Orchha - "Hidden Place"

The former capital of the Bundela rajas, from the 15th to the 17th century, should, perhaps, have remained hidden from us too!

The huge complex of medieval buildings, both within & outwith extensive fort walls, must have been very opulent in its heyday, but it's pretty dilapidated now. There were signs of wonderful painting & tilting & besides the palaces it was fascinating to see the stables for horses & elephants (incidentally, elephants were used as a method of execution in the past - they were trained to stand on people!), temples, cenotaphs, mausoleums & government ministers' mansions - in fact the whole remains of a historical town.

Unfortunately, it was not so fascinating to experience the road journey there or to see the squalid village that Orchha has become. It was hardly an "excellent spot to unwind" as claimed by the Rough Guide. A scaffy, filthy little dump to be tolerated for as short a time as possible, would have been a more accurate description!

In fairness (& very luckily!) our hotel - The Sunshine Place - was clean & comfortable, with a "western" toilet not far from the bed - all desperately necessary since Fiona was violently ill throughout our 1 night's stay. We're not sure whether it was the filthy cafe (recommended in the Rough Guide, printed in 2005, needs updating, not an infallible guide!) or the more upmarket Shish Mahal Hotel restaurant which served lukewarm food which was to blame for the turmoil visited upon Fiona's digestive system - either way, the results were devastatingly unpleasant.