Tryst With A Warrior Queen.

Unless you harbor a passion for seventeenth-century forts, you'll find the town of JHANSI, in UP dull. Most tourists only stop long enough to catch a connecting bus to Khajuraho,

Until 1742, Jhansi was a sleepy satellite village of the Bundela capital at nearby Orchha, 18km southeast. When the local Raja died without a male heir in 1853, the British enacted the controversial Principle of Lapse to wrest control of the town from his widow. Four years later, resentment at this colonial opportunism bubbled over into a full-blown rebellion, sparked off by the Mutiny at Kanpur. Once the British had put down the uprising, they handed Jhansi over to Maharaja Scindia in exchange for Gwalior, in 1861, and then reclaimed it 25 years later.

In common with many former British cities, Jhansi is divided into two distinct areas: the wide tree-lined avenues, leafy gardens and bungalows of the Cantonment and Civil Lines to the west, and the clutter of brick and concrete cubes, narrow lanes, minarets and shikharas of the old town to the east.

From the ramparts of Jhansi Fort you can look down on the grassy knoll upon which she leapt on horseback, young foster son strapped to her back, as she escaped capture by the British. Accompanied by her loyal soldiers the legendary queen rode into the annals of Indian history as one of the earliest freedom fighters.

In the dusty haze the city spreads out before you, reminding you of the time when the widowed Rani Lakshmi Bai resided at Rani Mahal-outside the fort precincts. She seems to have spent most of the time negotiating with them to return the fort, the land and wealth that were rightfully her son's. Eventually, fed up with their games she broke into open rebellion. Infuriated by her about-face the order was given for her capture, which she managed to resist. The frustrated troops went about wrecking her palace, lavish stables (killed Ghulam Gaus, her Chief of cavalry) and also destroyed the secret passage that led from her palace in the city to the fort.

HOW TO REACH

By Air:

By Rail:
Trains on both of the Central Railway branches that converge on Jhansi pull in at the station on the west side of town, near the Civil Lines area.

By Road:

GETTING AROUND

Car rental is available through the larger hotels, as well as Baghel Travels, Nehru Market (441255), Tourist Travel, Jai Complex (443490) and Ruby Travels, near Elite Crossing (441136).

WHERE TO SHACK UP

If You Wanna' Blow Dough:

Buy a house!

If You Wanna' Live Sensibly:

Jhansi,
Shastri Marg (441360).
Former haunt of British burra-sahibs.
Comfortable rooms, some a/c, plus Star TV, verandahs, and a big garden.
Rs350-500.

Prakash Guest House,
Shri Sardari Lal Market (443133).
Close to the fort and center of town.
Nothing special despite a revamp, but clean enough with some a/c.
Rs150-500.

Sita,

Shivpuri Rd (442956).
Comfortable Western-style hotel close to the station,
with well-appointed rooms and a good restaurant.
Credit cards accepted.
Some a/c.
Rs350-500.

If You Wanna' Be Really Smart:

Prakash,
Station Rd,
Civil Lines (448811).
Pleasant if basic bungalow accommodation including some a/c rooms, set around a small garden and very handy for the station.
Rs100-350.

Raj Palace,
Near GPO,
Shastri Marg (442554)
Clean, comfortable and handy for the bus stand.
Rooms have attached bathrooms and hot water.
Some a/c. 24hr checkout.
Rs150-350.

Rishab,
Opposite Dhyan Chand Stadium,
Civil Lines (445106).
Simple but airy rooms, and has a lawn and a good cheap restaurant.
Rs100-150.

UPTDC Veeranganga,
Near Exhibition Ground,
Shivpuri Rd (442402).
Shabby government-run hotel.
Plain rooms, some a/c, plus rock-bottom dorms,
A nice lawn and a bar serving ice-cold beer.
Rs150-500

WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK

With the exception of the cheaper lodges, nearly all of Jhansi's hotels have their own restaurants. For a cheap alternative, try the Railway Refreshment Rooms in the station, which serve freshly cooked ten-rupee thalis and budget breakfasts.

Holiday,
Shastri Marg.
Posh but not very expensive a/c restaurant, east of the Jhansi Hotel.
Low light, tablecloths, attentive service and classy Indian and Western food.

Nav Bharat,
Shastri Marg.
Western-style fast food and Indian snacks, behind the post office.

Sharma Sweets,
Shastri Marg.
Hygienic sweet shop selling delicious take-out rasgulla, gulabjamun, jalebi and barfi.

