Trip to Orchha, Madhya Pradesh

Jahangir Palace

After spending two days at Chambal Valley Resort, on the third day we left for Orchha, around 10.00 am and reach Orchha around 4.00 pm and went to two forts and one temple. Orchha is a very historical place. There is Orchha fort , in that there are two forts – Jahangir fort and raja fort. The Jahangir fort was only made for Jahangir. It has 230 rooms or so. 

The Raja fort is very unique. Next is the Lakshmi temple; most of the temples are in square shape, but this temple was in a diamond shape.  From a distance it looked like it had three sides but it did not. Everyone mistook if rot having three sides. The temple has the whole Ramayana and Mahabharata painted in its ceiling. The architecture of the temple is beautiful. We were told that the idol of the goddess was stolen long ago.

Orrchha Fort, Sound and Light Show

In the evening, we watched the sound and light show and we also ate Mungodi with chutney. Mungodi is basically moong dal pakoda with pudina chutney. In the Raja Mahal, in one of the halls, the ceiling is completely painted, it was the design of the Persian carpet which was laid down on the ground right below the ceiling.


Orchha is a small town and Orchha means hidden. In the olden times, the whole city was surrounded by dense forests. Ochha belonged to the Bundela kings. The Bundela Dynasty build many forts in and around Orchha. This main places to visit are: Cenotaphs of the 14 king, the Orchha fort, Raja Ram temple, and Lakshmi temple.

One of the special or you would say tempting thing there was hot milk which has been boiling for a long time. You should try this when you go there. Basically you drink hot milk with cream which is formed on top.

In the Orchha fort, there is a Mahal called Sheesh Mahal which is now a hotel under the Madhya Pradesh Tourism. The Raja Ram temple is a very good temple. It is painted, maintained and used. The story behind this temple is that one of the kings of the Bundela Dynasty had a fight with his wife about which God they can have in the city. The king got very angry and told queen that she can only enter the palace if she comes back with Ram with her. The queen was a true devotee of Ram. The queen agreed to this deal. She went to the banks of the river and started praying for Ram to come to her. She prayed for almost a month but nothing happened. Now, the queen was stressed, she did  not know what do to. The queen decided to commit suicide, she jumped into the river. A few people saw her jump, they immediately jumped into the river to help her. She was saved and returned with a baby on her lap, it was a version of Lord Rama. The queen was now happy as she could return to the kingdom. Ram had made three conditions which were:  1.  the queen should carry me on her lap till we reach the kingdom;  2.  wherever he (Ram) is placed shall be his temple and he shall not move from there; 3.  he should be the only one to be prayed.

The queen agreed to these three conditions. She went back and the king was delighted to see her back with the  Baby Lord Rama. The king ordered the people in his kingdom to start building a temple for the guest who had come home.

At night the queen decided to place Lord Rama on the bed and take him to the temple the next day. She forgot about the second conditions and that became the seat for the God. Rama didn’t move after that. So, they had to turn the queen’s palace into a temple and the temple which was being made became a waste. This is the story of Raja Ram temple.

There is a small sanctuary near the Betwa river. And close to the Betwa river, there is a M.P Tourism hotel called Betwa Retreat. Our stay at the Retreat was good and the food was also tasty. The location of the place is very nice and fresh. It might be difficult for old people to climb up to go to their rooms as there are many steps. Overall,  Orchha was small, historical, rich and fresh.

(Blog contributed by Shreya Mishra and first published in her blog "Fistful of Stars")

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Trip to Chambal Valley, Ater, Bhind, Madhya Pradesh

It was a cold wintry morning when we reached the Delhi airport. We started our drive to Chambal. It was an 4 to 5 hour drive. On the way, we were passing by a town called Firozabad. Firozabad was a very dirty town and also the city of bangles. There was a lot of traffic on the road so were driving very slowly. On every side of the road you could find a chudi seller (bangle seller). The whole city was littered and every inch had garbage. There was no Swachh Bharat in Firozabad. We crossed Firozabad and were heading towards Chambal. We were close to Chambal, we had to reach the resort which was a bit off the road. The Google Maps told us some other, inside a village. We took the road, but there was no road at all, it was like a maze. If we took the other, it would have been a lot better. At one point, it felt as if we were on the wrong road, but thankfully we came out on the good road and reached the resort.

Chambal Safari Lodge

We were pretty late for lunch. We reached the resort at 3.00 pm. The resort’s name was Chambal Safari Lodge. I was happy to see the lunch, which was waiting just for us. We were last ones to eat lunch. We took rest as we were very tired. The room was big and very nice. It was homely and comfortable but super cold. In the evening we went for a normal walk in the resort itself. We saw birds and Neelgais; there were wild and not domestic. The food was very tasty and the cuisine was continental and Indian. The next day we went for 2 safaris. 1. A safari to Ater fort on the camel for one hour.  2. River safari to see Gharials, crocodiles and birds.

Ater Fort Safari

The Ater Fort was built by Bhadauria King Badan Singh, Maha Singh and Bakhat Singh in the era of 1664-1668. The fort is very much inside the Chambal valley. The fort is actually in ruins. We went to the fort in the morning and had tea and coffee with biscoots.

