Jahangir Mahal, Orchha

Jahangir Mahal is the most majestic of the palaces of Orchha, a cluster of towers, domes and pavilions rising above the trees on an island in the Betwa River in central India. It was built by the Bundela king Vir Singh Deo, traditionally dated to 1605, to welcome the Mughal emperor Jahangir on his visit to the city; Vir Singh had been an ally of Jahangir before he became emperor, and the palace was designed to honour that friendship.

The building is a great square block arranged symmetrically around a central courtyard, rising in several storeys of terraces, hanging balconies, porches and apartments. Its roofline is crowned by eight large domes and numerous smaller domed pavilions (chhatris), and the whole composition blends Rajput and Mughal elements: the domes follow the Timurid tradition favoured by the Mughals, while the balconies and porches recall the Rajput palace tradition. The entrance gateways are scaled to allow elephants to pass through, and traces of turquoise glazed tilework still survive on the east front. From the upper terraces the view takes in the river, the temples and cenotaphs of Orchha and the surrounding forest.

The palace stands inside the Orchha fort complex, which occupies an island at the confluence of the Betwa and the Jamni and is reached by a granite bridge of fourteen arches. Beside it are the Raja Mahal and other palaces and gardens built over the following centuries. Orchha itself was founded in 1501 by the Bundela ruler Rudra Pratap Singh and became the capital of a Rajput kingdom; today it is a small town whose temples, palaces and riverside chhatris have changed little since the 17th century. Part of the palace houses an archaeological museum.

Getting there

Orchha lies about 15 km from Jhansi, the nearest city, on the road towards Tikamgarh; Orchha railway station is on the Jhansi–Manikpur line. The nearest airport is Gwalior Airport (GWL), about 113 km away.