orchha: the temples. chaturbhuj, ram raj and savan bhadon

the heart of orchha village has a courtyard surrounded by three buildings on the tourist map. The chaturbhuj temple dominated the skyline- enormous on an hill overlooking the square- the inside is more like a church than a temple- none of the intimate spaces that make up for the progression of spaces here. Instead a large vaulted space and staircases in the corner from where you can climb up to the roof. From here you can see the palaces on the royal island and the chhatris along the river . the ram raja mandir is a pink orange plastered haveli that has been converted to a temple. The guides tell stories of a queen and her devotion. Nearby are two tall columns erected for a fakir and the prince who killed him called savan- bhadon