Chaturbhuj temple, is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The temple, originally built to house the idol of Lord Ram was later made into a Vishnu shrine, when the Rama idol was  installed in the Rama Raja Temple inside the Orchha Fort complex. The temple was constructed by the Bundela Rajputs of the kingdom of Orchha.  Its construction was started on the orders of the Queen Ganesh Kunwari, wife of Madhukar Shah Ju Dev and completed by his son, Vir Singh Deo in the early 16th century. The management of the temple on a day to day basis is the responsibility of the Ram Raja Trust

Location Madhya Pradesh , Tikamgarh, Bhopal

Legend

Madhukar Shah Ju Dev (1554-1592) was a devotee of Lord Krishna while his wife Queen Ganesh Kunwari was a devotee of Lord Ram. Once, the queen wanted to go to Ayodhya and her husband Mathura. The adamant queen went alone to Ayodhya promising to return only when she has Lord Ram with Her. She ordered her servants to start building a temple (Chaturbhuj Temple) for Lord Ram. After long penance, Lord Ram appeared in his child form and the queen asked Ram to come with her in to Orchha. According to the Lord's wishes she promised that he would be the King of Orchha. On returning to Orchha, the queen went back to her palace and kept the image of the Lord there as the construction of the temple was still goining on. However,  Lord Ram got transfixed in the queen's palace itself. Hence, Ram Raja Temple arose is in the queen's palace and not in the Chaturbhuj Temple. The King later installed an idol of Lord Vishnu in Chaturbhuj temple after its completion.

Architecture

The Chaturbhuj shrine  is a melange of temple, fort and palace architectural features. The Chaturbhuj temple has tall spires in the shape of pine cones built atop a high platform. The temple is like a multi-storied palace with passageways, a very large entrance, a large central tower and fortifications. Lotus emblems and other symbols of religious significances are carved around the shrine. The main temple has the Garbha Griha which enshrines the statue of Lord Vishnu.

Culture

Orchha was  the seat of an former princely state of central India, in the Bundelkhand region. It has many forts depicting Mughal and Rajput architecture. Many of them are in ruins but still conveys its rich historic past

Darsan Info

Entrance fee for all monuments/temples of Orchha:

Indian: 10 INR, Foreigner: 250 INR, Camera fee: 25 INR, Videography: 200 INR

The same ticket is applicable for all the monuments in Orchha including Chaturbhuj Temple, Ram Raja Temple, Laxminarayan temple & Cenotaphs.

Darsan Dresscode

Devotees are advised to wear clean and conservative attire

Famous Festival

November - Karthik Purnima

Temple Rituals

The priests perform regular pujas and rituals. Aartis and Bhog are presented to the deities.

Additional Info

 

Ramraja, Orchha hut, Rajawat restaurant

 

Supermarket : Available