Hotel Yatrik

Jhansi

by Willettsworld

Jhansi is located about 400km (240 miles) south of Delhi in northern Uttar Pradesh. It's very easy to get to as it's on the main New Delhi-Bhopal railway line but is often overlooked as a tourist destination as many people simply pass through it on their way to Orchha or Khajuraho. I came here and stayed for a night after visiting Khajuraho and before I headed on to Lucknow.

Jhansi, the gateway to Bundelkhand, was a stronghold of the Chandela kings of Khajuraho in the 9th century but lost its importance after the eclipse of the dynasty in the 11th century. It rose to prominence again in the 17th century under Raja Bir Singh Deo who was a close associate of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir and who built the fort here. The fort isn't as spectacular as one's in Delhi, Agra or Gwalior. Jhansi is where one of India's heroes of the 1857 independence struggle, Rani Lakshmi Bai, (queen of the then state of Jhansi), fought against the British within the fort.