Sita,
Shivpuri Rd.
Spotlessly clean, up market hotel restaurant with a wide selection of Indian (and some continental) dishes.

Veeranganga,
Shivpuri Road.
Standard inexpensive veg/non-veg menu served inside in hotel-restaurant or al fresco on the lawn (bring mosquito repellent.

THINGS TO LOOK FOR

Built by Raja Bir Singh Ju Deo, in 1613, Jhansi Fort has a neat little collection of sculptures that provide an insight into the history of Bundelkhand. Rani Mahal, the queen's palace, houses a collection of sculptures that date back to the 9th and 12th century AD. At the State Museum you'll find a wide range of statues, in terracotta and bronze, arms and ammunition, manuscripts, paintings and coins of both silver and gold.

The famous Kadak Bijli Tope (cannon) rests upon the fort entry. (You'll need to pay 25 paise to enter the fort- the Brits had to bombard it to get in!) This is the same cannon that she was unable to fire upon the gathering British troops, because a temple lay between her and them. Taking advantage of her "weakness", they stormed the fort in a bid to capture her. Though Jhansi is a small little town its very stones speak resoundingly of the heroic deeds of Jhansi ki Rani who fought like a man. It's also the gateway to Bundelkhand. Wander around the interiors and recapture those solitary moments as she bowed her head in prayer at the Shiv temple, or scurried through ancient cobbled paths as the fort rang with the sounds and sights of intense fighting.

The Kal Kotri, dingy damp and hugely cramped used to be small cells in which freedom fighters used to be incarcerated by the Brits. Close by is the spot where they were hanged.

You can make excursions to picturesque Orcha, (just half an hour away) which is located along the Betwa River. Famous for its temples and old palaces embellished with fine murals, tiles and jali work, Orcha has become a lively tourist spot. An adventure company has recently introduced river rafting on the Betwa. Baruasagar, 24km from Jhansi, en route to Khajuraho has an imposing fort, which was the venue for a major battle between the Marathas and the Bundelas. From its ramparts you'll get sensational views of the massive reservoir created by the Betwa dam. The Jarai-ki Math Mandir (860 AD) is dedicated to Durga. Built during the time of the Pratiharas, apart from numerous manifestations of the deity, it's also graced with erotic sculptures like those of Khajuraho.

Shivpuri, 110 km from Jhansi, was the summer capital of the Scindia Maharajas of Gwalior. There's also the Madhav National Park, the Madhav Vilas Palace and the George Castle, a hunting lodge built by Jiyaji Rao Scindia you can check out.

The new archeological museum (daily except Mon 10.30am-4.30pm) stands to the left of the road as you head back into town, with an unremarkable collection of Hindu sculpture saved from the area's ruined medieval temples. There are a lot more in storage, but the planned expansion of the museum is developing at a comatose pace.

Once the palace of the Rani of Jhansi, the Rani Lakshmi Mahal (daily except Mon 10am-5pm) is a small stately home in "Bundela style" (lots of ornate balconies and domed roofs), two minutes' walk from the roundabout directly below the fort. This was the scene of a brutal massacre in 1858, when British troops bayoneted all its occupants. These days, the building is a memorial-cum-museum-cum-archeological-warehouse, with unlabelled fragments of antique stone sculpture littered around its attractive interior courtyard. A couple of rooms upstairs, once the Rani's private quarters, harbor traces of seventeenth-century wall and ceiling paintings - now faded and flaking off in the heat.

The grounds of a pleasant seminary in the Cantonment area hold one of the most important Catholic pilgrimage sites in India, St Jude's Shrine. A bone belonging to Jude the Apostle, the patron saint of hopeless causes, is said to be buried in the foundations of the somber gray and white cathedral. On his feast day, 28 October, thousands come to plead their own special causes

WHERE TO SPLURGE
Nowhere! A great place to take your girlfriend.

GENERAL INFORMATION
STD Code
(0517)

Money matters
State Bank of India (Mon-Fri 10am-2pm, Sat 10am-noon; 440534) stands on Jhokan Bagh Rd beside the busy intersection in the center of town, exactly halfway between the railway station and the bus stand.

Tourist information

Of the two state tourist information kiosks on platform one, MP Tourism's (0517/442622) is more useful, advising on transport on to Khajuraho.

In town, the Regional Tourist Office, Hotel Veerangana (0517/44126), provides literature and information on Bundelkhand and the route to Khajuraho (Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, closed every 2nd Sat).