MORPHOLOGY OF ORCHHA The Orchha Fort complex, which houses a large number of ancient monuments consisting of the fort,

The Orchha Fort complex, which houses a large number of ancient monuments consisting of the fort, palaces, temple and other edifices, is located in
the Orchha town in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.
The Raja Mahal (King’s Palace), where the kings and the queens had resided till it was abandoned in 1783, [6] was built in the early part of 16th century.
➢ Its exterior is simple without any embellishments but the interior chambers of the palace are elaborately royal in its architectural design, decorated with murals
➢ The fort and other structures within it were built by the Bundela Rajputs starting from early 16th century by King Rudra Pratap Singh of the Orchha .
of social and religious themes of gods, mythical animals and people.
➢ In the upper floor of the palace there are traces of mirrors in the ceilings and walls. [1][2] Its windows, arcaded passages and layout plan are designed in such a ➢ The fort complex, which is accessed from an arched causeway, leads to a large gateway. This is followed by a large quadrangular open yard surrounded by
way that the "sunlight and shadow create areas of different moods and temperatures throughout the day". [2] palaces.
➢ The interior walls of the Mahal have murals of Lord Vishnu. The Mahal has several secret passages.[2]
➢ These are Raja Mahal or Raja Mandir, Sheesh Mahal, Jahangir Mahal, a temple, gardens and pavilions. The battlements of the fort have ornamentation.
Sheesh Mahal is flanked on either side by the Raja Mahal and the Jahangir Mahal. ➢ Notable architectural features in the fort complex are projected balconies, open flat areas and decorated latticed windows Ram Raja Temple.
➢ This has royal accommodation, which was built for king Udait Singh. It has now been converted into a hotel.
➢ The interior of this edifice consists of a huge impressive hall with high ceiling, which is the dining hall.
➢ Its recent colour scheme renovations are an eyesore. But staying in two of its royal suites on the upper floor, which provide scenic views of the town, gives the
guest a feeling of royalty.

Jahangir mahal:-The palace is built in four levels with elegant architectural features of both Muslimand Rajput architecture.
➢ Its layout is a symmetrical square built in the inner courtyard of the fort and has eight large domes.
➢ It has a plethora of rooms with arcaded openings, projecting platforms and windows with lattice design work.
➢ The roof above top floor of this Mahal is accessed through a steep stairway. It provides picture perfect views of the temples and the Betwa River outside the
fort complex. The palace also houses a small archaeological museum.
➢ The entrance gate from this palace, which was earlier the main gate and which has carved ornamentation, leads to the royal baths. REASONS FOR MORPHOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT:-
➢ then to an elegant small dwelling unit built within a garden in typical Mughal architectural style; this had been built exclusively for Rai Parveen, her large-size
portrait in a revealing and seductive attire adorns hall in this Mahal. ➢ The main morphological development was caused by the belief of people in Lord Krishna in Ram Raja Mandir. It is the sacred Hindu pilgrimage and receives
• The building is a double storied structure built with bricks, rising to the height of the trees in the well tended garden called Anand Mahal. devotees from all over the country in large number regularly. In INDIA, this is the only temple where Lord Ram is worshipped as a king.
• The garden is laid out with octagonal flower beds and has good network of water supply.
• There are niches in the Mahal which permit natural light to the main hall and smaller rooms. ➢ The annual domestic tourist number is around 650,000 and foreign tourist number is around 25,000. Due to the numerous tourist, they need space to reside for
pilgrimage or tourist purpose. Thus, leading it to have hotels and restaurants nearby mandir and mahal.
Phool bagh
➢ Phool Bagh is an elegantly laid out garden in the fort complex which has a line of water fountains that terminates in a "palace-pavilion" which has eight pillars. ➢ Local markets and many sweet shops nearby hardaul mandir are used for the extensive trade of sweets as prasad.

➢ Below this garden is an underground structure which was used by the royalty as a cool summer retreat. ➢ All these conditions leads to the increment of public services like schools, hospital, banks and govt. offices.

➢ This cooling system consists of water ventilation system that is linked to an underground palace with "Chandan Katora", which is in the shape of a bowl from POLLUTION:-
where fountains of droplets trickle through the roof creating rainfall.
➢ The main cause of the pollution is due to its pilgrimage and tourist, the major type of pollution that affect the beauty of Orchha is Land and Water Pollution.
Chaturbhuj temple
➢ Large amount of offering to God in term of flowers, sweets and clothing which are generally disposed to the holy river water creating large amount of solid
➢ The temple has a complex multi-storied structural view which is a blend of temple, fort and palace architectural features was and also creating a moat.

➢ Chaturbhuj temple has tall spires in the shape of pine cones built atop a high platform of 4.5 metres (15 ft) height.

➢ The overall height of the temple is 105 metres (344 ft) high and its layout is compared to that of a Basilica and planned to resemble the four arms of Vishnu for EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE:-
whom it was built.
➢ Drinking water is supplemented by the local administration by tankers and temple authorities and locals, but these are inadequate to meet the high demands on
➢ The imposing view of the temple is that of multi-storied palace with arcaded openings, a very large entrance, a large central tower and fortifications. Ram Novmi.

➢ The climb to the temple facade involves climbing steep and narrow steps numbering 67, each of about 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) height, forming a winding stairway. ➢ There is no centralised drainage or sewage system for village settlement. The major resort establishments have their own sewage treatment plant.

➢ The interior has many halls and the main hall or mandapaof the temple is built in the shape of a cross or cruciform and is stated to be a mix of Māru-Gurjara ➢ Toilet facilities are provided by public toilets and tourist establishments like hotels and dharamshalas, but these are woefully inadequate for such large
architecture, and it is at right angles to the vestibule, of identical layout on either side. numbers.

➢ The temple's exterior is richly ornamented with lotus symbols. The building displays a blend of religious and secular styles taken from temple and fort ➢ It is important to provide adequate toilets and drainage facility to avoid the environmental pollution.
architecture.
➢ In terms of electricity, the infrastructure is fair but overall shortage of power in the state affects the town also. So while the daytime, activities do not make
➢ The temple faces east and is located on an axis with the nearby Ram Mandir, which is inside Orccha Fort complex. heavy demands on the electrical infrastructure, night time activities are restricted and supplemented by generators when necessary.

➢ However, there is not much ornamentation in the interior part of the temple. The ceiling of the central dome, which has several kiosks, is covered with bloomed CONVERSION OF RESIDENTIAL TO COMMERCIAL:-
lotuses.
➢ About 20 to 30% people are engaged in small business and tourist related activities.
➢ The exterior architectural features include "petaled stone moldings, painted floral and geometric designs, cornices supported on lotus bud pendantive brackets,
jewelled stone girdles, false balcony projections". ➢ While being in a developing area due to lack of vacant land for new structures like shops and restaurants they convert their houses into shops and restaurants.

➢ It is said that the towers of the temple, when built, had been covered with gold plating which over the years has been pilfered.[1]

➢ The roof of the temple is accessible from where one can see the scenic views of the Orccha town.