A town called "shoo"

Orchha has two palaces - The Raja Mahal and the Jehangir Mahal. Adjacent to each other, these palaces are built in a blended architectural style combining Mughal and Bundela architecture.
Our guide - a local boy called Babloo - started our tour with a story about the unusual name of the place itself – Orchha. According to him the founder of Orchha, Raja Rudra Pratap was out hunting one day when he came upon a small Ram temple in the middle of the forest. Being an austere man he immediately sat down to worship the lord, hands folded and eyes closed. As luck would have it, a wolf picked up the good king’s scent and was nearly upon him while he sat in his meditative state, oblivious. When suddenly a booming voice out of nowhere shouted “Orchha!!” - The chasing command given to dogs in the local Bundela language. And sure enough the hunting dogs that accompanied the kings party were awakened and chased and killed the wolf thus saving the kings life. Convinced that the command was given by the deity to save his life, Rudra Pratap decided to set up his capital at that very place, around what today is the Raja Ram Temple, and gave it that most peculiar of names – the word uttered from divine lips that saved his life – “Orchha”.

As a bit of parting trivia Babloo ran up to me and near whispered “Sir, this is the only place in the world besides Ayodhya where Lord Ram is considered the eternal king. The human king is only his regent. That’s why the temple is referred to as the Raja Ram Temple. You take his blessings and he will bless you with a clutch of sons.” Not wanting to risk it with a clutch of sons just yet, we waved goodbye to Babloo and hit the asphalt towards grander temples, greater palaces and more imposing majesty. Madhya Pradesh certainly has some true archaeological gems in its kitty but to me this non-descript town with the curious name will always hold a special place in my heart.