(1) Orchha / Urchha
- Orchha (or Urchha) is a town in Tikamgarh district of Madhya Pradesh. Orchha lies on the Betwa River, 80 km from Tikamgarh & 15 km from Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh.
- Orchha was founded in the 15th century AD, by the Bundela chief, Rudra Pratap Singh, who became the first King of Orchha, (1501-1531) and also built the Fort of Orchha.
- The Chaturbhuj Temple (Vishnu) was built, during the reign of Emperor Akbar, by the Queen of Orchha Ganeshi Bai. Raj Mandir was built by ‘Madhukar Shah’ during his reign, 1554 to 1591.
- The fort consists of several connected buildings erected at different times, the most noteworthy of which is Raja Mahal. Others are Ram Raja Temple and Jahangir Mahal. The Jahangir Mahal is considered to be a singularly beautiful specimen of Mughal architecture.The mother for Jahangir was also a Rajput, Jodha. It is with this in mind that the Rajput king of Orchha had built the Jahangir Mahal.
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From left top clockwise: 1.Chaturbhuj Temple. 2.Lakshmi Temple, Orchha. 3.Ram Raja Temple 4.Orchha palace cortile. 5.Chhatris (Chhatris are elevated, dome-shaped pavilions used as an element in Indian architecture. Chhatris are commonly used to depict the elements of pride and honor in the Maratha and Rajput architecture) on the bank of the Betwa River. 6.Jahangir Mahal |
(2) Odai
- Hundreds of hominid fossils ranging from a few lakhs to over three million years old are known from different parts of the world and most of them have been found in stratified context.
- Fossiliferous site at Odai is situated hardly 1 km inland from the Bay of Bengal. Fossilized hominid baby skull from the ferricrete at Odai, Bommayarpalayam, Villupuram District, Tamil Nadu was found first time in 2001.
- In the human evolutionary stage the Odai human fossil, named “Laterite Baby”, belongs to the Homo sapiens (archaic), and it is the Second Oldest human fossil, next to the Narmada fossil, from India. Above all it is the first ever discovered human fossil within the ferricrete.
- The human fossils from Odai and Hathnora probably bear significant implications for the current “Out of Africa” verses “Multiregional” debate concerning the place of origin and antiquity of humans, and Asia’s importance in the story of hominid evolution.
