Why Orchha Buildings Deserve World Heritage Status – Firstpost

In mid-October, the central government approved a detailed dossier prepared by Madhya Pradesh Tourism on Bundel attractions in Orch and submitted it to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). If all goes well, this dossier will help put Orchha on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

For Madhya Pradesh, it will be a huge moment that has taken time. Achieving the previous listing in 2019, when the ‘Historic Orchi Ensemble’ will finally be listed in 2027-28, will come almost a quarter of a century after the state’s last listed site was Bhimbetka, back in 2003. Prior to that, Khajuraho (1986) and Sanchi (1989) received World Heritage status. What makes this a truly celebratory moment for Indian culture is that Orchha will be the first ‘State Protected Site’ to receive such status, compared to others that are centrally controlled.

In fact, it should be seen as a recognition not only of Orchha but of the entire heritage-rich Bundelkhand region, which is filled with anecdotes, stories, legends and myths about its recent and ancient past. One of the oldest inhabited parts of India, this is a region where almost every village has its own legends and grandmother’s tales. Sung, whispered, sometimes written, but usually passed only by word of mouth, these tales deserve a wider global audience.

One such story not only glorifies Orcha but also links its past as the Bundel capital to an obscure place called Garh Kundar. The history between Orchha and Garh Kundar is less than two hours apart, but the latter hardly sees any visitors. Fortunately, the description of Orchha in the earlier list also includes a mention of Garh Kundar, and it is hoped that the former’s World Heritage status will enable visitors to get a full picture of Bundelkhand’s past by visiting Garh Kundar as well.

As you know, Garh Kundar is the ancestor of Orcha. Abandoned back in 1517 by the Bundelas, it is one of India’s forgotten forts. With the founding of Orchi by the Bundelas in 1531, Kundar lost its importance. Both sites were conceived from a defensive point of view: while Kundar is a traditional hill fort with stunning views of the surrounding countryside, Orchha is an island fortress. One theory for moving the capital was that Garh Kundar was in too open a countryside to be defended – either against Lodi’s forces or Babur’s rampaging army. In Orcha, the Betva River serves as a natural protection to some extent.

The second theory that Kundar was abandoned is related to a more romantic story that served as the subject of the novel Garh Kundar by the famous writer Vrindavan Lal Verma. According to this account, the first fortifications at Kundar were built by the Chandelas. Eventually, control of the area passed into the hands of a dynasty called the Hangars, who seem to have had a love-hate relationship with the Bundelas. Matters came to a head during the marriage ceremony between the Bundela princess and the Hangara prince at the fort. Taking part in the celebration and making sure that the hangars were deathly drunk, the armed Bundels sneaked into the fort in the middle of the night. A massacre of the hangars is said to have followed, after which the fort came under Bundela control.

Garh Kundar today is a small fort, well maintained by the authorities but silent. In contrast, Orchha is a bustling city of over 16,000 people. The tourism infrastructure has grown over the past two decades, and the World Heritage status is sure to trigger a boom.

Culturally, the center of Orchi is the Rama Raja temple, perhaps the only place where Rama is worshiped as a king rather than a “mere” God. The oldest legend of Orchha was born when the idol of Rama could not be moved to the temple built for him. This was during the reign of Madhukar Shah (1554-92) and the idol was specially brought from Varanasi by his queen. It was temporarily installed in the royal palace during the construction of the Chaturbhuj temple. However, when the temple was completed, the priests found that the idol would not budge. Taking this as a sign from heaven, the royal palace itself became a temple. Today, the Chaturbhuj Temple towers above the rest of the city, its grandeur often compared to that of a European cathedral. But in truth it is a hollow shell, though magnificent in its grandeur.

In terms of structure, heritage buffs will find the Ram Raja Temple nothing short of remarkable. When visiting it, attention is usually drawn to a pair of strange towers rising more than sixty feet above the inner courtyard of the temple. The holes in the towers indicate that they are used as a kind of ventilation holes. However, in this land of legends, some believe the holes were part of a grand underground escape route for the Orchha royal family, with Khajuraho, Jhansi and even as far away as Delhi among the possible destinations. It is unlikely that any ruler would build such huge towers to advertise the existence of a secret underground passage. It is more likely that the towers supplied air to an underground chamber intended as a shelter for a hot summer day.

Across the river from the temples is the royal enclave, which includes the Jahangir Mahal, the Raj Mahal and the Sheesh Mahal, while a fourth palace, the Rai Parveen Mahal, is a short distance away. The most impressive of the palaces – Jahangir Mahal – resonates with history. Named after the Mughal emperor, it is a reminder of the Mughal-Bundela friendship that was forged when Emperor Akbar sent Abul Fazal to “discipline” the rebel Prince Salim. Bundela Bir Singh killed Abul Fazal and later, when Salim ascended the throne as Jahangir, he returned the favor by handing over Orchha to Bir Singh. Jahangir Mahal is the pinnacle of Bundel architecture. The towering pavilions, classical stone lattices, carved animal figures, floral motifs, painted frescoes and the sheer scale of the building make it truly deserving of World Heritage status.

The Orchi palaces, which today reign peacefully, were once tangled in intrigue. Once the ruler Jujhar Singh (1627-34) suspected his queen of having an intimate relationship with his brother Hardaul and ordered her to poison him. The innocent queen could not bring herself to do so, and as proof of her innocence, Hardaul consumed the poison himself, thus giving birth to the legend of the noble sacrifice that is still revered in the region.

Abandoned by the Bundelas in the 1780s, Orchha was lost in the dense forests, only to be “rediscovered” decades later. But the stories did not stop. During the long period of the Freedom Struggle, Chandraskehar Azad, a heroic freedom fighter, was hiding in Orch while on the run. Today there is a memorial on the place where he lived.

A bit of Orchha’s past is captured in the form of a set of magnificent frescoes painted on the walls and ceiling of the Lakshminarayan Temple. The paintings attempt to bring to life the long-gone Bundela rulers, their court and army, their gods and their battles.

Soon the stories of these rulers will attract visitors from all over the world much more than today.

The author is a heritage researcher by inclination with a penchant for seeking out obscure places. A brand consultant by trade, he tweets @HiddenHeritage. The views expressed in the above material are personal and expressed solely by the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of Firstpost.