‘He is our King here then God!’ – The Legend of Ram Raja Temple – Orchha

I was on my way to Jhansi from Gwalior after attending a wedding, with one spectacular destination in the bucket list. 17 km from Jhansi, the town is full of Mystery, Mythology, Legends, and History. Most importantly, it is the only place in India wherein the administrator is none other than Shri Ram himself! It has a fascinating story behind it. The town is Orchha, in the state of Madhya Pradesh. I took a shared auto from Jhansi to Orchha which only costed INR 20 but there were 10 people packed in one auto! Nevertheless, I reached Orchha safely on a beautiful, chilled morning with Sun God gracing with soft sunshine. Now let’s jump into the Legend.

The Legend - 

During the period 1554 to 1592 AD, King Madhukar Shah ruled the Orchha Kingdom. According to the legend, the king Madhukar Shah was the devotee of Lord Krishna, and his wife, Queen Ganesh Kunwari was a devotee of Lord Ram. According to a local folklore, once the King and the Queen were graced by the presence of Lord Krishna, among the devotees who were singing and dancing, outside a local temple. Both King and Queen participated enthusiastically in the procession. After this event King asked the queen to accompany him to Mathura but she wanted to visit Ayodhya. Adamant King insisted again and again but the Queen refused. The already annoyed king became furious and screamed at the Queen- ‘You keep praying to Lord Ram and he never appears. Go to Ayodhya and return to Orchha only when you have Lord Rama with you. Only then I will accept your devotion’. 

Devasted, the queen left for Ayodhya all alone with a vow to come back only with Ram Lalla (Child form of Lord Ram). On reaching Ayodhya, the Queen started praying to Lord Rama, but Lord Rama did not appear. The Queen fasted and continued her prayers. Eventually, she gave up all food. Seeing her prayers are still being unanswered, in despair, she jumped into the Sarayu River. 

The Miracle-

But she didn’t know that miracle was awaiting her! Pleased with her prayers and devotion, Lord Ram appeared in the lap of the Queen in child form and told her to ask for a boon. She told her ordeal and her desire to take Lord Ram to Orchha along with her. Lord Ram granted her wish with 3 conditions– 

1. “The first place you seat me will be my final place to stay".

2. "I will travel only in Pukh or Pushya Nakshatra so that he reaches Orchha with sages”. 

3. “Once we reach Orchha, I will be the King of Orchha”. 

The queen happily agreed.

The Dream and the construction of the Chaturbhuj Temple -

Meanwhile in Orchha, King Madhukar Shah had a dream. Shri Krishna scolded him for differentiating between Ram and Krishna. He explained not only Ram- Krishna, every being is ‘One’ and that’s the ultimate truth. The King suddenly woke up from his deep sleep and felt guilty and apologetic. With the new revelation, he asked his ministers to look out for the queen. In this process, he learnt what transpired in Ayodhya. Immediately he instructed to start the construction of a grand temple for Ram Lalla beside the queen’s palace and make arrangements for grand welcome of his queen. This Temple is known as Chaturbhuj Temple. 

According to one of the conditions of travelling only in Pukh or Pushya Nakshatra, it took the queen a total period of 8 months and 27 days between 1574 and 1575 to reach Orchha from Ayodhya. Queen was provided with grand ceremonious welcome. King himself welcomed the queen and apologised for his behaviour.

Next day of the arrival of the queen was set for the installation of the idol in the Chaturbhuj Temple. Next day in the morning all the preparations were done and chanting of the mantras by the priests was in progress. But… 

What happened on the previous day....?

As the queen arrived in Orchha with Lord Ram, she saw the beautiful temple and was very happy with the overall turn of events. She took the idol to her palace beside the temple so that the next day it can be placed in sanctum sanctorum of the temple. Till then she placed the idol, as a makeshift arrangement, in the kitchen of her palace and retired for the day.

Next day as the preparations were complete for the official placement, she tried to lift the idol, but it didn’t move. She tried again but it didn’t move an inch. Suddenly the condition placed by Lord Ram reverberated in her ears - “The first place you seat me will be my final place to stay". This marked the place holy and hence, to this day, the queen's palace is known as revered 'Ram Raja Temple'. 

According to a story mentioned in book ‘Shri Bhaktamal’ written by Nabha Das ji (1585), originally the idol of Shri Ram was in standing position. One day Queen Ganesh Kunwari was performing pooja all day. Lord then asked her to sit down as he felt she must be tired. Then the queen said, ‘how can I sit when my lord is standing?’ The lord then wittily replied, ‘If I sit, I will not stand up again.’ To this the queen replied, ‘As you wish’. From then the main idol at Orchha’s Raja Ram Temple is in sitting position.

Ram Raja (the King Ram) - 

After these events, King Madhukar Shah realised this is not an ordinary idol. Seeing the two of the conditions fulfilled, King Madhukar Shah willingly handed over his kingdom to Shri Ram and looked after the kingdom as a trustee. Even today Shri Ram is the official king of Orchha and worshipped here as a king. 

My experience at Orchha - 

The Raja Ram Temple or Queen’s Palace look spectacular and picturesque and is adorned with a beautiful marble courtyard and colourful walls. The customary values here are also significant. During the evening Aarti, ‘Rajaji’ is offered a gun salute as a respect to the administrator of Orchha. Chaturbhuj Temple beside the Raja Ram Temple is also breathtakingly beautiful.

During the Sunset, entire Orchha city look as if it is dipped in Gold! The historical charm of the temple doesn’t shy away from mesmerizing you. You can also climb through inner stairs up on the temple. The bird’s eye view from there is stunning.

Roaming in Orchha is an spiritual experience in itself. Literally it is an walk in the historical and spiritual heritage! World has also recognised this fact and city of Orchha is declared as UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Leaving Orchha, heart will fill with heaviness. But I promised myself, I will visit Orchha again to dive deeper in the mysteries of the town and gets soaked in the soul of Orchha!

How to reach – 

Nearest Railway station – Jhansi Railway station – 17 km 

Easily accessible via roads 

Winters are pleasant to visit but can be visited any time of the year.

Hope you enjoyed the story and please let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Thank you! 

Important Reference Book: Shri Bhaktmal – Nabh Das ji