Ep 5 Orchha Palace | History of Orchha palace | Fresco Paintings | Madhya Pradesh Tourism
Namaskar Friends! Welcome to Visa2Explore. This is your host, Harish Bali. For this series, we started our journey in Gwalior and travelled upto Panna. So, with us you are witnessing the Gwalior to Panna circuit of Madhya Pradesh. First of all, you saw us visiting the Gwalior Fort. After that we explored the street food in Gwalior.
After two days in Gwalior, we went to Orchha via Jhansi. In previous episode, you saw us visiting the Shri Ram Raja Temple in Orchha. We saw the fresco paintings there. In this video, we will visit the Orchha Palace. (Folk song) This is the entry gate of the Palace. We saw this in Udaipur as well.
The entry gate of a fort or a palace was usually studded with these pointed spears. These prevented even elephants from breaking down the doors. This is what we saw at the entrance. Now we are going inside.
Inside the Orchha Palace, we've met Hemant Bhai. Namaskar! Namaskar Hemant Bhai! We met in Jhansi yesterday. Now we are going to visit the palace with you. The entry ticket here is for Rs 50 per person. They also have a light and sound show during evenings.
Now, we will start from here? There are two ways to begin this tour Sir, these are the steps & that is a ramp. Let us begin this visit from the ramp because it gives a good view. There are two main monuments here.
One is the Raja Mahal (King's Palace) built like a fort. The second is the Jehangir Palace, which is built like an actual palace. There is a difference between fort and palace. Forts were large structures built from the security point of view.
And structures built for beautification, etc. were called palaces. This whole area is known as the Orchha Palace Complex Sir. This is a board depicting different parts of this complex. These are the main 4-5 monuments and, besides, there are smaller memorials too. There is Raja Mahal & Jehangir Mahal.
Sheesh Mahal is a beautiful hotel under Madhya Pradesh Tourism. Rai Praveen Mahal is dedicated to a dancer in the royal court. Hamamkhana used to be the royal Hamam (bathhouse) during those times. These are the main monuments here. There are several smaller Havelis here as well, which are worth visiting. So, I'll take you to visit two main monuments. One is Raja Mahal.
It is famous for its 500-years old fresco paintings. The second one is Jehangir Mahal, built by local king in honour of Emperor Jehangir. It is famous for its Indo-Islamic architecture. Now let us go up there and discuss these monuments in detail.
Rudra Pratap Bundela was the earliest king to rule Orchha. There is a famous ancient palace 53 KM from here, known as Garhkundaar. But Garhkundaar had no proper water resource. The King found the Betwa river here. So, he shifted his capital to this place because of the Betwa river & forest. Yesterday, we were at Jhansi and that palace was built atop a hill.
And this palace complex is built upon an island, a moat. The Betwa river flows on its backside and you need to cross a bridge to enter it. The rivulet is in fact a branch of the main river.
This whole complex is like an island in itself. This portion of the palace was built before everything else. It is called Raja Mahal & it started being constructed in 1501.
It was king Rudrapratap who began the construction, which was then... ...carried on by his son Bharati Chandra and his son Madhukar Shah completed it. So, in the 16th century, this palace finished being constructed. This palace is basically famous for its paintings. The 500-year old paintings inside look as fresh as those done just yesterday. I will show you the fresco paintings first.
After that we will move on to other palaces. Alright! This Victorian net work is a British influence Sir. There used to be specialized chambers in the Diwan-e-Aam (public court). The king used to visit this chamber to hear public grievances.
Either in Diwan-e-Khaas or here. This is the main platform here on which the king was seated. Some of his ministers used to sit in front of him. And the people who came with requests used to sit here.
Diwan-e-Aam was also kept properly decorated at that time. The king used to sit in this corner because the public came with its small problems. So, the king wasn't supposed to be much involved in their resolution. It used to be his ministers' responsibility. And in those cases, where the king got especially interested....
...the complainant was called inside his chamber and his problem was resolved. You can see some very beautiful paintings done on the roof here, These are fresco paintings. This whole side was Diwan-e-Aam and within it lies the Diwan-e-Khaas. Sir, we've come to the Raja Mahal. This was the only monument in Orchha during 16th century or 500 years ago. It took 92 years & 3 rulers to build it - Rudrapratap, Bharati Chandra & Madhukar Shah.
