A Visit To Gwalior & Jhansi

When children grow up it is not always possible to go out as a family. Therefore, this time we two only planned for Jhansi and Gwalior.
It was a short visit for less than 21/2 days. We started on 16.2.2011 at 4 pm from Hazrat Nizamuddin. The train started in time but later on got delayed by an hour and reached Jhansi at about 9.45 pm instead of scheduled time of 8.30 p.m.
In the train, there was a group of six foreigners who were visiting Agra. Out of the six, one person was without ticket. They got engaged in hot talks with the TC and soon fellow passengers also joined in since the foreigners started misbehaving beyond limits. Later on, two passengers lodged written complaint against the foreigners and they were handed over to the Railway Protection Force at Agra for further action.

17.2.2011
At 9 in the morning, we went out for Orchha, Datiya and Local Jhansi visit. Orchha is the erstwhile capital city of the Bundela Rulers and is about 18 kms. from Jhansi. It is situated on the banks of Betwa River in Madhya Pradesh in Central India.
The fort complex consists of the following three magnificent palaces of the Bundela kings presenting a matchless spectacle of those times.
Raj Mahal - Bundela kings’ residential palace, a massive square building, the exterior of which is almost absolutely plain.
Jehangir Mahal - a square building, but far more ornate, a singularly beautiful specimen of Hindu domestic architecture.
Rai Praveen Mahal - built in memory of the famous poetess and musician, Rai Parveen, the beautiful courtesan of Raja Indramani.
After spending an hour in the fort, we went to have a look at the Betwa River Bank. This place was the most beautiful place for the day. A narrow bridge is built across the river to connect the two banks of the river. The music of water striking against the stones beneath and on sides was soothing for the ears. The sight of this river was a pleasant contrast to the sight of Yamuna in Delhi which except during the months of July and August is hardly seen flowing, not to talk of any sound of water.
We also went to Raja Ram Temple. The temple originally was a palace. So the traditional temple architecture and style is not visible in the Ram Raja Temple. The statues of Ramchandra, Sita & Laxman are all in black stone. This is the only temple where Lord Rama is worshipped as a king and that too in a palace.
After spending some time at Orchha we came back to Jhansi and visited the Jhansi Fort. The fort of Maharani Laxmibai has a strategic importance since the earliest of times. It was built by Raja Bir Singh Ju Deo (1606-27) of Orchha on a rocky hill called Bangra in the town of Balwantnagar (presently known as Jhansi). The fort has ten doors (known as gates). Some of these are Khandero Gate, Datia Gate, Unnao Gate, Jharna Gate, Laxmi Gate, Sagar Gate, Orcha Gate, Sainyar Gate, Chand Gate.
Mainly divided in to three parts the fort contains many ancient configurations. The most important constructions inside the fort are Ganesh Mandir, Baradari, Bhawani Shankar, Shahar Darwaza, Grave of Gulam Gaus Khan, Kadak Bijali, Siva temple, Execution tower, Kal Kothari and Panch Mahal. A living testimonial to the valour and heroism of Rani Lakshmi Bhai, the Jhansi fort offers an excellent insight into the life and bravery of a great ruler. We also saw the point from where Rani jumped along with her horse.
Rani Mahal - A former palace, now converted in to a museum, Rani Mahal boasts of a rich history that arouses patriotic feeling in every Indian. Its highly decorated walls with exquisite paintings arrest the vision of the onlooker. The museum also has an extensive compilation of sculptures and paintings of 9th and 12th centuries.
Once served as the abode of Rani Lakshmi Bai, the palace is a double storied structure with flat roofs, arched chambers and open courtyards. This beautiful edifice of a past legacy encompasses six halls, with parallel verandas. The palace had witnessed one of the fierce battles of the freedom struggle in which 50 body guards of Rani were killed by the English Army. Apart from the Museum, Durbar Hall at the second floor is the only spot worthy for a watch. The ruthless British army demolished all other magnificient builds.
Before proceeding for Datiya, famous for its Pitambara Peeth, we broke our journey for lunch. The Peeth is a famous Shakti Peeth of the country . Sh. Golokwasi Bramhaleen Pujyapaad Rashtra Guru Anant Shree Swami Ji Maharaj in 1920s established "Bagla Mukhi Devi" and later "Dhumawati Mai" at this place. Dhumawati and Baglamukhi are the two of the ten Mahavidyas. In addition to those, there are temples of Parshuram, Hanuman, Kal Bhairav and other gods and goddesses spread across the large area of Ashram. Vankhandeshwar Temple at Peetambra Peeth is one of the Mahabharat-Kaleen temple of Lord Shiva. In the same campus a lot of temples are established. Currently the Peeth is maintained by a trust.

