Bundelkhand
The sun sets behind the cenotaphs of the Bundela rulers on the banks of the river Betwa. Orchha
An abandoned servants quarter on the banks of the Betwa is used as a temporary residence by villagers to collect crop from the surrounding fields. Orchha
The gargantuan Jahangir Mahal built for the Mughal Emperor's state visit in 1598. The palace is also named after him and is one of the finest pieces of Bundela architecture in India. Orchha
The fortress like Raj Mahal, the prime seat of power of the Bundela Rajputs during Orchha's heydays.
A narrow causeway spans across the beta River. Seen in the distance is the Chaturbhuj Temple. Orchha
The gigantic Chaturbhuja Temple displays strong Islamic designs in its arches. Orchha
Overlooking Datia town is the imposing Govind Mahal built by the rulers of Datia, once a 17-gun salute princely state in Bundelkhand.
The captivating scale of the seven story Datia Palace makes it probably the tallest skyscraper in India in the 17th century.
A plane flies by over the group of temples at Khajuraho, now a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the most famous tourist spot in Bundelkhand.
Detail of a panel from the Lakshmana Temple, Khajuraho.
The largest of the Khajuraho Temples, Kandariya Mahadev with its profusion of sculptures depicting gods, goddesses, scenes from everyday life and famously, erotica, Khajuraho.
A space to walk around the sanctum sanctorum, inside the Kandariya Mahadev Temple, Khajuraho.
The intricately carved Boar in the Varaha Temple, Khajuraho.
The iconic Lion hunting a nymph in an altar next to the Kandariya Mahadev Temple, Khajuraho.
The powerful Raneh Falls on the Ken River, Khajuraho.
Bundelkhand, got its name from Bundela Rajputs is a geographic region of central India, now divided between the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, including major towns like Jhansi, Datia and Orchha. Bundelkhand's most well known place, however, is Khajuraho which has a number of 10th century temples devoted to fine-living and eroticism. In the novel The Mysterious Island (1874) by Jules Verne, the fictional character Captain Nemo's real identity is revealed as that of Prince Dakkar of Bundelkhand. In the novel Around the World in Eighty Days, the protagonist, Phileas Fogg, rescues a woman (Aouda) about to be burned at the pyre in a Sati ceremony while traveling through the Bundelkhand region.