Orchha is a fascinating old place. It's small enough to walk to most of the monuments, of which it is loaded. Historic and atmospheric, with 17th-century and 16th-century temples still intact among many ruins. One wonders what is was like in its days of glory.
1 Street with young men in front of our hotel in Orchha, with Chaturbhuj Temple in the background.
2 Chaturbujh Temple
3 Over the dried-out Betwa River, the palace complex with the Raj Mahal.
4 Evening sun lighting up the roofs of Raj Mahal and Jehangir Mahal.
5 Dwelling in the river bed.
6 Be it ever so humble...
7 Jehangir Mahal was built in the 17th century.
8 Inside the Jehangir Mahal
9 Remains of blue tiles on the Jehangir Temple.
10 Tourist in the Jehangir Temple.
11 View from Jehangir Temple, with Chaturbhuj Temple (pointed spire), Ram Raja Temple (three domes) and Lakshmi Narayan Temple (on horizon in distance).
12 Mother and child in the temple.
13 The imposing Chaturbhuj Temple.
14 View of Raj Mahal from Chaturbhuj Temple.
15 Colorful crowd in the street.
16 Chaturbhuj Temple in the setting sun.
17 The river runs wide by the abandoned palaces of the dead. People washing their clothes in it -- and maybe themselves.
18 Bridge over the Betwa.
19 The river here is full of boulders.
20 Cenotaphs of the rulers of Orchha date from the 17th and 18th centuries.
21 Vegetation growing in the towers should be cleaned before it weakens the buildings.
22 The chhatris of the cenotaphs of Orchha's rulers, near the river. An amazing complex of buildings, all dedicated to the dead.
23 Four cenotaphs.
24 Parakeets
25 Birds on a rock in the river.
26 Across the river, looking towards the Chaturbhuj Temple.
27 Cenotaphs at twilight.
28 The rocks are a popular place for people to bathe.
29 The river with Raj Mahal and Jehangir Mahal in the background.
30 The Lakshmi Narayan Temple lies 1 km just outside Orchha.
31 Murals inside the Lakshmi Narayan Temple.
32 This mural reminds us of the tales from the Arabian Nights, many of which came from India.
33 Jehangir Mahal, Raj Mahal and Chaturbhuj Temple seen from roof of Lakshmi Narayan Temple.
34 Dancers, maybe in religious ecstasy.
35 In the streets of Orchha.
36 Making curd, maybe...
37 On the river rocks at sunset, lots of people gather.
