We left Orchha - The Wonderland with a heavy heart because there was so much to left to be seen. But with a promise to come back again, we moved out of the town in the wee hours.
the promise to go back has not been fulfilled yet
Our next destination was Chanderi, another sleepy town that boasts of forts, tombs and above all its magnificent stepwells. Walking through the streets of this town is a surreal experience - a stepwell here, an ancient temple there, a fort lurking in the background. Chanderi became fairly popular all across the world after a blockbuster Hindi movie 'Stree' was shot here. Though even before that, it was known worldwide for its traditional hand-woven sarees.
Bird's Eye View of Chanderi
Remnants of forts and tombs of Chanderi
Just like Orchha, this town is also located along the banks of a river named Betwa. As you drive along the shores of this river you see people working in their fields and tiny hillocks spread all across the horizon. As you start climbing up the curvaceous road, leaving the river behind, you are welcome by beautiful resorts built along the road surrounded by shrubs that wanted to be trees but eventually settled with being, well shrubs. We did not go the market straightaway but decided to capture a glimpse of the town from the highest point of the town. And that's where we were staying, which came as a surprise. Name of our hotel was Kila Kothi, which literally meant 'the fort'.
The town market is a long straight road with lanes branching off in all directions. Well, that's a typical Indian market you can say.
The stepwells are scattered all along and sadly, they all are in a bad state. Such is the problem with small towns or upcoming urban centers that they are so terribly scarce with funds that preserving cultural heritage figures towards the end in their priority list.
Stepwells lying in disuse
One amongst many
Hopping from one fort to another was an overwhelming experience. Forts that must have asserted authority were now lying lifeless. Even the mightiest fall and that's what we could see right in front of our eyes. Though, a lot has been done to preserve forts and temples, but what can withstand the test of time, nobody!
Now we marched towards the other side of the town where a major part of movie was shot. The name of the landmark was 'kati pahadi' which loosely translates into 'a broken mountain.' And it was a different world altogether on the other side. The populace diminishing, roads merging into forests and disappearing all of a sudden. And then out of nowhere, ancient caves and statues carved in stone appearing to surprise you one more time.
About that part, we shall talk in some other blog post.
Koshak Mahal - The Palace of Clouds
