Our (small) Outing in Orcha

We awoke from a good night’s rest in our tent, aside from a group partying long into the evening on the central lawn only steps from our fabric-thin lodgings.  We had been excited enough to have internet access, and stayed up until midnight – and until our computers ran out of power – to update the blog and take care of some necessaries on-line while we had the opportunity.

Our morning started off early, as we had plans to explore the Orchha Palace.  After a hearty breakfast, we wandered around the small town of Orchha en route to the palace, witnessing a miasma of tourists and locals clamoring in the local marketplace. 

Orchha Palace and Fort from afar.

Tabitha visited the palace as well.

Along with our tour group members and our guide, we also had a guide who was specific to the palace.  He was able to explain to us much of the palace history and show us around.  We learned that Orchha means the 'hidden place' and the main palaces (mahals) are 'hidden' on a fortified island in the River Betwa.  The palaces were created in the early 1500's.

Erin and James inside one of the palaces.

It was amazing to see some of the original artwork had lasted over 500 years!

Erin standing in front of the archways that demonstrate much of the Hindu architecture.

If you look closely, you can see some of the monkeys that were prancing around the palace.

After touring the palace with our group, we had a few hours of free time.  We went in search of an ATM, Diet Cokes and batteries, and even ended up buying a couple of small souvenirs from the market.  Orchha is built up on one primary street, with a market street branching out from that main artery that curves around to incorporate two Hindu temples. 

We started walking down the main street first, which was so loud that we were both forced to use earplugs to protect us from the incessant honking and squealing of brakes.  After finding our ATM and Diet Cokes in short order, we took a chance walking down the market street – part of which we had seen during our visit to the temple the evening before.  The market sold a variety of goods, from fresh fruit and vegetables from the countryside to tourist baubles incorporating the beliefs of the Hindu religion.  We also saw a number of colored dye powders, and some interesting brass fixtures that held some of the dyes – almost like a “makeup compact” but for religious application.  We graciously declined the numerous opportunities to purchase one that came our way.

A view of some of the market's length as we stood outside.

An open sewer, which is common in parts of India.  We did our best to stay as far away from the dirty water as possible!

Some of the street vendors in the market.



James showing off two of his very inexpensive purchases in the market: a beaded necklace and a bandana.

We had visited one of the temples the night before, but the other was new, so we headed up the hill and met one of our fellow group members who had done the same.  The inside was sparse, and after an admonition not to take photos of the religious ceremony in progress, we observed an elderly woman administering blessings at the far end of the temple.

This temple was much different than the other Hindu temple we experienced the night before, which was filled with noise and singing.  In fact, when we had earlier wandered through the central market square, we had seen a loud parade of worshipers leading a rider-less horse into the temple, banging drums, clanging cymbals and bells, and chanting.  We appreciated the opportunity to witness both the active and sedate types of Hindu worship in Orchha.

Our Orchha walking trip ended with a trip across the bridge of the Betwa River, one of the sacred rivers in India (but not nearly as sacred as the Ganges).  We saw the usual river activity – people bathing, washing clothes, disposing of garbage, and generally using the river as another meeting place for social interaction.  It was an exciting crossing both ways, as the bridge was only wide enough for small cars to pass by pedestrians – and was not large enough for the Indian version of semis, or “lorries.”  Whenever a lorry began to cross the bridge, we scrambled to find a place on the rocks near the edge of the river to get off of the bridge.  The rocks themselves showed heavy use from the Orchha natives, and were filthy with waste and refuse, so we stepped very carefully even when fleeing for our lives.

The Betwa River with some of the Orchha temples in the background.  (You can also see several people bathing in the river).

From Orchha, we headed off for our train ride to Agra, but on the way, we stopped off at Taragon, an NGO-sponsored paper factory located in the town of Jhansi.  We were told that Taragon was established to help villagers, specifically women that were not part of a trade- or agriculture-associated caste, develop a career.  The paper-makers at Taragon use cast-off cuttings from t-shirt and underwear manufacture and actually create high-quality, cotton-heavy paper.  The operation was remarkably (but not surprisingly) low-tech, but the paper they make was very impressive.  We considered purchasing souvenirs at their shop, and only the lack of space in our packs held us back.

The women at the paper factory separating scraps of t-shirts.

Our train was late at the station, but at this point in our travels, we’re used to waiting and spending time on train platforms.  This train was quite different from the first we took in India – instead of a sleeping coach, we had (in our tour guide’s words) “First-class accommodations.”  The train was actually nicer than we expected, with a full (but small) meal and lemon-juice soda, and our coach was absolutely full of tourists.  This was no surprise – as we were heading towards Agra, home of the Red Fort and (arguably) India’s most famous attraction: the Taj Mahal.

Erin waiting for the train to come!

Our dinner on the train: a tomato sandwich, a samosa, a fruit juice, a soan cake, and a coffee.

Our late night arrival to the Hotel Amar in Agra.

The hotel was billed as “luxurious,” but we were assigned rooms in the “garden level” (read: basement) and our room already had a number of guests from the insect world when we arrived.  Despite our initial feelings, we quickly got to sleep, as we had to wake up soon after 4am to head for the Taj the next morning.