Bundela's Place - Datia

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.

Akbar captured Orchha in 1604 and deposed Raja Ram Chand, Bir Singh’s eldest brother. It is said that Bir Singh, an errant chieftain himself, beheaded Abul Fazl (Akbar’s vizier, confidant and general) and sent his head to Salim (a young Jehangir). It is also alleged that this was done at the prompting of Jehangir, who in his memoirs declared that it was Abul Fazl who had abused Akbar’s mind so that he turned away his love for his son. I could not verify through historical accounts how much of this is a fact. Anyway, tormented at Fazl’s death and to challenge Bir Singh’s audacity, Akbar tried to have Bir Singh captured. Bir Singh teamed up with Jehangir, who by then was rebelling against his own father. Bir Singh and Jehangir apparently shared some anxious moments before either of them ascended the throne.

Proud Of Bundelkhand - Kalpi

Kalpi is a pretty city located between Jhansi and Kanpur on the National Highway 25 in Uttar Pradesh. It is 35 km northeast of Orai.

Kalpi is believed to have found by king Vasudeva, at the end of the 4th century. References about the Kalpi fort, one of the eight great forts of the Chandelas, had been found in the annals, regarding its capture by Qutab-Ud-Din Aibak in 1196. The city had witnessed continued struggles for its possession by subsequent rulers from Sarqi kings of Jaunpur to Daulat Khan Lodhi and Babur. During the reign of Akbar, the town became the ‘gate of the west’ – an entry point for expeditions to central India. In the mid 18th century, the Marathas gained possession of Kalpi and ruled it until the British wrested control in 1803.

Apart from the old fort, other points of tourist interest in the town include the tombs of Madar Sahib, Ghafur Zanjani, Chol Bibi and Bahadur Shahid and several temples of antiquity. The architectural splendor of Chaurasi Gumbaz, which is attributed to the Lodhis, is another spot worth visiting. Though the new town of Kalpi lies to the southeast of Yamuna, the old town is still the nerve center for local trade. Rampura and Jagmanpur are attractions nearby.

Histroical Bundelkhand City: Gwalior

Gwalior's history is traced back to a legend in 8th century AD when a chief tain known as Suraj Sen was struck by a deadly disease and cured by a hermit-saint Gwalipa.

Gwalior is an historical place of Madhya Pradesh. It is surrounded by District Morena in the North, District Shivpuri in the south, and District Bhind in the East and District Datia in the west. The District is having two sub-divisions, namely, Gwalior & Dabra. There are three tehsils, namely, Gwalior, Dabra & Bhitarwar and four Development Blocks namely, Ghatigaon (Barai), Morar, Dabra & Bhitarwar.

The Tomar Rajputs retook Gwalior in 1398 and from then on the strategically located fort played a key role in moulding the history of Central India till India’s independence. Gwalior’s renowned ruler Raja Man Singh Tomar (1486 to 1516), stood up to the might of Sikandar Lodi of the Delhi Sultanate in 1505, but was finally overcome in 1517 after a yearlong siege by the Lodis. The fort was captured by the Mughals, who in turn lost it in 1754 to the powerful Maratha clan of the Scindias. A turbulent period till the early 18^th century saw the fort change hands several times till the Scindias came back to power, albeit with the tacit approval of the British.

Gateway of Bundelkhand - Jhansi

City of Rani Laxmi Bai - Jhansi

Jhansi is a city in the state of Uttar Pradesh. It is about 415 km from Delhi and 292 km from Lucknow, and the gateway to Bundelkhand. Jhansi grew in popularity during the reign of the Marathas because of the heroics of its valiant queen, Rani Lakshmi Bai. She had valiantly fought against the Britishers during the 1857 revolt.

Jhansi was first known as Shankargarh, when Orchha was the capital of Bundelas. In a bid of strengthening the security of Orchha, its king Raja Bir Singh Ja Deo had constructed a fort on a hill in Shankargarh. And it was when he looked at the site for the new fort from his Orchha palace that he realized the place looked like a jhain-si (blurred shadow). And this is how Jhansi got its present name.

Jhansi is the administrative seat of Jhansi Division and District. It was with the dream project of the Ex Prime Minister of India, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee of developing highways that great led to a huge improvement in the progress of Jhansi. You find the East-West Corridor, and the North-South Corridor connecting Kashmir and Kanyakumari, passing through Jhansi. And with this, it brought with itself a sudden rush in both the real estate and infrastructure of Jhansi. There is also a Greenfield airport in the list of near future projects of Jhansi.

Jhansi Fort
The 17^th century fort was made by Raja Bir Singh on top of a hill as an army stronghold. The Karak Bijli tank is within the fort. There is also a museum which has a collection of sculpture and provides an insight into the history of Bundelkhand.