Unveiling Paradise: How I Found Heaven in Orchha
On the third and final day in Orchha, I found myself once again at the fort complex to finish what I’d started the day before. Little did I know that I’d end up finding one of the most peaceful places hidden deep in the fort complex which made me fall in love with this place even more!
Starting the day
I was originally planning to watch the sunrise from the Chhatris in the morning but wasn’t able to sleep early. Since I knew the amount of walking I was most likely going to do and since I had a train to catch, sleep was more important to me.
My only Orchha agenda was to finish the fort complex tour, have lunch at Sheesh Mahal there, and then visit the Royal Chhatris again.
The ticket is only valid for one day, so I wasn’t sure I’d need to get a new one. Luckily, I met the guide from yesterday outside and asked him and his colleagues if it was possible to use the same ticket again. They first hesitated but after some pleading about how hot it had been the day before and that only Jahangir Mahal was left for me to see, they said they’d try to convince the guard there. One of them even took me there on his bike and dropped me right at the entrance 🙂 The guard was also easy to convince. This Hindi-speaking-super-nice-firangi-image really is a door opener at times!
The ground floor rooms at Jahangir Mahal were rather scary, all rather dark and interconnected from multiple sides, almost maze-like. Going up, it becomes much easier but to find the stairs can be tricky. Upstairs you can see some remainings of the blue tiles that were everywhere earlier. I do hope that they will one day fully renovate it including the tile. What a beautiful sight it would make!
From the top, you can overlook the entire Orchha Fort complex, mostly some mandirs.
Like the Raja Mahal, the Jahangir Mahal was symmetrical too, a beautiful combination of Hinduistic and Islamic elements. Symmetrical patterns and arches paired with beautiful carvings and sculptures of elephants, peacocks, and other animals. The most impressive part of the palace is the main gate, with two elephants guarding the doorway, surrounded by many beautiful symmetrical carvings.
Crossing the camel stables and going down a few steps, I started exploring the rest of the fort complex, passing the gate Shahi Darwaja. I entered a farm-like scenery and found myself surrounded by corn fields, leaving civilisation behind. No noises except for the never-ending prayer from a Hanuman mandir close to the camel stables, which got fainter the further I got.
I met some kids still playing Holi and let them put some colour on my face. For a whole day, I had successfully avoided getting involved in playing Holi but now they finally got me 😀 They kept following me for a while till shortly before the Teen Dasiyon ka Mahal where there was a small shack with few goats and few women. They kept asking me if I had either money or a pen. Why a pen, that I never understood. Heard it quite often.
I saw a guy there carrying kayaking gear over a fence from there to carry it down to the river. That’s when I saw it first how beautiful it is down there.
I continued my way crossing the Shiv Temple, Panchmunkhi Mahadev Temple, Radhika Bihari Temple and finally Vanvasi Temple and it became even more serene. There was not a single person on my way except for some singing coming from Panchmunkhi Temple which I soon left behind me. In the end, I reached a higher platform from which I had a good view of all of my surroundings. Kids were bathing and playing in the water, a goat herd was chilling at the shores of the river and in a bit of a distance, some people were washing clothes at the river. Apart from that, there were only the sounds of birds. What more could I have asked for? 🙂 This is when I decided, that there’s definitely going to be a next time in Orchha, doing Kayaking and spending more time this side 🙂
Unfortunately, I only had half a day and had to leave for Jhansi at 2:30 pm latest, so I had to leave this newly found heaven after maybe half an hour. The walk back was nice and serene too though, passing the corn fields again, and nobody around except for butterflies, birds, and some cows on the way.
After a short visit to the Rai Praveen Mahal, built for a singer and dancer of the same name who was so extraordinary that she got her own palace. I love folklore and the story I found out about her. Check it out here! Apart from some paintings on the first floor with a view over Jahangir Mahal and a neglected garden, it’s not that special though.
Today, the Sheesh Mahal was open for lunch again and I went there for lunch (anything below a Mahal for dining would be out of question, you know 😉 ). I ordered some local chicken dish which was really nice. Not the mindblowing type from Amar Mahal in Orchha but definitely a 4/5. The service was also excellent (the waiter being as chatty as the one at Amar Mahal; the moment they get to know I know Hindi, they won’t leave me alone 😀 ) and sitting at the window, I had a view over the yard separating Raja Mahal from Jahingir Mahal.
Before leaving, I bought a box full of each one of the many sweets they sold everywhere on the market in Orchhatoday. Tons of them, everywhere! Must have been some post-Holi thing. My favourite was still Gujiya filled with Peda <3
Train ride to Khajuraho
The train was scheduled for 3:30 pm and it took me almost one hour to reach the train station. Luckily, I had listened to the hotel guy who told me to leave earlier. I tend to be a bit Indian with my timings now and then. 😀
How else could it be, it was half an hour delayed – but being used to Deutsche Bahn which fully runs using Indian timings being hours late, that’s fully fine. 😛 I had booked AC 3 or whatever it’s called which was basically an AC sleeper – as long as the person on top didn’t want to sit. Luckily the train was quite empty and I was almost alone. I had seen the non-AC sleepers from outside and my only thought was “NOOOOPE!”. This fully restored my faith in Indian trains though 😀
I reached Khajuraho around 9 and after arguing in vain with a couple of auto walas, I had to pay 150 INR for 8 km. This was because of the nighttime and because they couldn’t get any passengers back at this time, hence double charge. Ok fine… not that I had a choice.
The hotel I had booked turned out to be great! Having paid 700 INR for one night, I expected the rooms not to be as nice as in the pictures but not at all! Most of all a super comfy bed – all that counted for now.
Good night and see you at day four!
The Summary
Distances covered
Train: 202 km
Auto: 27 km
Foot: 6.5 km
Transport
Train Jhansi-Khajuraho: 495 INR
Auto Orchha-Jhansi: 250 INR
Auto Khajuraho to hotel: 150 INR
Accommodation
Hotel: Ramayana Hotel
Price per night: 700 INR
Rating: 5/5 (great value for this price)
Food
Breakfast: Hotel Orchha
Price: 150 INR
Rating: 3/5 (nothing special but good)
Lunch/Dinner: Sheesh Mahal
Price: 500 INR
Rating: 5/5 (not mindblown but great)
Sweets: 150 INR (Full box)
Entries/Fees
Fort: 0 because they were nice enough to let me use the ticket of yesterday since I didn’t fully use it.
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