This used to be the entertainment area of the palace. And inside is the royal apartment where the paintings are kept. You will also see a beautifully crafted balcony on the upper floor.
The king used this balcony to watch the dance performances below. Even other public can sit there on chairs. Yes! And this used to be the dancing platform.
This is the dancing platform. These various levels were built for the musicians to sit. And the guests watching the performance used to sit inside the corridor. We have now reached the central portion of the palace. This room used to be a part of the dining hall.
We can also call it a 'Bhojanalay' (eating place). So, it was divided into two parts, to accommodate a larger number of guests. These paintings are the main attraction of this part of the palace. You can see, these paintings are 500-year-old & done in fresco style.
The painting is done in the style of a Persian carpet. And these paintings show the valour & bravery of the Bundela rulers. On elephants and horses. These are the original rings put in place all those years ago. These were meant to carry curtains These paintings belong to the Bundeli school of fresco paintings.
In ancient India, two patterns of painting evolved - murals & fresco. Fresco paintings was done on wet plaster. First of all, a layer of lime plaster was applied to the painting spot. Imli (tamarind) water was used to keep it wet. Imli water is acidic in nature and it kept the fungus away.
When the surface was half wet and half dry, vegetable colours were applied to it. The vegetable colours were prepared using rainwater. Rainwater was used because of the abundant minerals in it. This is fresco painting technique. All the paintings that I will show you in Orchha are done using this technique.
Inside as well, there are very beautiful paintings. Let me show you more. Before that, I want to show you another interesting thing. This used to be a water pond, in which fragrance of different flowers was added. Right above it, you will see these iron rings embedded into the roof.
These rings held up huge fans. It is said that on either side of this small pond, two female servants were stationed. They used to move the fan back and forth. The servants stationed here had to be deaf and mute.
Why? So that they wouldn't know what is going on in the bedchamber of the king & queen. So that they couldn't hear or tell the discussion going on between the two. The fragrance emanating from the water was meant for the royal bedchamber? Yes, the fragrance and fresh air from the fan travelled towards the bedchamber. Also the dining hall next to this pond. Now we are in the interior part of the palace. This is the royal apartment Sir.
It has seven rooms. The room in front belonged to the king. And this corner room is believed to be that of the queen. Now you must be wondering why separate rooms for king and queen? So Sir all the rooms in that era used to be inter-connected. So, you never got to know who is in which room. This was the internal security of those times.
The enemy couldn't detect the exact presence of the king at the time of attack. And both these rooms have very beautiful paintings. Please come, I'll take you to see the queen's room. These are lovely paintings. These paintings are beautiful Sir.
Even after so many years... The paintings are preserved & well-protected. This used to be the queen's drawing room and inside is her bedroom. Drawing room is a place where you can keep the image of any god or goddess. In Hinduism, other than Lord Krishna's no other painting is kept in the bedroom.
This palace belonged to Raja Madhukar Shah and his queen Rani Kunwar Ganesh. Theirs was the first royal couple to live in this palace. The story goes that Raja Madhukar Shah was a Krishna Bhakt (devotee)... ...and his queen was Ram Bhakt. Both Ram and Krishna are believed to be incarnations of Both the king and the queen were followers of Vaishnav sect. In Hinduism, Lord Vishnu is believed to have 10 avatars(incarnations).
9 of the incarnations, till Lord Buddha, have already happened. The 10th avatar will be that of 'Kalki', & he will come riding a horse. So, these 500-years-old paintings depict that various Vishnu avatars beautifully. This here is the first avatar of Lord Vishnu - Matsya (the fish). The second avatar is that of a turtle - Matsya and Koorma!! Third is Varah (a pig) avatar.
In this avatar, Lord Vishnu saved the planet Earth from drowning in the sea. The Varah avatar! The fourth one is 'Narsingh' avatar. It is Lord Vishnu as half-man & half-lion, carrying Hiranyakashyap in his lap. And this, in the corner, is fifth avatar with Raja Bali and his wife, sitting on platform. And a small 'Vaman' bhagwan, blue-colored, standing in front of them. This is the Vaman avatar, the fifth one.
