Having recently visited the towns of Orcha and Khajuraho I wanted to share this article exploring these fascinating destinations which both feature in our Ancient India in Style tour itinerary.
Both
Orcha and Khajuraho are small towns with a wealth of stunning architecture to
offer. Situated in the Central Indian
state of Madhya Pradesh these two towns lie at the very heart of India.
On
arrival in Orcha you can immediately see the palace and temples and due to the
size of the town everything is easily accessible on foot. The palace complex is split into three
comprising Jehangir Mahal, Maharana Mahal and a third palace now converted into
a hotel. Jehangir Mahal is a beautiful
palace offering stunning views of the Betwa river and surrounding
countryside. The building has a mix of
Hindu and Mughal architecture which can still be seen by the green and blue
tiles and painting. In the centre of the
main courtyard is a tub for bathing surrounded by four heated water tanks
making it a very early example of a hot tub.
Jehangir Mahal
Maharana
Mahal is situated slightly lower on the hill and one of its most impressive
features is the Maharana chambers with a number of original fresco paintings which
are surprisingly well preserved due to the lack of natural light in the
room. Built on the same level of ground
as the Chaturbhuj temple it is possible to see straight into the temple from
the maharanas bedroom window, allowing him to worship without ever leaving the
Palace.
The
temples of Orcha are also well worth a visit.
The Laxmi temple situated on a hill contains further fresco paintings as
well as a number of etchings depicting scenes from the Ramayana. The Chaturbhuj temple is a large building
showing a fusion of Hindu, Mughal and Christian architecture. The Rama temple at the centre of the town was
originally the maharanis palace which can clearly be seen from the beautiful
inner courtyard. This is the only temple
in India where lord Rama is worshipped as a king. The best time to visit the temple is in time
for the evening prayer ceremony where the inner doors are opened to reveal lord
Rama inside.
Orcha is
also famous for its cenotaphs built for the ruling maharanas. In total there are 15 cenotaphs all of
different sizes depending on the length of the maharanas reign. The best place to view the cenotaphs is from
a small garden where the green grass and the colourful flowers make a perfect
picture with the stone buildings.
A short
distance from Orcha is Khajuraho a UNESCO world heritage sight featuring a
collection of temples built during the Chandella dynasty. Temple building was a tradition of Chandella
rulers and the ornate temples were designed to bring spiritual peace through
eroticism. Originally there were 84
temples surrounded by dense jungle. Each
temple sits on a base of granite with the upper made from sandstone allowing
the many intricate carvings.
There are
thousands of carvings on the upper parts of the temple buildings showing women
in many different poses dancing, singing and playing and also of some of the
many Hindu gods. The Khajuraho temples
are most well known for the erotic carvings depicting scenes from the Kama
sutra. These carvings are mixed in with
the women and the gods and it can take a minute before you realise what you are
looking at. It is said that the carvings
were intended to discourage the bachelor lifestyle and encourage a family life.
Carving Examples
In the
evening time there is a light and sound show at the southern group of temples
which is very interesting if you want to know the story of the temples. It's tells how the temples were built then
fell in to disrepair and were rediscovered in the thick jungle to become the beautiful
sight they are today.
Visit www.worldtravellia.com for a closer look at our Ancient India in Style itinerary.
