Orchha - destroyed ....

Richeek

I liked Orchha. Had a really wonderful time. There was some construction work going on to create the setting for a son-et-lumierre in the Raja Mahal. Some minor construction elsewhere, but then eveyone repairs their house. Overall, a wonderful experience.

rtandon

I fully agree with you. If they don't renovate then people blame that it is not maintained and on the other hand if is is reconstructed / renovated then some problems are bound to be there. Of course they should cover the scaffoldings etc with huge plastic fabric as curtain to avoid dust spreading nearby but even otherwise that does not count as a deterring factor to avoid such a calm and beautiful place esp after monsoon right until onset of summer.

davidp80

Hi guys,

Just thought I'd give a quick update. I have been in Orccha since last evening, and my initial impression is that it is still very much worth visiting, especially if you haven't been here before, prior to the influx of tourism. You will deal with plenty of hassle on the mall and when in the main market area, but there are still plenty of quiet, relatively clean (I don't see the garbage as being overexcessive, by Indian standards anyway) paths to get away from it all - to experience the magic that still permeates this beautiful place. And, like I said, for a first timer like me, I'm finding it all really wonderful! In six months of Indian travel, I have come across no other place quite like Orccha, and can therefore recommend it to everyone.

Best to you,

-Dave

Tyouwanto

I have to say, that I hate this attitude more than anything. The attitude of backpacker one upmanship. It is worth bearing in mind that you yourself contributed to its downfall by visiting it. I don't mean to go on, but whenever I am travelling I despair of meeting people with this attitude. Typical statements they come up with are
A) "You paid that much, oh you got ripped off. I only paid 5rps to travel from Delhi to Bangalore"
or
B) You visited Orchha? Its ruined now, back when I went it was untouched
etc
rant over

Jorge Reverter

I agree absolutely with tyoueanto and davidp80. Orchha is a lovely place to visit. I've been in Orchha several times and I can accept that now few more tourists go there. Congratulations to them!!! they are enough lucky to enjoy such a marvel.

For those hesitating to go or not to go to Orchha my advice is: Go there is one of the best sites in India even if for some connoiseurs is not woth because the others have spoiled the village. I'm sending time to time pictures of the city and/or the
people to my indiamike's gallery because I still want to share the experience.

All the best

Jorge

artwallah

I was in Orchha first in 1999 with Indian friends from Bhopal who had grown up going there on vacations. They lamented that it was totally ruined; I was enthralled and thought it was just about the best place I had ever been. I went back with two American friends last year (2007) and thought it had been "discovered" by the daytrippers going from Agra to Khajuraho. At first I was disappointed, but we stayed there 4 nights and I discovered the old Orchha is still there. You need to spend a little time there and slow down a bit. Its still a magical place and I'd go back tomorrow if I could....

artwallah

I should add, though, that I have NEVER seen so many flies in my life. That is NOT an improvement over 1999.The place is now very very dirty, even by Indian standards, and I could no longer sample the famous sweets, since the flies get there first.

leandarrr

i saw one pics here from OP post , where is this place ?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shanx13/2882197100/

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zoltan

OP, your link for photos is returning this: This is not the page you're looking for.

Cheers
Zoltan

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Mordeep

I will be in Orchha for a few days at the end of November for a nearby wedding. We will stay at the Sheesh Mahal (govt hotel). I will try to remember to post my impressions. I did visit Orchha last year for a couple of hours while our tour bus traveled from Jhansi to Khajuraho but didn't have strong feelings about it positive or negative.

Regarding a place being ruined by commercialism/tourism.....have you been to Venice Italy or Heidelberg Germany? These are now just elegant shopping malls....the art and history of these places nearly takes a backstage to the Armani and Gucci palaces.

bostonindian

Sad, but true WWUSA!
I can relate to your Calangute comment.
Back in the early 80s the beaches were less commerialized, less crowded (which directly relates to the amount of litter). The biggest peeve that my grandparents had was the bare bodies and hippies!
Yes, Calangute will stay a crowd pleaser for a while, people will still love the place... but somewhere out there there'll be people nostaligic about the good old days. ::

haydn

"well if Orcha is going downhill, then it is very bad news"
well, isn't everywhere? (partly thanks to us!)...how tiring are the 'old hands' who have been there done that before it was ruined! just an idea: leave the placve better than when you got there.
shantih

trustindia

Yes I read these forums with dismay sometimes, a little responsibility from tourists would go a long way to keeping those little gems secret.
It's a real pity that some visit nice secluded spots then go running to an internet forum to tell the whole world about it.
The nature of the internet has really changed travel forever, people don't need to explore or be advneturous, it's all on the net.

I find it perfectly natural for old hands to feel saddened by places that become more mainstream through the years. Worth noting that old stylee travellers were more apt to blend in with the surroundings instead of demanding pancakes and fried rice.
Hence one could say, I did my best to hold with the authenticity of place A, B or C

alouise

You're right Trustindia, the internet certainly has changed travel so much. On the plus side, though, I really can't complain about the ease of booking rail tickets outside of India or being able to keep in touch with my adult daughters when I'm away - eg. to reassure them all is fine. On the negative side, some places have suffered from over exposure.

trustindia

Oh yes the benefits outweigh the downsides. It's not the fault of forums who are simply a platform and I can understand excited posters wanting to share their new found paradise.

There are consequences though, worth thinking about that before publishing your new found gem on a public forum

Oddly said posters will probably be the most disillusioned 10 years down the line, when they see what they started.