The sixth is Parshuram Bhagwan. Just next to Vaman, Parshuram is chopping off the hands of Sahasrabahu. The seventh avatar is that of Shri Ram. This is a beautiful painting of Ram, Sita and Ram's three brothers. Eighth avatar is that of Shri Krishna.
Here, Krishna Ji is standing with Radha and Guruji. Lord Buddha is believed to be the ninth avatar of Lord Vishnu. So, this painting of Buddha Bhagwan is somewhat faded here. There is another one in the next room, which I'll show to you.
And the tenth avatar is depicted in the corner, with a horse. It represents the Kalki avatar of Bhagwan Vishnu, which will come riding a horse. So, this is a depiction of all avatars. There are other beautiful depictions too, like this scene from 'Samudra Manthan.'
What you see here are 500-year old fresco paintings. This is amazing work done depicting the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu. These paintings have been done at such a height.
And all this is so well-preserved even after so many years. Just like it was then. There are more beautiful paintings in the king's room, let me take you there. Sir, we've entered the king's room. It also has paintings of the avatars. These fresco paintings are exactly like the one we saw in the queen's palace.
Only thing is that these are in a somewhat better condition. These paintings are a little more preserved and made on a vast scale. Now, come, let me show you the ventilation work in the bedroom. See, how beautiful this window duct system is.
This duct is connected to the roof of the palace. From there it catches the air and keeps the room cool. Apart from this one, there are two more ducts, one each on its right & left sides.
This duct system was introduced to ensure the room had enough light & air. It is feeling quite comfortable standing here. This room has some very good paintings Sir.
Yes, one painting is so unique and I'm going to show it to you. Look at this, such a beautiful painting. From afar, it looks like an elephant's painting.
But if you'll look at it closely... ...it is actually a depiction of 12 different women in one. Let me count them for you. These four legs are four different women. Then, this is the fifth lady here. So beautiful! And this small face is that of the sixth woman. This is the seventh lady, with a dholak (drum) in her hands. Right above it is lady number eight, with her face turned sideways.
A little further, the tail that is made has the ninth woman. This is the tenth lady here. There is a very unique attraction about lady number 11. She has spread out her arms as if these were tusks of an elephant. And the 12th lady has been painted like an elephant's trunk. So, these are 12 women and the Raja (king) on top.
This painting is named "Dwaadash Nari Kunj." Let me tell you one thing. We've seen so many paintings so far but this is unique. From this distance, I can see an elephant, and a mahout sitting on him. And, of course, a dholak too. It looks like the painting of an elephant but on a closer look, these are 12 ladies. It is an example of the excellence of the Bundela school of painting.
It also shows how skilful the painters were. If fresco painting is kept safe in a controlled environment at all times... ....you won't believe that these paintings are 500 years old. See, this is a painting of a hunting scene on this window. This painting depicts the wildlife of those times in Bundelkhand.
This painting has all the animals, including tiger, elephant, leopard. Amazing painting! Yes! And look at the bright colours of this painting. Wonderful! Very beautiful! Out of all the king's palace we've seen so far, I've liked this part the most because... ...this painting speaks to the viewer. These paintings have been made very beautifully. Now let me take you further and show you some more good things. Wherever we've visited forts and palaces till date, nobody asked this nor was....
....told about where the king's toilet/bathroom used to be in the fort. Yes Sir! We've never focussed on it and you're taking us to see that. The basic need during the day is a neat & clean toilet & for night, it is a clean bed. So, in those days as well, the kings used to have systematic bathrooms. Considering the harsh winters, arrangement was made for hot water supply.
This is how everything was managed. See, this is the back portion of a toilet. And this is where a fire used to be lit.
A wooden fire was lit through this hole in the wall. A tank was also built on the other side of the wall. The water used to heat up in the tank, which used to work as a source of hot water. Come let me show you. Inside used to be the space where the king took bath? Yes! This is the bathroom. See, here they have kept 3 tubs, 3 tanks.
In the central tank, you'll see an iron plate embedded in the bottom. The iron plate was heated from the bottom and thus hot water was available for use. There are pipes connecting these three tanks. These helped to circulate water through all tanks.
This hot water facility was used by all the members of the royal family... ...including king, queen and their children. Therefore, they needed a large quantity of hot water. This bathroom also has a proper drainage system.
