Chaturbhuj Temple, dedicated to Vishnu, is situated at Orchha in Madhya Pradesh, India. The name Chaturbhuj is a combination of 'chatur' meaning "four" and 'bhuj' meaning "arms" which literally translates to "one who has four arms" and refers to Rama an Avatar of Vishnu. The temple has a complex multi-storied structural view which is a blend of temple, fort and palace architectural features.
The temple was constructed by the Bundela Rajputs of the kingdom of Orchha during the reign of Mughal emperor Akbar.[6] Its construction was begun by Madhukar Shah and completed by his son, Vir Singh Deo in the 16th century. Madhukar Shah built the temple for his wife, Rani Ganeshkuwari.
According to a local legend, the temple was built after the queen had a "dream visitation" by Lord Rama directing her to build a temple for Him; while Madhukar Shah was a devotee of Krishna, his wife's dedication was to Rama. Following the approval to build the Chaturbhuja Temple, the queen went to Ayodhya to obtain an image of Lord Rama that was to be enshrined in her new temple. When she came back from Ayodhya with the image of Rama, initially she kept the idol in her palace, called Rani Mahal, as the Chaturbhuj Temple was still under construction. She was, however, unaware of an injunction that the image to be deified in a temple could not be kept in a palace. Once the temple construction was completed and the idol of the lord had to be moved for installation at the Chatrubhuj Temple, it refused to be shifted from the palace. Hence, instead of the Chaturbuj temple, the Rama's idol remained in the palace whereas the Chaturbhuj Temple remained without an idol in its sanctum. As Rama was worshiped in the palace it was converted into the Ram Raja Temple; it is the only shrine in the country where Rama is worshiped as a king.
The management of the temple on a day-to-day basis is the responsibility of the Ram Raja Trust. However, the conservation of the temple structure itself is under the control of the State Archaeology Department.
Dharmendra Singh Yadav317 days ago
Chaturbhuj Temple, dedicated to lord Vishnu, The name Chaturbhuj is a combination of 'chatur' meaning "four" and 'bhuj' meaning "arms" which literally translates to "one who has four arms" and refers to Rama an Avatar of Vishnu. The temple has a complex multi-storied structural view which is a blend of temple, fort and palace architectural features.
The temple was originally built to deify an image of Rama, as the chief deity, which was installed in the Rama Raja Temple inside the Orchha Fort complex. At present an image of Radha Krishna is worshiped in the temple. The temple is noted for having one of the tallest Vimana among Hindu temples standing at 344 feet.
Deepak Sharma1 year ago
Opposite to the Orchha fort complex, this grand mystical temple is hard to miss. The 105 meters tall vimana (the tallest in the whole country), can be seen from evey nook and corner of the town. Similar to other monuments of Orchha, a graceful blend of Rajput and Islamic architecture can be seen in this temple as well, especially the huge dome on the roof. However this has an interesting story of its origin.
As the story goes, the queen had a dream where Lord Ram directed her to build a temple for him. Queen went to Ayodhya to obtain the idol of lord, while the construction of temple was going on. When she returned, she kept the statue in her palace as the temple was not completed by then. However, once it was ready, the idol refused to move from the palace. Hence, her palace was transformed into Ram Raja temple which is still flocked by devotees and the Chaturbhuj temple remained without a deity for some time. Later, an idol of Vishnu was installed here.
Another interesting feature of this temple is a labyrinth which can be accessed through narrow and very steep stairs. There are numerous routes, some of which take you to the top. Others will just either be dead ends or a continuous loop.
If you manage to visit the back side of temple, you will be able to see vultures nesting on the vimana!!
Kashyap dhar1 year ago
The temple was originally built to deify an image of Rama, as the chief deity, which was installed in the Rama Raja Temple inside the Orchha Fort complex. At present an image of radha krishna is worshiped in the temple. The temple is noted for having one of the tallest vimana among Hindu temple standing at 344 feet. The temple was constructed by Bundela kings in honour of Lord Rama.
The temple has lot of spiral stairs which take you to the top of temple complex,mind you the stairs are very narrow and each step is very steep. May not be good for claustorphobic people or old people
Please take out your slippers outside
Be careful if you traverse to top of the temple
Gauraw Patil1 year ago
This grand and intimidating structure is visible from every corner of the town. Hard to miss and not to be missed. The tallest structure in the town, this temple towering over a 100 meters in height has a very unique style unparalleled by other temple styles found in the region.
Dedicated to Ram originally, it has a story of it's own.
