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Who has not heard of Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi?

The last few lines of one of the most recited poetry in Hindi literature composed by Subhadra Kumari Chauhan on the life of Rani Lakshmibai are here below. During my school days, I’ve sung it too with rousing feelings of patriotism.

Bundele harbolon ke munh hamane suni kahaani thi,
Khoob ladi mardaani woh to Jhansi waali raani thi.

A rough translation of it is:

“This story we heard from the mouths of Bundel bards
Like a man she fought, she was the Queen of Jhansi.”

And that is what I recalled when I had my taxi stop at the Jhansi Fort while on my way to explore Orchha, the twin city of Datia.

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A visit to Datia was originally not in my original itinerary. While chit-chatting with a small group of travellers at Man Mandir, they described this beautiful palace in Datia that they had just returned from.

So on my way to Orchha, about 75 kms away from Gwalior on the border of UP (Jhansi being only 25 kms away), I had my taxi stop at Datia and was glad I did that.

The main attraction of Datia town is the captivating Datia Palace, locally called Govind Mahal (or Govind Mandir) and popularly called the Jehangir Mahal (Palace). It is overlooking the Karna Sagar Lake.

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Right from Jaipur city, I could see the western skyline of the Hill of Eagles dominated by the extensive stone ramparts and watch tower of the Jaigarh Fort. Reputed to be a fort that has never been captured, it is one of the few military structures of medieval India that has remained intact over the years.

Known also as the Victory Fort, Jaigarh Fort is located at a comfortable distance of 15 kms from the city of Jaipur. The journey to the Fort includes a steep climb passing through rock strewn thorn bush forests. I felt that the tough terrain itself was enough to give the occupants of the Fort an edge over intruders. In spite of that, it was interesting to note that at certain places even as the SUV that I was in was struggling to gather momentum at the precipitous slope, the locals were scaling those slopes by foot effortlessly.

I stopped by on the way to the Forts and decided to stroll in the peaceful and inviting woodlands. Except for the distant sound of occasional vehicles passing by on the road, where the SUV driver-cum-guide waited for me patiently, I enjoyed the walk through the wilderness for almost an hour. I particularly loved the solitude amongst the birds and animals in their natural habitat. Sometimes they scampered past in spite of my quiet steps. It was an out of this world feeling to be all alone, in a remote corner of the world, listening to the melody of the many singing birds.

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I prefer having an idea of the things I want to explore so I do not miss out on anything of significance. That is what I used to think until I made a trip to Jaipur. My travels to Jaipur changed my pre-conceived notions of travelling as to how I wanted to approach new places and encounter new experiences

It was in July 2007 when, unexpectedly, I got a few days free while I was in Delhi. On a whim I decided to go to Jaipur. I have never been more delighted on having made such an impulsive decision. To put it simply, I ended up having a fabulous time exploring the place on my own.

Jaipur, popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital of the State of Rajasthan in India. Founded by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber in 1727, it is regarded as one of the best planned cities, when compared to other towns of that period. Keeping in mind the Hindu architectural books involving geometric planning, Jaipur was planned by the Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II together with the famous Hindu priest architect, Guru Vidyadhar.

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