If you climb down, you will see the whole system. This was the place where they took bath. Yes, it was. There are hooks installed, for doors made of teakwood in those times.
Down here, you'll see the loo that they used in those days. Even today, you can see the wooden hooks on which curtains were hung. There are now ruins left of these structures. Loo? Yes! The king used this loo? Yes, because in those days, there were no western toilets in which you could squat. And this Indian system was scientific as well. Because sitting like this put pressure on your bladder, so there is no indigestion.
And one more thing, this passage passing through here connects to Diwan-e-Khaas. Suppose the king doesn't want anybody to know about his movement. So, he would make an excuse to come here and open a secret passage to... ...the Diwan-e-Khaas. Come, let me show you the passage. If we climb up this passage, we'll reach the Diwan-e-Khaas. A while ago, we were down there, where the dance performances took place.
Yes, we were standing there The dancing platform is on the other side. But this whole gallery was meant for secret meetings. Diwan-e-Khaas! All the paintings in this passage are based on the Islamic floral pattern. If someone wants to see the best example of Islamic floral patterns.... ...you must see these paintings in the DIwan-e-Khaas. There are beautiful paintings all around.
You won't see a single living figure in these paintings. Now what's the reason behind a Hindu king using Islamic pattern in his palace. See, the Mughals had alliances too. When we will start the second palace's chapter, it would be time of Raja Bir Singh.
Bir Singh was a very good friend of Mughal king Jehangir (Salim). So, the buildings that he got made here, had some Islamic influence. Back then, Mughal ministers & messengers came bearing messages.
So, they were seated in Diwan-e-Khaas. It would have been a bit offensive to display anti-Mughal or Hindu paintings. So displaying this Islamic floral pattern was part of the diplomatic process. So that the visitors could feel at home.
That is the reason why there are so many such paintings here. This completes our visit to this palace. If you want to click a good photograph of Raja Mahal, you need to climb up there. From the first floor, the whole palace looks good.
We are now headed towards the Jehangir Mahal, via a parking space. This tells us that we can bring our vehicle upto this point. Yes Sir, there is a small ramp upto the palace, on which smaller cars can drive. This Jehangir Mahal is a symbol of a Hindu king and a Muslim ruler's friendship. Friendship! Not because of a compulsion.
This is a friendship gift from a Hindu to a Muslim. After Maharaj Madhukar Shah, there was a king called 'Bir Singh Bundela.' Bir Singh Bundela was a close friend of Jehangir.
But not when he was Jehangir, but when he was just Salim, a prince. Almost everybody has heard of the love story of Salim and Anarkali. When Akbar got Anarkali murdered, Salim revolted against his father...
...and came to Prayagraj (Allahabad). Around that time, Abul Fazal was one of the Navratans in Akbar's court. He was a poet who wrote Ain-e-Akbari and Akbarnama. He wanted to kill Salim and become the emperor. When there is feud in a royal family, some outsider tries to usurp power. It so happened that Abul Fazal followed Salim from Agra till Gwalior.
But to reach Prayag, he would have to cross the border in Bundelkhand. Raja Bir Singh comes to know that Abul Fazal, along with his army, is.... ...on way to Prayag and would pass through his kingdom. So Bir Singh thought that it was a good opportunity to get rid of Abul Fazal.... ...and strengthen his friendship with Salim. So, at a place named Aantri, Bir Singh attacked Abul Fazal and cut his head off. The place is called Aantri because while chopping off his head, Bir Singh's sword... ....also struck Abul Fazal's intestines (aant in Hindi) & those came out. So, the place was named Aantri? Sir, Aantri is a small railway station right now.
Thereafter, Bir Singh gifted the chopped head to Salim in Prayagraj. Then, their friendship bond was strengthened further. Akbar also realised that something wrong was happening behind his back. Finally, after Akbar's death, when Salim became Emperor Jehangir.... ....this palace was built here in his honour. Alright! So did Jehangir spend time here? Yes he did. It is a good question.
From 1605 to 1627, this palace took 22 years to build. The deal was like we invite someone for Grihpravesh (house-warming). Their friendship was quite old, since the childhood. After 22 years of construction, when Jehangir was on way back from his....
