Orchha ओरछा
—  town  —
Orchha Palace
Orchha
Coordinates: 25°21′N 78°38′E / 25.35°N 78.64°E / 25.35; 78.64Coordinates: 25°21′N 78°38′E / 25.35°N 78.64°E / 25.35; 78.64
Country	India
State	Madhya Pradesh
District	Tikamgarh
Elevation	552 m (1,811 ft)
Population (2001)
• Total	8,499
Languages
• Official	Hindi
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Telephone code	07680
Vehicle registration	MP-36

Orchha (or Urchha) is a town in Tikamgarh district of Madhya Pradesh state, India. The town was established by Maharaja Rudra Pratap Singh in 1501, as the seat of an eponymous former princely state of central India, in the Bundelkhand region. Orchha lies on the Betwa River, 80 km from Tikamgarh & 15 km from Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh.^[1]

History[link]

Orchha was founded in the AD,^[2] by the Bundela chief, Rudra Pratap Singh, who became the first King of Orchha, (r. 1501-1531) and also built the Fort of Orchha.^[3] He died in an attempt to save a cow from a lion. The Chaturbhuj Temple was built, during the time of Akbar, by the Queen of Orchha,^[4] while Raj Mandir was built by 'Madhukar Shah' during his reign, 1554 to 1591.^[5][6]

Places of tourist interest[link]

Chhatris on the bank of the Betwa River

Lakshmi Temple, Orchha.

Orchha palace cortile.

On a seasonal island on the bank of the Betwa River, which has been surrounded by a battlement wall, stands a huge palace-fort. The fort consists of several connected buildings erected at different times, the most noteworthy of which are the Raja Mahal and the Jahangir Mahal.

The Ram Raja Temple is built on a square base and has an almost entirely plain exterior, relieved by projecting windows and a line of delicate domes along the summit. The Jahangir Mahal is built on a rectangular base and is relieved by a circular tower at each corner surmounted by a dome, while two lines of graceful balconies supported on brackets mark the central storeys. The roof is crowned by eight large fluted domes, with smaller domes between them, connected by an ornamental balustrade. The Jahangir Mahal is considered to be a singularly beautiful specimen of Mughal architecture.^[7] Chaturbhuj Temple is an old temple from the 9th century.

Numerous cenotaphs or chhatris dot the vicinity of the fort and the Betwa river. Elsewhere about the town there is an unusual variety of temples and tombs, including the Chaturbhuj temple, which is built on a vast platform of stone. The more unguarded and neglected of these buildings are popular hangouts for tropical bees, wasps, and other such excitable stingy creatures.

In 2006, Orchha's buildings were being documented by the LIK Team of IIT Roorkee, India^[8]

In 2008, a community radio station, Radio Bundelkhand was launched in Orchha. The radio station broadcasts programs daily in the Bundeli dialect and devotes significant amount of its broadcast time to local issues, culture and rich tradition of Bundeli folk music. The station is available on 90.4 MHz.

Demographics[link]

As of 2001^[update] India census,^[9] Orchha had a population of 10000. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Orchha has an average literacy rate of 54%, lower than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 64%, and female literacy is 42%, 18% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Accessibility[link]

Orchha Railway station is Jhansi-Manikpur section of the Central Railways. 15 km from Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh, Orchha also lies close to another popular tourist destination, Khajuraho.

References[link]

1. ^ "Orchha". Tikamgarh district website. http://tikamgarh.nic.in/tour.htm#orcha. 
2. ^ Orchha Tikamgarh district Official website.
3. ^ Mausoleum of Raja Rudra Pratap, British Library.
4. ^ Orchha British Library.
5. ^ Genealogy of Orchha
6. ^ Raj Mandir British Library.
7. ^ Orchha History
8. ^ Mission Orchha Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee.
9. ^ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. http://web.archive.org/web/20040616075334/http://www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999. Retrieved 2008-11-01. 

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 
• "Orchha Town". The Imperial Gazetteer of India, Vol. 19. Oxford at Clarendon Press. 1909. pp. 247–248. http://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V19_253.gif. 
• "Orchha State". The Imperial Gazetteer of India, Vol. 19. Oxford at Clarendon Press. 1909. pp. 241–247. http://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V19_247.gif. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Orchha

• Documentation of orchha buildings by IIT Roorkee
• Genealogy of the ruling chiefs of Orchha
• Orchha travel guide from Wikitravel
• Travelogue and photos of Orchha

Pictures

• Orchha Photo Gallery
• Orchha Photo Gallery with over 50 Pictures 2009
• Orchha pictures on OrientalQuest