TRAVEL THE WORLD - ORCHHA, INDIA

The Betwa at Orchha, India is a very beautiful river, clean and calm. As with many of India's rivers, ghats have been built along its banks. These are steps leading down to the water where Hindus take a purification bath. They may also perform puja, a type of ceremonial worship. For Hindus, all water, particularly river water, is sacred. Consequently, the river is of great importance in Indian communities.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - ORCHHA, INDIA

We saw idols of Ganesh everywhere in India. The one in the photo, located in the Lakshmi Narayan Temple in Orchha was one of the most attractive we saw during our India vacation in 2007. As the Hindu god of opportunity and good fortune, Ganesh protects the entrance to homes and other buildings. In Orchha, we asked a travel agent to buy us a train ticket. When we picked it up later, he gave me a small brass idol of Ganesh and wished me good luck. I put it near the front entrance of our house, where it has remained ever since. Giving it to me was such a lovely gesture from this young man, and I shall never forget it. It was only one of many endearing things done for us in India.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - ORCHHA, INDIA

Most marriages in India are arranged by the parents of the bride and groom. Wedding celebrations are elaborate, colourful, and last for several days. Pre-wedding ceremonies include the engagement and arrival of the groom's party at the bride's residence, often in the form of a formal procession called the Baraat which is featured in the photo taken in Orchha in 2007. You can see the groom in the second photo. He is the man wearing the wedding garland.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - ORCHHA, INDIA

The cow has been revered as a holy animal in India for a very long time. The origins of this belief are lost in history, but it is considered to have arisen because the cow was the most valuable possession of the people, providing milk which sustains life. Today, it is forbidden to harm a cow. People look after the cows and bulls and feed them when they are able to pull a cart or give milk. When they get old, however, they are left to fend for themselves, and, sadly, can frequently be seen foraging for food in piles of garbage or lying on the ground and in the street.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - ORCHHA, INDIA

Here in Orchha we see people relaxing at the Betwa river, one of India's cleanest. Water is an object of worship for Hindus. As the building block of life, it is represented by a circle and symbolizes fullness. Given the importance of water in the daily life of India, it is terrible to think that the northern glaciers that feed India's rivers are being threatened by global warming.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - ORCHHA, INDIA

This photo taken in the Orchha railway station in 2007 is noteworthy for a couple of reasons. First, notice how clean the floor is. This is because in India there are sweepers everywhere. These are people from the scheduled (lower) castes whose job is to sweep the streets and other public places. You will see them busy in the early morning before many people are up and about. Within the last ten years or so, the government has taken measures to reserve a proportion of the jobs in the country for such people in order to free them from caste restrictions as to their employment. Although the caste system was made illegal under British rule and also in the 1950 constitution of India, it remains strong in the attitudes of the people.

The photo is also noteworthy because of the way the bull is allowed to wander freely within the railway station. No one except perhaps a recently arrived tourist would find it remarkable that he is here, because Hindus consider cows to be sacred and therefore to be protected. They are seen everywhere, even on the busiest roads where attempts to avoid hitting them can be a serious traffic hazard. It is thought that cows originally gained their status because their milk was essential to life, and bulls because they were, and still are, an essential beast of burden. Sadly, when their useful life is over, people no longer feed these animals, and they are forced to forage for food. You will see them in and around piles of garbage which seem to collect on the side of the road in every town.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - ORCHHA, INDIA

Orchha was founded by the Rajput Bundela dynasty in the 16th Century. The Rajputs ruled the village and the surrounding area until 1950 when Orchha became part of India. In the town are numerous cenotaphs or chhatris like the ones in the photo taken in 2007. These give the town its character. Other major buildings are a fort which includes several connected buildings, including two palaces, and the Lakshmi temple. Orchha is a peaceful town where you can escape the crowds of visitors you may see in other more well-known places.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - ORCHHA, INDIA

These two men, photographed in Orchha in 2007, are sadhus. A sadhu is a Hindu who has renounced normal life in order to achieve liberation through meditation and prayer. Many wander about and live on donations. Sadhus often wear ochre-coloured clothes to symbolize renunciation. After meeting these two, we learned that, in areas frequented by tourists, you may be approached by men pretending to be sadhus in order to obtain your money. That is unlikely to have applied in Orchha, however, as it is a small town definitely off the beaten track.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - ORCHHA, INDIA

At first, we were amused when we saw this road repair work in Orchha in 2007. Then, we realized that in India, with its surplus of unskilled labour and low wages, it would make no sense to buy expensive hi-tech equipment. The man on the right is carrying something in a large bowl on his head which he is about to pour into the mouth of the asphalt mixer. He is likely very happy to have found employment. There are millions like him in India, while at the same time there exists a great skills shortage. Hopefully, the rapid economic growth the country is experiencing will lead to an improvement in the school system and in the lives of the poor.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - ORCHHA, INDIA

The Betwa, photographed in 2007 in the town of Orchha, is a very beautiful river, clean and calm. As with many of India's rivers, ghats have been built along its banks. These are steps leading down to the water where a purification bath is taken and prayers are offered to one of the Hindu deities. Because Hindus regard river water as sacred, the river is of great importance in the life of Indian communities. Orchha, a north India community in Madhya Pradesh, is known for its beautiful cenotaphs which date from the 16th and 17th Centuries.

INDIA VACATION 2007

INDIAN PALACES

India has many beautiful palaces. The one pictured in the first photo above is in Mehranghar Fort at Jodhpur and was built in the 17th Century. It is now a museum with many interesting things to see from the original palace furnishings.

The City Palace complex in Jaipur, part of which is pictured in the second photo, covers a very large area, and consists of gardens, courtyards and buildings. The Jaipur royal family continues to live in part of the palace.

The Jahangir Mahal in Orchha, seen in the third photo, is a fine example of Mughal architecture featuring typical stone latticework. Construction by the Orchha ruler, Vir Singh, began early in the 16th Century in honour of the Mughal emperor, Jehangir.

INDIA VACATION 2007

ORCHHA CENOTAPHS and GHATS

The town of Orchha, located on the beautiful Betwa - one of India's cleanest rivers - was founded in 1531. Until 1783, when it was devastated by Shah Jehan, it served as the capital of the Orchha princely state. In the town are temples, palaces and cenotaphs of its former rulers.

We thoroughly enjoyed our three-day stay in Orchha. It is a quiet retreat away from the boisterous activity of Delhi and Varanasi.

The walk along the Betwa above ghats is especially tranquil and beautiful. As you can see in the first photo, ghats are steps constructed on the river bank which enable bathers to access the river.

The remaining photo shows the Betwa River with one of Orchha's beautiful cenotaphs in the background.

WHY A BLOG?

The idea of having a blog so I can share my thoughts with the world has never interested me much. I don't think of myself as someone who is that interesting! Just the same, however, creating a record of my travels is appealing. As well, some of the destinations may be of interest because they are unusual.

The photo on the right, for example, shows a cenotaph built in the middle ages in a small town in northern India called Orchha which Paul, my husband, and I visited in late 2007.

In calling this blog "Annette's travels," I am thinking of vacation travels. If I overcome my reluctance to express my thoughts and find blogging is satisfying, I may broaden the definition to include any number of ways to travel.

The initial impetus for the blog came recently when I created a photo-book on Webshots.com. I found this very rewarding, and decided to order additional copies to give as Christmas gifts. Unfortunately, postage to Canada was quite expensive, so I looked for a way to post the book on the Internet. What follows in the next several posts is my attempt to do that.