Orchha

Orchha
State :	India
State :	Madhya Pradesh
District :	Tikamgarh
Sub-district :	Orchha
Location :	25 ° 21 ' N , 78 ° 38' E Coordinates: 25 ° 21 ' N , 78 ° 38' E
Height :	220 m
Area :	29.67 km²
Residents :	11,511 (2011)
Population density :	388 inhabitants / km²
	Orchha - Raja Mahal and river views

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Orchha or Orachha ( Hindi : ओरछा , Orachā ) is a place with about 12,500 inhabitants in the Tikamgarh district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh . Orchha was the capital of the princely state of the same name from 1531 to 1950 . In terms of tourism, the rather quiet small town is particularly attractive because of its palaces and temples from the 16th and 17th centuries.

location

Orchha is located on the Betwa River in the Bundelkhand region at an altitude of approx. 220 m above sea level. d. M .; the nearest major city is Jhansi in the state of Uttar Pradesh, approx. 17 km away . The climate in Orchha is mostly warm to hot; Rain falls almost exclusively in the monsoon months from June to September.

population

Official population statistics have only been kept and published since 1991.

year	1991	2001	2011
Residents	5,786	8,501	11,511

The majority of the Hindi and Bundeli speaking population consists of almost 97.5% Hindus and approx. 2% Muslims ; Jains , Sikhs , Buddhists and Christians are numerically small minorities. As is usual with censuses in northern India, the male population is around 10% higher than the female population.

economy

The area around Orchha is mainly used for agriculture. The city itself offers settlement opportunities for crafts, trade and services of all kinds.

history

The place was probably already settled in the Middle Ages, but so far there are no archaeologically usable finds. The city emerged in the early 16th century in the vicinity of a palace fortress founded by the Rajput prince Rudra Pratap Singh . This was expanded at the end of the 16th and early 17th centuries. The Hindu princes ( rajas ) of Orchha mostly had good relations with the Mughal Empire , which is also reflected in the style of the buildings. Orchha was a British protectorate from 1812 to 1947; Raja Hamir Singh (r. 1848-1874) was raised to Maharaja in 1865.

Attractions

Memorial buildings ( chhatris ) of the princes of Orchha

The most important building is the spacious Prince's Palace ( Raja Mahal ) built in the first half of the 16th century . Parts of the walls and ceilings of the representative rooms are covered with paintings that mostly show war and hunting scenes as well as religious themes.

In the 17th century, the palace was expanded to include a representative extension ( Jahangiri Mahal ) on the occasion of a visit by the Mughal ruler Jahangir .

The Chaturbuj temple is dedicated to Rama (7th incarnation of Vishnu ), the architecturally unusual Hindu temple was built in the second half of the 16th century instead of a previous building.

The palatial Raja Ram Mandir is the Hindu deity Rama ordained and was also in the late 16th century.

Almost idyllically on the rocky river bank of the Betwa are the largely identically designed memorial buildings ( chhatris ) above the cremation sites of the Rajas of Orchha.