How a whole castle was built in India for a guest who spent only a night in it (5 photos)

An architectural masterpiece for one night.





India has a huge number of amazing attractions. But some of them amaze not only with their beauty, but also the history of construction. For example, everyone knows that The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum built by Padishah Shah Jahan in honor of his dead wife. Another stunning building in India was built just for the sake of one night that an honored guest spent within its walls.



Jahangir Mahal Castle is located in the small town of Orchha in state of Madhya Pradesh. Despite the fact that the town is small (here lives about 12 thousand people), it preserved a huge number sights of the XVI-XVIII centuries. Among them is Jahangir Mahal, built at the beginning of the 17th century.

At that time, the city of Orchha was the capital of the principality of the same name, ruled by Bir Singh Deo. He had good relations with the empire Great Mughals. When the Mughal emperor Jahangir set out with visit to Orchha, Bir Singh Deo decided to rebuild a whole castle for the guest.





One of the most beautiful places was chosen for the construction of the castle - bank of the river Betwa. Then the river was surrounded by dense forest. For the emperor and his retinues built a three-story building of red and yellow sandstone, decorated with carvings. Inside, the interior was painted with frescoes, which today lost. Many towers made it look like an impregnable fortress. The Mughal ruler and his retinue had 236 rooms at their disposal, more than half of them were underground. Construction turned out iconic and symbolic: it merged Hindu and Islamic styles. The castle was named Jahangir Mahal in honor of the honored guest.



According to legend, Jahangir himself spent only one night, but the memory of this visit remained to live within the walls of the castle. Later the castle has become one of the important defensive structures of Orchha, and around There are also some beautiful buildings.



The Principality of Orchha existed until the middle of the twentieth century, when India declared its independence. Now Jahangir Mahal is not belongs to the Indian nobility, the castle was transferred under the care of the state Madhya Pradesh. Alas, all its luxury is gradually falling into decay, so how the castle is now abandoned.