...conquest in the South, he spent a night here. This means this palace was used only for one night. This fact is mentioned in 'Jehangirnama' that after his return from the South... ...he stayed with his friend in Central India. After the Imperial visit Sir, this small ruler Bir Singh became quite famous. Thereafter, the smaller rulers of the nearby dynasties began visiting Bir Singh. So, this palace began to be used as a guest house.
It isn't that the palace wasn't used at all after Jehangir left. It had housekeeping staff assigned, so that it was used whenever a guest visited. Another attraction of this palace is its architecture. Though this palace was meant for a Muslim ruler, but Bir Singh honoured... ...the fact that both Hindu and Muslim religions are equally respectable. In Muslims, "Wuzoo" (cleaning up) is performed before going for Namaz.
So, this pool was constructed in the centre to perform wuzoo. There are smaller, decorative ponds around, which've been covered now. These were water bodies & fragrances were added to these. Now take a look at the sculptures carved into pillars.
These are elephants. All of these are sandstone sculptures Sir. These elephant sculptures are the Hindu element in this architecture. Take a look at the non-living geometrical designs under the balcony above. These are Muslim-inspired. Which ones? The elephant designs belong to Hindu school of thought and the upper ones...
The upper ones? Yes, the same. This represents Islamic influence because it has no living figures. Behind you, you'll see jaliwork (net work) in the windows. Again, this is Muslim influence. You will also see two different types of dome structures, clearly differentiated.
The central dome, the plain one, is Muslim influence. And in the two corners, on right and left, there are striped domes. These are built as per Hindu influence. You must've seen a lot of plain domes but never one with a lotus built over it. So, this shows how good their friendship was. Lotus represents Hindu influence.
This palace has 236 rooms in total, out of which 100 rooms are in its basement. Quite a huge palace it is to have 236 rooms in all. It is a huge palace. Yes! The 100 rooms in the basement were meant for servants and soldiers. 100 rooms made up the 'Harem' on the ground floor and 36 rooms on first floor.
The colour of this palace was pale yellow, just like that of Ram Raja Mandir. Even now, you'll see some blue & green ceramic work done in between. So, again, blue represents Hindu influence & green is Muslim influence. So, this palace is, in a way, a beautiful balance of friendship & both religions. If you go upto the third floor and look around from the top,... ..you'll see different views from every angle. You'll have four different views - of a river, a jungle, a monument & a temple.
Can we go there? We can. We had entered through the back door of this palace. Its backyard. First, I'll show you its front door and a few monuments. Then, we'll return and you can go around to the top.
Alright. Come. Now, we've come to the main door, main gate of Jehangir Mahal. It is on the Eastern side of the palace.
The panorama visible from here grants a peacefull feeling to the viewer. Wherever you look around here, there has been no construction after 17th century. The building in front of you is quite an interesting one. It is known as "Oontkhana" (Camel stable). Alright.
The camel stable! During Jehangir's time, Mughals used camels for transporting luggage. So, this Oontkhana was constructed for them. After the Imperial visit, swings were installed here. So, it was converted into a pleasure pavilion. Right next to it, Sir, there is a water tank. And down below is a very interesting monument of Orchha.
This monument represents a woman's cleverness, beauty & intelligence. This building with a garden is known as "Rai Praveen Mahal." Rai Praveen was the royal dancer.
She was also the lover of one of the rulers, Raja Indramani. It is said that tales of her exceptional beauty also reached the court of Akbar. Meanwhile, there was a poet, named Keshav Das, in Orchha. Even today, Keshav Das is called the 'Pret' (ghost) of exceptional Hindi poetry. There is a beautiful couplet about his excellence as a poet.
It says when a King doesn't want a poet to leave his company.... ....he would ask the poet to recite Keshav's poetry. He was such a great intellectual. Interesting! In Hindi literature, Keshav Das finds mention right after Surdas and Tulsidas. We will talk about Keshav Das but, before that, Rai Praveen was one of his students.
Alright! She wasn't one to back down, considering she was a clever student of a great poet. Since the King had to follow imperial order, Praveen had to appear in Akbar's court. She said to Akbar that she was ready to live in his court & perform but.... ...only after she was allowed to recite two lines of a poem. So, Rai Praveen wrote an instant poem. Through her poetry, she tells Akbar that she has already expressed her love for...
