Why Orchha is in a monumental mess
Mananeeya Shri Shivraj Singh-ji Chauhan, saadar namaskar — or should I say “Jai Siya Ram”. Since I am writing to you from Orchha Dham, famous for its Ram Raja temple, perhaps the latter salutation is not out of place. Sir, at the very outset let me confess that I admire you as one of the ablest and most dynamic chief ministers of India. Under your inspired leadership, Madhya Pradesh has not only developed at an unprecedented pace, but also changed from being among the so-called ‘beemaru’ states to one of India’s best governed.
Progress
The progress, some might say transformation, of MP is for all to see. Not just in the spick and span airports, highways, and roads, or in the electricity and water supply, but also in education, healthcare, agriculture, women’s welfare, and sanitation. A particularly remarkable aspect of this renewal is in the fields of culture and tourism. MP Tourism is one of the most proactive and successful of any state organisations, with the Department of Culture pulling off one successful event after another. Having attended some of these, including the imhasta, I can say that MP truly feels like the Hridaya Desh of our country.
This letter, however, is not only to congratulate you on your remarkable achievements, but also to convey to you an urgent plea. To put it as succinctly as possible, it would simply be: save Orchha. Perhaps, this will surprise you. Orchha, after all, is a world-famous tourist destination, a fit candidate to be recognised as a UNESCO world heritage monument. Thousands of tourists from all over the world flock to it and the local economy, consequently, seems to be thriving.
Moreover, MP already has had notable successes in attracting global tourist traffic, especially as Sanchi and Khajuraho, both of which are already UNESCO World Heritage sites. The latter also has a world-class airport and a string of luxury hotels and resorts. The monuments, under the able watch of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), are not only well-maintained, but clean.
Orchha, on the other hand, presents a sorry picture of decline, neglect and destruction. Today, it is in dire need of immediate attention and intervention if its priceless treasures are to be conserved for future generations. This is all the more unfortunate because it is one of most impressive medieval fortified cities anywhere in India. Founded by Rudra Pratap Singh in 1501, Orchha today still resembles more or less what it was over two hundred years ago, when the capital was shifted to Tikamgarh in1783 by Vikramjit Singh.
If we were to compare Orchha to the neighbouring Datia, we immediately see the difference. Datia is overrun with a hodgepodge populace, almost obliterating any trace of the old town built by Raja Vir Singh Deo in 1614. The old fort, palace and other notable buildings stick out in the middle, like sad and neglected misfits, discoloured and disintegrating. Orchha, on the other hand, has retained its original features, with the fort and most of its monuments still standing. So, if one stays in the Sheesh Mahal, as I was fortunate to in one of the suites, one feels as if in a bygone age.
Monument
But the truth is that the MP Archaeological Department is not taking good care of the monuments. Not a single monument is guarded or looked after properly. The locals told me that apparently, hundreds of guards from a private security agency are on the payroll, but not one can be seen on duty. Several protected monuments have been encroached. Cows, buffaloes, and goats are tethered inside, ruining their priceless treasures. In the Panchmukhi Mahadev and Radhika Bihari temples, right inside Orchha fort, I found families inside protected monuments, some even sleeping inside the sanctum. In fact, right in the fort premises, lots of land has been encroached, with farmers growing vegetables, and children playing cricket under the Raja Mahal, marking their stumps on vulnerable heritable walls.
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| Photo: Wikipedia |
Several monuments are in danger of collapsing. Admissions at a mere Rs 10 for Indians are nregulated and unsupervised. Most priceless frescos on the walls and ceilings are totally obliterated or scraped off. Indeed, the neglect is so gross that no official of the MP archaeological department is ever to be found at the monuments, even at the office in the fort. Only sweepers and caretakers, some of whom pretend to be guides, man the premises.
Ruins
World-famous palaces like Rai Praveen’s have no maintenance whatsoever; the gardens have withered and cattle graze among the ruins. The Teen Dasiyon Ka Mahal has become a goat shed, while the famous Dewan Hardol ki Baithak is overrun with beggars and vagrants. Even Raja Mahal, Jehangir Mahal and Chaturbhuj Mahal are crumbling, masonry, plaster, pillars, balconies, and the delicately carved stone jails breaking bit by bit. The same is the story at the Chattris of the Bundelas on Betwa River, another site of great neglect and sorrow.
The only place in all of Orchha that is well-maintained, even shining, is the temple of Ram Raja. And why not? Lord Ram, according to legend, is the “ruler” of Orchha. But, Hon Chief Minister Sir, his Ramrajya is itself threatened. Orchha will deteriorate and disappear if you don’t start protecting and restoring it. This is the least we owe to the brave Bundelas, who were not only great fighters, but magnificent builders and patrons of art, literature, and dance. Without them Hindu religion, art, literature, and culture would have disappeared from central India under the crushing and cruel might of the Mughals.
(Courtesy: Mail Today)