Orchha : The Palaces : Part 1

Orchha, means hidden.  And many say that this was the comment a Rajput Chief said ‘ondche’ meaning ‘it lies low’ because it was surrounded by mountains, forest and the river Betwa, a tributary of the Yamuna River.

One of the gates coming into the city of Orchha.

The gates into the palaces.

Many of the monuments in Orchha are attributed to Bir Singh Deo’s reign.  He lived between 1592–1627.

We first visited The Palace which is a compound of three palaces. Raj Mahal, Jajangir Mahal and Sheesh Mahal, now a hotel.

We pay the entrance and then go on to our tour.  Sanjay had one of his friends give us a tour of the palaces.  He knew so much., it was great to be with him to show us around.

Cows are everywhere.

Paintings from the 1500′s.

Paintings in different rooms.   Different motifs. Different stories.

Photo by Lucas

 

 

We are trying to capture every moment as it comes.  With pictures.  Drawings. Stories.  Notes.  New friends.  Each of us in our own ways.  We are all enjoying them.

No matter the size, it makes you feel so small standing in the middle of this fortress.

The view.

Seeing this amazing work of art in such a scale it’s impossible to understand how they did it hundreds of years ago, without the machinery we have today.  Unbelievable.

Climbed lots of stairs.

Right at this moment we went in to one of the palaces, Shish Mahal, which has been turned into a hotel.  Not very expensive.  about $80 per night a double occupancy room. We went in to use the bathroom and to have a delicious cold drink in a room with AC. Perfect break for everyone.

Next post is the other places in Orchha.