About:
Dr. Bharatkumar Bhate is M.S. General Surgeon (Gold Medalist) by qualification with an experience of 30,000+ operations and is based at Rajkot, Gujarat. He is an avid reader and a passionate writer. In this blog, he shares his travel experiences and creative writings.
Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrBhateRajkot
Blog:
M.P. Tour : Chapter 4
Orchha
We
left Jhansi after viewing the fort, and started our journey
towards Orchha. Distance between Jhansi and Orchha is hardly 15 kms
but the state changes from U.P. to M.P.
Orchha is a town established as capital of
Bundelkhand by the Rajput Ruler Rudra Pratap Singh some time after
1501. Orchha lies on the banks of Betwa River. Before reaching the hotel,
our taxi driver showed us 'Chhatris', as they are nicely illuminated at night.
Our room was booked at "Hotel Betwa
Retreat" which is a beautiful resort of M.P. Tourism, and we relaxed after
a delicious dinner.
Next day, after freshening up at around 8:30am,
we had a tasty breakfast. It was an enjoyable experience to spend time in the
swimming pool, although I am not a swimmer.
Orchha has a lot of tourist attractions. It
actually needs one whole day to see them all with a guide. The domestic and
foreign tourists visit Orchha in good numbers, and it is now the main source of
income for the local population.
The Orchha Fort complex: Approach to the fort
complex is through a bridge with 14 arches built in granite stones.This arched
causeway leads to a large gateway. This is followed by a large quadrangular
open yard surrounded by palaces. Orchha Fort is situated on the
island on Betwa River and like all forts, it is surrounded by a battlement
wall. The palaces and temples within the fort complex were built over a period
of time by successive Maharajas of the Orchha State. It houses many monuments.
These are Raja Mahal, Ram Raja Mandir, Sheesh Mahal, Jehangir Mahal, Gardens,
Pavilions, Chatrabhuj temple and many more.
.jpg)
Today I will restrict my blog to the description
of Jehangir Mahal.
Jehangir Mahal reflects the architectural splendor
that prevailed in Orchha in the past. It was built in the 17th century by
Raja Vir Singh Deo. It is believed to be a symbol of friendship between
Mughal Emperor Jehangir and Raja Vir Singh deo. It was constructed for a
warm welcome during Jehangir's first visit to the capital city. A point worth
mentioning here is that the mother of Jehangir, Mariam-uz-Zamani, was a Rajput
princess of Amer (Jyodha). It is with this thing in mind that the Rajput king
had built the palace for her son. Jahangir is said to have stayed in this
palace for only one day. The palace stands in a beautiful condition even after
400 years.
Jehangir Mahal is made up of sandstone and red
stones as those in the Red Fort of Agra and Delhi. Every single stone has been
painstakingly put together, to create the perfect palace.
The entrance of the palace is marked by an
artistic and traditional gateway. There is a hanging 'zumar' at the top of the
arch of entry and there are two stone elephants on either side of it. They
carry garlands and 'ghanti' which are a symbolic warm welcome to the emperor.
At the first look of the door frame, it is difficult to distinguish between the
wood and the stone!
.jpg)
This square is surrounded by rooms on the ground and the first floor. The cellar rooms & GF rooms were for soldiers, while 136 rooms on the first floor were designed for guests.
The Jehangir Mahal is built on a rectangular foundation. There are circular towers at each corner which is a characteristic of the Mughal architecture. Each tower is surmounted by a dome at the top and two lines of viewing graceful balconies supported on brackets. The roof of Jehangir Mahal is crowned by eight large fluted domes with smaller domes between them.
The bright blue tiles used before 400 years still continue to shine despite the worn out condition of the nearby structure! Blue stones were brought from Afghanistan and green stones were brought from Iran and Tibet.
.jpg)
*Why Jehangir stayed only for one day in such beautiful palace?*
You get an answer to this question when you look at Rai Parveen Mahal.
