At Ram Raja
temple in Orchha, Madhya Pradesh, a strange ritual takes place every day. The deity gets an armed salute from a policeman in uniform four times a day. Stranger is
the story of the origin of the temple. Unique mansions and memorials add more colour to this historic town.
WHERE GOD IS KING TOO
(By Subbaram Danda)
 |
| Aerial view of Ram Raja temple (Photo courtesy: temple website) |
Orchha is a quaint town in Madhya Pradesh with a
population of hardly 12,000. But it is very
famous for the Ram Raja temple, which has an incredible history. Here Ram is revered not only as God but also as
a king. The sanctum is located in a palace but not in a traditional type of
temple. The deity receives all royal
honours, including a salute from a rifle-armed policeman four times a day, as
the doors of the sanctum open and later close – in the morning and the evening. Unlike other temples in Orchha, Ram Raja
temple gets painted in cream and light orange hues regularly in keeping with
palace practices.
 |
| A policeman armed with a rifle saluting the deity (Photo courtesy: temple website) |
This unique temple has a mystical origin. According to a legend, a queen of Orchha,
being an ardent devotee of Ram, took up a challenge posed by her Krishna-worshipping
husband that he would heed her request to construct a temple for Ram if she
brought Ram in human form from Ayodhya. In all earnestness, she went to Ayodhya
and meditated for long on the banks of the Sarayu river. Pleased with her prayers, God Ram appeared
before her and agreed to come to Orchha with her as a baby boy. However, he laid down a few conditions. One
was that the first place in Orchha where the baby would stay would be the place
from where he would vanish leaving behind an idol for consecration. The second
was that Ram should also be treated as the king of Orchha and all royal honours
should be accorded to him as well. The
Queen agreed.
Meanwhile, the king became enlightened and started
constructing a building for the Ram temple.
But when the queen returned to Orchha, the building was not ready and so
the queen and the baby stayed in the royal palace. As stated, the boy vanished from there,
leaving behind an idol of Ram. Interestingly,
the idol could not be shifted from there.
So the palace was converted into a place of worship. Since then this palace-turned-temple has been
a great attraction for devotees.
 |
| Ram Raja temple in the background |
During our visit to Orchha, we went to the temple to
witness the evening aarti. People had thronged a very spacious
quadrangle in front of the sanctum. Our
guide took us to a vantage point from where we could have a good view of the
sanctum, which was then closed. We could see a policeman standing near the
doors holding a rifle.
At the appointed time, as the doors opened to the holy
chants of the devotees, the policeman came to attention and saluted the deity
with his rifle. The priest proceeded
with the aarti ceremony and the
devotees filed past in two lines with folded hands taking a look inside.
Our guide drew our attention to the fact that the idol
of Ram in the sanctum is in a sitting posture with the left leg resting on the right thigh. There are also some other idols besides those
of Sita, Lakshman and Hanuman.
The unfinished temple, which was originally intended
for Ram, was also completed subsequently but it retained the name of Chaturbhuj
mandir, meaning a temple for the four-armed deity Vishnu in his incarnation as
Ram. However, it remained without a
deity for a long time. Today, the principal
deity worshipped there is Radha Krishna.
 |
| Chaturbhuj temple (left) and Ram Raja temple (right) |
 |
| Chaturbhuj temple |
River Betwa, a tributary of the Jamuna, flows through
Orchha. With greenery and scenic spots
all around, the town has been an ideal location for putting up mansions. The river finds mention in epic Mahabharata and
other religious texts as a venerable river.
 |
| River Betwa flows through Orchha |
An outstanding building that tourists visit in Orchha
is Jahangir Palace, whose main portal displays intricate artworks with
turquoise tiles. Stone sculptures of elephants
on either side of the doorway greet the visitors. Interiors of the three-storey
structure are marked by open courtyards, hanging balconies, creative lattices,
varied porches and innumerable chambers.
 |
| The main portal of Jahangir Palace |
 |
| Inside Jahangir Palace |
Jahangir Palace was built in the 17th century by the Rajput
Bundela ruler Bir Singh Deo to commemorate his friendship with the Mughal
emperor Jahangir. How it all happened is
intriguingly interesting. Generally,
Bundela kings had been antagonistic to the aggressive designs of the Mughals. When Akbar was the emperor, his son Jahangir proved
highly rebellious and belligerent. In a
clever move, Bir Singh Deo, who was only a prince at that time, befriended
Jahangir and foiled a plan of Akbar to kill Jahangir. Eventually when Jahangir ascended the throne, the
friendship between the two got cemented further. He in turn helped Bir Singh to come to power with
ease and consolidate his regime.
Nearby stands another edifice -- Raja Mahal, which was
the place of residence for some royal generations of Orchha. Its exterior is simple but the interior is
rich in architectural designs. The murals in some chambers are outstanding with
depictions highlighting events in Hindu epics and portraying royal amusements
and folklore. Its layout is such that
sunlight entering the palace causes different shades and temperatures at
different points so that the inmates would remain mostly in high spirits. It
has several secret passages.
 |
| Murals in the Queen's chamber of Raja Mahal |
 |
| Murals in the public hall |
Visitors to Orchha cannot fail to see many
cenotaphs. They were built for the kings
and their kin. Most of them look alike with a tall tower at the top in the
centre and domes at four corners of the building. They came up at spots where the royals were
cremated. The architectural pattern of some other cenotaphs is somewhat different
 |
| Cenotaphs of Orchha royals |
 |
| With the group travellers at Orchha cenotaphs |
Orchha shines steeped in history and mystery and is
certainly a town worth visiting.
(The series will continue)
March 23, 2019