...the rule of Orchha, Indramani. She requests him through her poetry, calling him "Shah-e-Sujaan." Shah-e-Sujaan! It means 'oh great intelligent king, listen to my humble request!' Only the most downtrodden should be eating from another man's plate! 'Bari' means one who clears up the garbage. 'Bayas' means a crow and 'Shvaan' means a dog. These three creatures are those who eat leftovers. She repeated the line & asked Akbar who he would want to be among the three. What an amazing person she was to create a poem right then & there.
What did Akbar say? She dealt a literary blow to Akbar with her poetry. Though Akbar was angered for a while but he realised that she was just..... ...confessing her love for the ruler of Orchha. It is said that she was respectfully returned to Orchha. This Rai Praveen Mahal was then built in her honour. Rai Praveen was the top dancer in the royal court. She was so good in her art that this elaborate palace with dancing platform...
....a few swimming pools and a whole Mughal garden was built for her. If you look further, you'll see ruins of three temples near the Rai Praveen Mahal. You might be able to see their tops. I can see one clearly. One is clearly visible. The other two are at 1 o'clock and 3 o'clock, respectively. There is no flag on top of either of these three temples. A flag atop a temple means the temple is in use.
These temples were situated in a small village. Correct. About 50 years ago, keeping their safety in mind,... ...all the idols were shifted to Ram Raja Mandir. In the inner sanctum of Ram Raja Mandir, you saw the main idol of Lord Ram. You specially had the darshan of one of the Lord's toes. The smaller temples in that complex contain idols shifted there from.... ...temples in the surrounding areas. I got it.
Now let me give you an example of architectural intelligence. If you are on your way here on an elephant, how will you get down? This first stair where we're standing, it was used to get on or off from an elephant. Alright! The elephant will stop here and then you can get down or get on it. The second stair was to be used in case of a camel or a horse. And the third stair is for paalki (palanquin).
Good! Interesting! And look at this jaliwork carefully Sir. If these are 20 different jalis, each one would have a different pattern. No two jalis are identical.
Totally different! Each jali's design and architecture is different. It shows the excellence of Bundela architecture. This is the outer wall of Jehangir Mahal? It is the eastern side, the entry gate of the Mahal. This is the main gate. Let me tell you in detail about it.
You see this elephant here? It has a garland in its trunk. There is this second elephant. Ghanti (bell)! It has a Ghanti in its trunk. The ladies used to stand in the balcony upstairs, in order to welcome the guests. Okay! You see this open window here. It was for name display.
Alright! Below it you'll see some figures have been carved out. There is Ganesh Ji right in the centre. Absolutely! On either side of Ganesh ji, there is Riddhi and Siddhi. The elephant, peacocks, toran, these are Hindu symbols. But this carving and flower crafting is Muslim design.
Sir, this door is also 400-years-old, made of teakwood. Yes, it is looking quite old. This jungle is a nature reserve of Orchha. This jungle is 40 -50 KM in area and it has teakwood tress. This whole jungle is a protected area because teakwood is expensive. And you can feel the peace here. See how quiet this area is!
That is correct! Also, I am highly impressed with Orchha, no doubt about it. Orchha is a different experience. It could be because of the village-like atmosphere here. Especially the environment in which we stayed last night, that was impressive! We were staying inside a village, within another village. Nice place! Today, while sightseeing, can we also visit the M.P. Tourism property here, called...
Betwa Retreat! We want to visit there to check out the accommodation. Now we will go back from this main gate. And you'll get some beautiful views from its top floor. You've told me. You can go for a round of the top floor. It is a great place to click photographs. Hemant Bhai will wait downstairs, while I go up for the view.
Let us find out the views available from top of Jehangir Mahal. We'll go up from here. We'll go up from here. These stairs are taller.
We've climbed two floors. I am seeing an amazing view of the architecture of Jehangir Mahal from here. What a feeling! The central courtyard view also looks magnificent. From here, it seems like there are more tourists here, than down below. See! Everybody is clicking photographs. This place is so beautiful Lovely! Let us go into each direction and see the view from there.
Beautiful! That must be the Betwa river. We haven't seen the river from close quarters yet. I guess this is the Betwa river. And, on this side, it is all jungle area.
There is abundant greenery in Orchha. Let us go there. So many rooms have been built here. You can roam around the whole top floor while going in and out of these rooms. Walking on the side! From the 2nd floor, we've a clear view of the palace of Rai Praveen. This is the front view of the palace.