18.2.2011
This day was fixed for Gwalior. The distance between Jhansi and Gwalior is around 100 Kms. We got up early in the morning and left the guest house at Jhansi by 6.30 am. We bought two super fast train tickets as we were told that through super fast train tickets we could board any train halting at Gwalior. We took Mangala Express. It was a shock to find that there was no place in the general unreserved coach. We initially managed to stand in a corner. Later on my wife seated herself on the suitcase. After a while, a young boy allowed room for me.
In Gwalior we saw, Jai Vilas Palace, Sun Temple, Tansen ki Chhatri and Gwalior Fort.
Jai Vilas Palace, current residence of the Scindia family has approximately 450 rooms, out of which, 35 rooms have been converted into the Scindia Museum, and in these rooms, so evocative of a regal lifestyle, the past comes alive. Jai Vilas is an Italianate structure which combines the Tuscan and Corinthian architectural modes. The imposing Darbar Hall has two central chandeliers, weighing a couple of tones. There were hung only after ten elephants had tested the strength of the roof by standing on it together. Ceilings picked out in gilt, heavy draperies and tapestries, fine Persian carpets, and antique furniture from France and Italy are features of these spacious rooms.
Eye catching treasures include : a silver train with cut-glass wagons which serves guests as it chugs around on miniature rails on the table; a glass cradle from Italy, used for the baby Krishna each Janamashtami; silver dinner services and swords that were once worn by Aurangzeb and Shah Jehan. Overall the Scindia Museum offers an unparalleled glimpse into the rich culture and lifestyle of princely India.
Sun Temple is the miniature of the famous Sun Temple at Konark in Orissa.
Tansen ki Chhatri is actually the place where Tansen was buried. The father of Hindustani classical music, the great Tansen, one of the 'nine Jewels' of Akbar's court, lies buried in Gwalior. The memorial to this great musician has a pristine simplicity about it, and is built in the early Mughal architectural style.
From there all this we went to Gwalior fort from the Gujari Mahal side so that first we could see the Gujari Mahal and then the entire fort. Gujari Mahal is a 15th centry monument to the love of Raja Mansingh Tomar for his Gujar queen, Mrignayani. After he had wooed and won her, so the story goes, Mrignayani demanded that he built her a separate palace with a constant water supply from the River Rai, via an aqueduct.
However, due to a Gazetted Holiday in Madhya Pradesh on that day the Gujari Mahal museum was closed and we couldn’t see that. We entered the fort after climbing through a steep road of about 1 km. On our way we were able to get a beautiful view of the entire Gwalior city. We enjoyed the climbing although it was very hot during the day. In the fort complex, we saw Sas-bahu Temple, Teli ka Mandir, Data Bandi Chhod Gurdwara, Man-Mandir Palace built by Raja Mansingh and the other palaces in the fort complex. We spent rest of our time here because we had planned to watch the Light and Music Show, which was scheduled at 6.30 in the evening.
During the day we got much tired. However, after the Light and Music Show, we had still to climb down for about two kilometers before we could reach the road from where we hired an auto rickshaw for the railway station.
On reaching station we collected our luggage from cloak room, took dinner at the station itself and waited for the train. The train was late by about half an hour and reached Delhi at 4.30 next morning. Once one reaches back, the life falls back into the same routine.