Melancholic Evening at Orchha

Posted by Angshuman (New Delhi, India) on 21 March 2008 in Architecture.

The very word "Orchha" means "hidden" and, verily, this small town stands for it. It is a hidden archaeological legacy of medieval India, it is a hidden 'throb' of romance and emotional rupture, it is a hidden face of history, a hidden treasure of spiritual tranquility, a hidden poetry written on stones! Hidden .. because very few tourists traveling to India are troubled to visit such small places as Orchha. Those, having a feeling of being endowed with inner aesthetic sense, have to visit Orchha and experience its melodious lull and transcendence.

Orchha is believed to be founded in the 16th century by a Bundela Rajput chief named Rudra Pratap.

With the solemn row of pale brown weed-choked domes and spires, the riverside Chhattris or cenotaphs are Orchha's most melancholy ruins. These are temples constructed as memorials to illustrious Bundela kings. The banks of the Betwa river are dotted with 14 of these cenotaphs.

Indeed the Chhattris are best viewed from this bridge or from the boulders on the opposite bank, where one can see their remarkable silhouettes against the setting sun & their reflections on the still waters of the Betwa.

(C) Angshuman Chatterjee