This is the main gate to enter the palace and that is the main wall of the gate. Sorry, it isn't the main wall of the gate, but that of the palace. Viewing the surroundings from the top floor is an amazing experience. The aerial view gives you a clear idea about the whole palace complex.
There is one interesting thing about the top floor of Jehangir Mahal. You can go around the top floor while enjoying the view & clicking photographs. It is a wonderful experience to enjoy the surrounding view on all four sides. If you visit the Orchha Palace, you must climb up here. You'll enjoy the view. Beautiful! Let us check the view on the other side.
Look at that. From here you can see Shri Ram Raja Mandir. And right next to it is the Chaturbhuj Temple that we visited earlier. This portion of the palace is highly impressive. I liked it very much. Lovely! We visited Jehangir Mahal properly, clicked a lot of photographs.
I can see school kids here in groups. It is a whole group of students. Since it is vacation time and weekend. Yes, it is weekend! Yes! Now, let's go to Sheesh Mahal & see if we can show our viewers one of the rooms. Let us see how the erstwhile kings, emperors used to live.
You told me they have eight rooms in all. Of course, they have eight rooms. It is a cozy, heritage hotel. Was this a queen's palace earlier? This palace was basically constructed for the queens. There is a restaurant next to the hotel lobby. Bhaiya, is there a restaurant upstairs or this is it? This is the restaurant. Okay, this is the restaurant section.
I want to see a room here. You told me about a 'Maharani' room. Maharani Room! And there is a Maharaja Room as well? Yes, Maharaja Room. Show me the Maharani Room! Let's go. Is it this one? Yes! Maharani Room! I just enquired the tariff of this room that we're going to see now is Rs 13,000.
Though the tariff is dynamic and increases over weekends and during peak season. But Rs 13,000 is the base tariff. See, this is the Maharani Room. Welcome to Maharani Room! Welcome! The room is magnificent! See! Beautiful! Look at it! The main thing is that you are living inside the palace. Yes, inside the palace! The Maharani used to live in this room? Yes, this was her room and the Maharaja's room was upstairs. So, there has been no modification. This room is exactly like it was.
This is amazing! It is wonderful to visit this room. Absolutely royal! Sir, this is the toilet! It is so good, no? Sir, from here, you can enjoy a beautiful view of the surroundings. Watching this view while sitting inside the toilet! (laughter) You will enjoy the view from here, like this one, of Orchha town. That is what I am thinking too. You can view Orchha from here.
Very good! Let us go now. Show us the other room as well. I've seen this room. It is amazing. Even the bathroom is wonderful. You have eight rooms here? 8 rooms.
Since this is a beautiful, heritage hotel, it must remain occupied all the time? I haven't stayed much in palaces, may be 2-3 times only. When I went with Club Mahindra to Jaisalmer, on a family trip,... ...there, we stayed at the Jaisalmer Palace. Is breakfast included in your room tariff? Yes! Breakfast is included? It is included. So, have we entered the Maharaja Room? Yes! Amazing! Show me around this lovely room! Tariff of Maharaja Room is about Rs 20,000.
It increases further because it is dynamic but Rs 20,000 is the base tariff. Per day, which includes breakfast as well. One Maharaja Room! Uff! What a room! From here, Maharaja Saheb used to... Alright, from here he used to view Shri Ram Raja Temple. He used to have darshan of the temple several times a day, from this spot.
Wow! Very good! It is a royal ambience! Very good! We've completed our Orchha palace visit. Okay Bhai Sahab, Thank You! This is it for this video. In the next episode, you will see us spending half a day in Orchha.
After that, we went to Panna, where we spent the night. We explored local food in Panna. Usually, visitors to Panna prefer to spend the night at Khajuraho. And visit the Western Group of Temples. From there, maximum tourists go to Panna as a day trip & return to Khajuraho. But we decided to spend the night in Panna and visit Khajuraho after that.
One reason to spend the night in Panna was that we wanted to go for the .... ...tiger safari early next morning. You will see all this in the coming episodes. I hope you are enjoying this series between Gwalior & Panna. We will meet again soon. Till then, bye bye! Thanks for your time!
2023-01-09 00:35
