style of Maharaja in 1865. Maharaja Pratap Singh (born 1854, died 1930), who succeeded to the throne in 1874, devoted himself entirely to the development of his state, himself designing most of the engineering and irrigation works that were executed during his reign.
In 1901, the state had an area of 2,000 sq mi (5,200 km2), and population of 52,634. It was the oldest and highest in rank of all the Bundela states, with a 17-gun salute, and its Maharajas bore the hereditary title of First of the Prince of Bundelkhand. Vir Singh, Pratap Singh's successor, merged his state with the Union of India on January 1, 1950. The district became part of Vindhya Pradesh state, which was merged into Madhya Pradesh state in 1956. Today Orchha is almost a nondescript town with a small population, and its importance is maintained only due to its rich architectural heritage and tourism.
Books on the rich history of Orchha are available in local shops, mostly in the Hindi language. Only a thorough reading of some of this material will tell about the rich and varied history of this place.
Rulers
* Râja before the Bundelâ
- 1048-1071 : Pancham Singh
- 1071-1087 : Virbhadra Singh
- 1087-1112 : Karanpal Singh
- 1112-1130 : Kinnar Shah
- 1130-1152 : Shaukan Dev
- 1152-1159 : Nanak Dev
- 1159-1197 : Mohanpal Singh
- 1197-1215 : Abhaybhupati Singh
- 1215-1231 : Arjunpal Singh
- 1231-1251 : Virpal Singh
- 1251-1259 : Sohanpal Singh
- 1259-1283 : Sahjendra Singh
- 1283-1307 : Nanak Dev Ii
- 1307-1339 : Prithviraj Singh
- 1339-1375 : Ram Singh
- 1375-1384 : Ramchandra Singh
- 1384-1437 : Mednepal Singh
- 1437-1468 : Arjun Dev
- 1468-1501 : Malkhan Singh
* Râja Bundelâ
- 1501-1531 : Rudra Pratap
- 1531-1554 : Bharti Chand
- 1554-1592 : Madhukar Shah
- 1592-1604 : Ram Shah
- 1604-1627 : Vir (Bir)Singh Deo
- 1627-1635 : Jhujhar Singh
- 1635-1641 : Devi Singh
- 1641-1653 : Pahar Singh
- 1653-1672 : Sujan Singh I
- 1672-1675 : Indramani Singh
- 1675-1684 : Jashwant Singh
- 1684-1689 : Bhagwat Singh
- 1689-1735 : Udwat Singh
- 1735-1752 : Prithvi Singh
- 1752-1765 : Sanwant Singh
- 1765-1768 : Hati Singh
- 1768-1775 : Man Singh
- 1775-1776 : Bharti Singh
- 1776-1817 : Vikramajit (+1834)
- 1817-1834 : Dharam Pal (+1834)
- 1834 : Vikramajit
- 1834-1841 : Tej Singh (+1841)
- 1841-1854 : Sajjan Singh II (+1854)
- 1854-1865 : Hamir Singh (+1874)
* Mahârâja
- 1865-1874 : Hamir Singh
- 1874-1930 : Pratap Singh (1854-1930)
- 1930-1950 : Vir Singh (1899-1956) | | Orchhâ : More pictures | |
| | | | Related article(s) | |
|
| | |
|
