After completing Darshan in the Ramraja and the Chaturbhuj Temple we headed towards the Orchha fort.
The Bundela Rajput kings  had their capital in Tikamgarh.
For a naturally secured base, they shifted the capital to the riverine island of Orchha , and the fort was built in the 16th century by Rudra Pratap Singh.

By paying a nominal entrance fee of only rupees 10 we entered the fort complex .

The Raja Mahal greeted us with some beautiful frescos  . The natural colours derived from plants and vegetables , are still intact , and the massive architecture is adorned with murals ,  and tucked with secret tunnels, and underground chambers.

Crossing the heritage hotel Sheesh Mahal  , we reached the jewel of Orchha that is the Jahangir Mahal..

Veer Singh Deo assassinated Abul Fazal who was very close to emperor Akbar and tried to help Jahangir to become the next Mughal emperor .
To strengthen his relation with Jehangir he built and dedicated the Jehangir Mahal to the Mughal emperor . By combining the architecture of the Mughals with the Bundelas , the Jehangir Mahal stands out as one of the finest buildings of Orchha.


Repleted with dilapidated mansions and vacant structures , in the hot summers Orchha appeared empty and arid .


One of the contemporaries of Akbar was king Indrajeet who built a mansion for his favourite courtesan and lady love Rai Parveen . It is said, emperor Akbar himself was so enamored by her beauty and talent that she was invited to his court. Rai Parveen fearlessly refused his proposal, conveying that her heart and soul belonged to only king Indrajeet. Their love story has been immortalized in local Bundela folklores.


Gone are the days and the grandeur when the Orchha fort complex resonated to the tunes of music and galloping of horses. it is witness to battles fought and defeated , to  love found and lost , to faith broken and restored , and to the Rajas and Maharajas resting peacefully at the cenotaphs.