MPT Sheesh Mahal, Orchha — Hotel in Madhya Pradesh

Puranic name of Amarkantak was Riksha parvat. It is not only the Narmada which arises from Amarkantak, because theson River, initially referred to as Jwalawanti of Johila, the Mahanadi and the Amadoh, which is a major early tributary of the Godavari, all rise from within the Amarkantak plateau.Among all the sacred rivers of India, the Narmada occupies a unique place. Legend has it that Lord Shiva blessed Narmada with unique purifying powers. Whereas to purify himself, a devotee requires taking one dip in the Holy Ganga, seven days' prayers on the banks of Yamuna and three days prayers on the banks of Saraswati, the mere sight of Narmada is enough. A charming folk tale describes the superiority of Narmada over Ganga. Once every year, after she herself is polluted beyond tolerance, Ganga visits Narmada dressed like a dark woman and takes a cleansing purifying dip in its waters! Narmada, which is more than 150 million years older than the Ganges RiverGanga and is considered by many Hindus to be the most sacred for all the rivers of India, Amarkantak itself is sacred to the Hindus and is deemed to be a door-way to ‘nirwana’.

The history about amarkantak reveals that during the Chendi dynasty hold the region was followed by the kalchuris in the 10th century. The region in the earier days was belived to be known as the ayodhya, as mentioned in our vedas, puranas that there was a ashram for the saints of kapil muni and rishi markand. Stories from the various books suggests that the pandavas of the mahabharat epic had spent their years of exile here. region was later in the 15th century was handed over Baghelas and in 1808, the bhosle of nagpur ruled out the region. Finally in went in the hands of minister of state goverment. In the hindu mythology, Narmada is one of the seven sacred rivers of India. Pilgrims bathe in its holy water to wash away their sins. legend has it that once every year, the mighty Ganga comes to Narmada to take a holy dip into its water at the place...

Maharaja suite of Sheesh Mahal hotel is an amazing place to stay. It is on the top floor of Sheesh Mahal with an amazing view ..lot of antique furniture , gorgeous antique pieces .. the best part is that this suite is divided into 3 parts. The first part is where you get the balcony view with a jhoola (swing ) on the other side of the balcony. Second part of the entrance is where there is a huge dining tar which could be a perfect place for evening /morning tea or coffee and has huge windows which gives you a very nice picture of the surrounding areas. Third lap is the big palatial room which gives you the feel of being a Maharaja ! There is another semi - palatial room with only one lap.. which is called the Maharji suite which is right where the dining area is.. but that is also quite a beautiful room to stay ! The maintenance of the hotel can be improved to some extent. Since we are workout loving people.. we had no issues in asking for water bottles on our way to the top floor which was some 2 floors, and also we were okay with going downstairs to refill our bottles thinking this is a form of workout, but I don't think many people would appreciate this. The reason we did this was that they took a slightly longer time for the service.

Food was really good especially the masala chaach (Buttermilk) served as a saviour when we came back from our visit to the grand temples where we had to walk a lot more than we...

Its a dream come true. To stay inside a fort and a palace. Awesome. The fort consists of three palaces built over a period of time. Tourism department of madhya pradesh has a hotel in the central palace called Sheesh Mahal (Mahal means Palace in hindi). Has 8 rooms. There are 2 suites which are a must stay.... the maharaja suite and the maharani suite. I got to stay in Maharani suite on the left of the lobby/entrance. Its a mindboggling experience. The view through the windows is exceptional. The washroom is what you would expect of a royal. Little low down is the food, which is ok, but not as exceptional as the location. Once in a lifetime stay. Local guides are available. You have to buy tickets at the entrance of the fort to visit all the monuments including the fort. Parking at different locations is seperate. I hired a guide near the ticket window. Told him that time available was 1 hour 30 mins. He did his best. Though i recommend atleast 2 days. However, nowdays i find google maps to be more informative. The guide is more entertaining, but do take a pinch of salt alongwith. Orchha is an supremely beautiful, serene and historic place. Jhansi is at 15 km. Gwalior at 100 km. And Agra at about 200 km. Road...