Sudha Atreyaa1 year ago
Chaturbhuj Temple is a perfect example for a blend of temple and fort. Chaturbhuj Temple is a great instance of the exemplary architecture, a flawless mix of a palace, a temple, and a fort. Built atop a high platform of 15 feet height, it has tall spires in the shape of pine cones with an overall height of 344 feet. The external ornamentation of the temple is done with lotus symbols and alluring patterns. The imposing view of the temple is that of the multi-storied palace with arcaded openings, a very large entrance, a large central tower, and fortifications. It looks quite beautiful from the outside but needs a lot of renovation inside. The temple is located in Orchha town, just outside the limits of the Orchha Fort complex, to the south of the Rama Raja Temple. The idol of Sri Vishnu with four arms was kept in the temple and came to be known as ‘Chaturbhuj Temple. The temple was constructed by the Bundela Rajputs of the Kingdom of Orchha. Its construction was commissioned by Madhukar Shah and completed by his son, Vir Singh Deo in the 16th century. Orchha is a town in Madhya Pradesh, 15 km from Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh. #Orchha #CHATURBHUJ #Bundela
Ishwar Chandra2 years ago
It is said that this temple was built for Raja Ram ji but Ram ji got the place in nearby kitchen of Then Rani so he never made his way to this temple. This temple is so vast that we can’t even see it in one go. Entire architecture is mind bowling. The sad part is that it is being taken care properly. Indian government should take care of this stone marvel. Must visit place in Orcha or near by to Jhansi.
Vladislav Treves2 years ago
You’ll see this temple from almost any part of Orchha. Impressive building, although not much to see inside. Small local market near the temple offers local sweets, colours, toys etc.
The temple was constructed by the Bundela Rajputs of the kingdom of Orchha during the reign of Mughal emperor Akbar.[6] Its construction was begun by Madhukar Shah and completed by his son, Vir Singh Deo in the 16th century. Madhukar Shah built the temple for his wife, Rani Ganeshkuwari.
According to a local legend, the temple was built after the queen had a "dream visitation" by Lord Rama directing her to build a temple for Him; while Madhukar Shah was a devotee of Krishna, his wife's dedication was to Rama. Following the approval to build the Chaturbhuja Temple, the queen went to Ayodhya to obtain an image of Lord Rama that was to be enshrined in her new temple. When she came back from Ayodhya with the image of Rama, initially she kept the idol in her palace, called Rani Mahal, as the Chaturbhuj Temple was still under construction. She was, however, unaware of an injunction that the image to be deified in a temple could not be kept in a palace. Once the temple construction was completed and the idol of the lord had to be moved for installation at the Chatrubhuj Temple, it refused to be shifted from the palace. Hence, instead of the Chaturbuj temple, the Rama's idol remained in the palace whereas the Chaturbhuj Temple remained without an idol in its sanctum. As Rama was worshiped in the palace it was converted into the Ram Raja Temple; it is the only shrine in the country where Rama is worshiped as a king.
The management of the temple on a day-to-day basis is the responsibility of the Ram Raja Trust. However, the conservation of the temple structure itself is under the control of the State Archaeology Department.
The temple was originally built to deify an image of Rama, as the chief deity, which was installed in the Rama Raja Temple inside the Orchha Fort complex. At present an image of Radha Krishna is worshiped in the temple. The temple is noted for having one of the tallest Vimana among Hindu temples standing at 344 feet.
As the story goes, the queen had a dream where Lord Ram directed her to build a temple for him. Queen went to Ayodhya to obtain the idol of lord, while the construction of temple was going on. When she returned, she kept the statue in her palace as the temple was not completed by then. However, once it was ready, the idol refused to move from the palace. Hence, her palace was transformed into Ram Raja temple which is still flocked by devotees and the Chaturbhuj temple remained without a deity for some time. Later, an idol of Vishnu was installed here.
Another interesting feature of this temple is a labyrinth which can be accessed through narrow and very steep stairs. There are numerous routes, some of which take you to the top. Others will just either be dead ends or a continuous loop.
If you manage to visit the back side of temple, you will be able to see vultures nesting on the vimana!!
The temple was constructed by Bundela kings in honour of Lord Rama.
The temple has lot of spiral stairs which take you to the top of temple complex,mind you the stairs are very narrow and each step is very steep. May not be good for claustorphobic people or old people
Please take out your slippers outside
Be careful if you traverse to top of the temple
Dedicated to Ram originally, it has a story of it's own.
Chaturbhuj Temple is a great instance of the exemplary architecture, a flawless mix of a palace, a temple, and a fort.
Built atop a high platform of 15 feet height, it has tall spires in the shape of pine cones with an overall height of 344 feet.
The external ornamentation of the temple is done with lotus symbols and alluring patterns.
The imposing view of the temple is that of the multi-storied palace with arcaded openings, a very large entrance, a large central tower, and fortifications. It looks quite beautiful from the outside but needs a lot of renovation inside.
The temple is located in Orchha town, just outside the limits of the Orchha Fort complex, to the south of the Rama Raja Temple. The idol of Sri Vishnu with four arms was kept in the temple and came to be known as ‘Chaturbhuj Temple.
The temple was constructed by the Bundela Rajputs of the Kingdom of Orchha. Its construction was commissioned by Madhukar Shah and completed by his son, Vir Singh Deo in the 16th century.
Orchha is a town in Madhya Pradesh, 15 km from Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh.
#Orchha #CHATURBHUJ #Bundela