In this safari, you have to the Chambal river by car, cross the river and go to the other side by boat, from there you can go on a camel or go walking to the fort. The experience was very nice. It was one person on one camel. You can come back by 12.30 or 1.00 in the afternoon. You cross the river again and on the other side where you parked your car you have a small camp, there you get your lunch which is packed , then you can go for the river safari after eating the lunch. This safari will take two hours. You might see a bird called the Indian Skimmer. After your safari you can return to the resort and have fun and relax and have some awesome food.
(Blog contributed by Shreya Mishra and first published in her blog "Fistful of Stars")

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Trip to Ladakh - Yaks and Marmots

This summer I wanted to go to a cold place. Luckily my parents planned a vacation to Ladakh. The region is a cold desert. I was hopeful of seeing snow for the first time. Though I did not know what kind of animals lived in Ladakh, our driver cum guide, Imran, was quite knowledgeable and told us about Yaks, Marmots, Pashmina Sheep, Himalayan Pheasant, etc. He also promised to show these animals during our travel. He kept his promise and on one occasion caught a fish with his bare hands.

Of all the animals we saw Yaks and Marmots interested me the most as, in India, Ladakh is one of the few places they are found. Yaks are domestic as well as wild animals. They have a thick long coat of fur. We saw a few Yaks, and, were lucky to come close to one of them, whom I quickly clicked for posterity. This particular Yak is probably a domesticated Yak photographed near the Chang La Pass in Ladakh. On the bank of the Pangong Tso, I also experienced a Yak Ride!!! If you want to know more about Yaks, well there is Wikipedia to explore.

Marmots called "Pheya" in Ladakhi, on the other hand appeared to very shy animals. It seems there are two types i.e. Himalayan and the Long Tailed ones. They are cute and look like a weasel or a large squirrel. To escape from the severe winters they hibernate and live in burrows. Near the Chang Thang wildlife sanctuary, we passed through a Marmot crossing point where I captured them in my camera. On the back drop of the snow clad mountains and the green grass these look animals look cute.

I enjoyed the trip to Ladakh and you should also visit to experience this beautiful place.

(Contributed  by Aishani Nanda, grade IV )

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Trip to home of Demoiselle Cranes,Khichan, Jodhpur

Demoiselle Cranes, Khichan

As we were motoring Jodhpur to Jaisalmer, Hukum Singh our driver suggested “would you like to see Khichan?”

Our target were the Jaisalmer Fort, Thar desert, the camel ride and if possible see the Indo-Pak border from a distance. How does Khichan figure in this? When asked to clarify Hukum Singh said “Sir bahut chidiya(birds), lot of them”. Then I recalled to have read/seen somewhere perhaps in the NDTV about this village surrounded by arid lands and at the outskirts of this there was a big pond/lake (with knee deep) water during the winter season. 

Thousands of Cranes

Long back (five decades) a villager Ratanlal Maloo returned to his village Khichan(in Phalodi Tehsil, Rajasthan) and was given the task of feeding pigeons and sparrows. One day he noticed a different bird looking for food, though not an ornithologist, he could at least discern that this bird was a special type. The curious villager approached the bird and threw some grain. The bird was more cautious and it won’t go near the grains unless the helpful villager retraced. Reading the mind of the bird, the villager went back a few steps and stood still and the bird managed to nibble the grains. This continued for few days and one day the bird disappeared. He asked others in the village and they told him the bird was called kurja(in Rajasthani) or Demoiselle crane. Ratanlal was crestfallen, “what happened to the visitor? Poaching?” God forbid. But lo and behold next year the crane (and Ratanlal could identify as it was limping) came accompanied by other birds and this time more courageous. That year he had to feed more birds, that flew in a few thousand miles from the feeding grounds in Mongolia and Eurasia.

At the pond

I was wonder struck while listening to the narration from the keeper of the Chugga ghar. As he was narrating the story, a few kids gathered each carrying some grains. While listening to the narration I was looking around. There were cranes and cranes everywhere probably a few thousands, some flying at low height, others eating the grain and occasionally pecking each other. The noise was something that I had never heard…imagine a few thousand birds calling each other. My daughter Jayashree went close and clicked photos copiously.

The pond was filled with birds and photography was an easy job. My four year old granddaughter Annika, snatched away my camera and went click, click, click. She was thrilled though on most occasions she was off the mark. Two foreigners, bare-footed & disregarding the mud went very close. They must have been good photographers and wildlife enthusiasts. Definitely this place is a treat for wildlife photographers.

awesome sight

The keeper was narrating tirelessly, “Do you know sirs, It became very taxing for Ratanlal to feed so many birds. Ratanlal had to seek help from the village panchayat and soon other villagers joined in this conservation effort. Soon after, the Govt of Rajasthan pitched in and funds are released for feeding the birds.  The villagers continue to protect the cranes and Rajasthan is a place where many animals are protected by villagers whether it is the peafowl, Chinkara or the Blackbuck.

Today Khichan has been was declared a World Heritage site by the International Crane Foundation and the cranes are enjoying their annual five month stay in this place. This would not have been possible but for the initial leadership shown by Ratanlal also known as “Birdman of Khichan”. He is no more(passed away in 2011), however he has left behind a good example of wildlife conservation.

The heat was oppressive and we had to reach Jaisalmer by lunch time. Though watching the cranes was irresistible, we had to say good bye to Khichan.

(Contributed by Bipin Bihari Mishra and photocredits Jayashree Mishra )

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