The Tiger and the Flame

This is a small post following my two previous on Jhansi and the Queen of Jhansi titled:

• Jhansi, and India’s Joan of Arc
• Queen's Battle to Death

Other notable sights in the Jhansi Fort are the Panch Mahal, Rani Amod garden area, the Shiva temple, the Ganesh temple etc.

Ganesh Mandir

Of particular interest are the popular cannons: Kadak Bijli and Bhawani Shanker Cannon, and then there are a couple of mini-cannons too. It is written that Kadak Bijli was operated by Ghulam Ghaus Khan, the revolutionary leader, while Bhawani Shanker was handled by Moti Bai. Moti Bai was apparently a dance performer at the times of Jhansi’s King but she is known to have handled the cannon better than her dances.

Inside the Fort Complex are the tombs of Ghulam Ghaus Khan, whose last words are said to be: “For our queen we shall lay down our life…” Buried nearby are Motibai and the famous horse, Khuda Bux (or Baksh), who died on 4 June 1858.

Other places of interest around the Fort are the Rani Mahal (Queen's Palace) built in the latter half of the 18th century which is converted into an archaeological museum now.

Rani Mahal

A good collection of sculptures belonging to the period between 9th and 12th centuries A.D. has been housed in the Rani Mahal. Photography was not allowed there.

Entrance to Rani Mahal

Raja Gangadhar Rao's cenotaph

There is also the cenotaph of the Queen’s husband, Raja Gangadhar Rao Newelkar and the temples around it.

Raja Gangadhar Rao was considered as a good man and a good administrator of Jhansi and a great promoter of arts.

A section of the temple nearby

Cenotaph

Then there is the Lakshmibai Talab nearby which is a lake in a sadly dried up and shabby state with stagnant water. I hastily left the place to move on to Orchha.

Jhansi is very well connected to major cities across India by direct train links. Situated at a strategic location where the NS and EW National Highways intersect with each other, I took the NH 75 connecting Jhansi from Gwalior, 98 kms away. Datia is about 30 kms, Orchha 20 kms and Khajuraho is 175 kms away. There is regular bus service to Jhansi from Jaipur, Agra and Gwalior.

The nearest operational airport to Jhansi is Gwalior, 98 kms away. Jhansi has an airport, but is not operational for civil flights as it is a base of Army Aviation. A new airport is in the pipeline which would enable excellent connectivity with major metros and other important cities.