It is in ruins now but was a beautiful palace with lush gardens surrounding it. This palace was built by Prince (and later King) Indrajit Singh for his lover, Pravin Rai. She was a beautiful dancer, a poet and a musician. She was known as the "Nightingale of Orchha". The second floor of the palace has scenes of Nritya Mudra, the poses and postures of Indian dance.
The fame of beauty, poetry and dance of Rai Parveen inevitably spread far and wide, and finally reached the Imperial Court of Akbar. Emperor Akbar after hearing about her beauty and poetry, wanted Pravin Rai to his court.
Here onwards, the story is told differently.
STORY ONE: ओरछा के राजकुमार इंद्रजीत ने एक नृत्यांगना राय प्रवीणसे बेहिसाब प्यार किया, लेकिन शाही परिवार से जुड़े होने के कारण वह चाहकर भी शादी नहीं कर सका। इसके बाद राय प्रवीण को अकबर के दरबार में नर्तकी के स्वरूप में पेश किया गया |
सुधीर मौर्य के हिंदी उपन्यास 'इंद्र प्रिय' में राय प्रवीण की कहानी लिखी गई है | अकबर के दरबार में पेश होने के बाद नर्तकी नृत्य के दरमियान राय प्रवीण ने एक काव्य सुनाया:
विनत राय प्रवीण की, सुनीये शाह सुजान
झूठी पातर भाकत है, बारी बयास सवान
[O' good and intelligent! Please listen to the prayer of Rai Praveen
Only a bari (a person
from a lower caste), a barber and a mongrel eat from a plate partaken by
someone else.]
अकबर के दरबार में यह गीत पेश करके राय प्रवीण ने अकबर को समझा दिया कि वह राजकुमार इंद्रजीत से बेहद प्यार करती है | अकबर ने राय प्रवीण को इज्जत के साथ औरछा वापस भेज दिया, मगर यहां उसका स्वीकार नहीं किया गया | गम में डूबी प्रेमिका राय प्रवीण सती हो गईं। राजकुमार पागलों की तरह अपनी प्रेमिका के शरीर की राख लेकर रोता रहा। इस बात से आहत होकर उसने भी एक साल में प्राण त्याग दिए।
इस तरह अपने समय की एक सर्वाधिक सुंदर स्त्री, एकनिष्ठा कुशल नर्तकी, कवियत्री और समर्पित प्रेयसी के जीवन का करुण अंत आता है |
राजकुमार की ये प्रेम कहानी आज भी ओरछा की फिजाओं में गूंज रही है।
STORY TWO: This story is told to us by film
producer K. Asif in his film Mughal-E-Azam of 1960.
Rai Praveen became chief dancer in the court of Emperor Akbar. She was given a
new name 'Anarkali'. Prince Saleem (Later named Jehangir) fell in love with
Anarkali and wanted to marry her. Emperor Akbar had strong resistance to the
love affairs. This resulted in conflicts between the father and son.
Saleem decided to revolt against the Emperor, and thus he became
friends with all the enemies of Akbar. Bundelkhand was one of them.King
Indrajit Singh had died and the new ruler of Orchha was Raja Vir Singh
Deo.
Saleem had taken help of Raja Vir Singh Deo in killing Abul Fajal who was
the advisor to Akbar. Saleem then declared a revolt against the Emperor in
which the King of Orchha supported Saleem. Saleem lost the war,
however, became a permanent friend of Raja Vir Singh Deo. Rai Praveen
(Anarkali) was returned back to Orchha.
Akbar died in 1605 and Jehangir became the Mughal Emperor. King of Orchha
invited him to visit Orchha and take Anarkali with him.
A large picture of Rai Praveen can be seen in Sheesh Mahal.
.jpg)
Almost 62 years after viewing K.Asif's film, I realised that the story of love between Saleem and Anarkali was a reality and not an imaginary story.
Today I am taking an interval in description of Orchha and will continue writing about more monuments tomorrow.
Have a nice time friends.
Dr. Bharat Bhate