O is for Orchha !

And today, from the mountain passes of Ladakh, I take you to Orchha - In the heartland of India !

Orchha is a small town in the state of Madhya Pradesh. It was established by the Bundela king Maharaja Rudra Pratap Singh in 1501.

Orchha is near the better known Khajuraho and most people end up bypassing it on their way there. But luckily, thanks to the insistence of a friend we didn't. She suggested we stop over at Orchha and stay the Sheesh Mahal – A palace that has now been converted into a hotel. And what an excellent decision that turned out to be !

The Palace is on top of a hill, surrounded by an almost forest like area. The ambiance was beautiful and incredibly peaceful.

Our hotel rooms were in the actual Palace and although it was not as grand as the palaces in Rajasthan, we did feel like royalty. 

We had a whole floor to ourselves. With a courtyard, a sitting area and a beautifully furnished room ! 

This is actually the view we had from our .. err .. loo :P

The best thing about staying at Sheesh Mahal was that we were actually staying in the vicinity of all the palaces. So to visit them, all we had to do was come down from our room !

We visited the Jehangir Mahal that was built to commemorate the Mughal emperor Jhenagir's visit to Orchha. It is stunning with its intricately carved network of columns, lattice windows and hanging balconies.

Orchha is also famous for the Chaturbhuj Temple, dedicated to lord Vishnu.It was built over a period of 20 years in the late 16th century. 

But the one thing Orchha is most famous for is its magnificent Chattris or Cenotaphs. There are about fifteen cenotaphs of the Bundela rulers and members of their family on the bank of the Betwa river. 

The best time to visit the Chatris is at Sunrise or sunset. The rays of the sun falling on the stone structures make them look really beautiful.

We went there a little before sunset.

After visiting the Chatris, we walked down to the River. Most of the tourists had left by then and we had the place to ourselves. We sat on the bank and watchedthe sun set over the Betwa River.