Madhya Pradesh's forgotten Rajput capital — cenotaphs on the Betwa, medieval temples that dwarf the palaces around them
Orchha is a small medieval town in Madhya Pradesh that was the Bundela Rajput capital from 1531 to 1783 — a dynasty that refused to bow to Mughal authority and built extraordinary temples and palaces as proof. Today most of the city's grand cenotaphs (chhatris) still stand along the Betwa River, the palace complex rises above the Betwa gorge, and Orchha's Ram Raja Mandir is one of India's rare temples where Ram is worshipped as a king, complete with a police guard and a gun salute at dusk.
Orchha was founded in 1501 by the Bundela chieftain Rudra Pratap Singh and became the Bundela capital under Madhukar Shah in the mid-16th century. The town reached its architectural peak under Raja Bir Singh Deo (1605–27), who built the Jehangir Mahal as a gift to the Mughal emperor on the occasion of a friendship visit — a palace so magnificent the emperor refused to enter it out of humility. The Bundelas later moved the capital to Tikamgarh in 1783, leaving Orchha essentially frozen in time, which is why it survives intact today.