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- Indian elephants are a sign of good luck
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- Lewis surveys the views from the top of the palace
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- Monkeys wander around the abandoned palace
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- Lewis the Lion looks onto the magnificent courtyard
Whilst Lewis was in the medieval town of Orccha in Madhya Pradesh, he was amazed to discover that a palace had been built to host the Mughal Emperor for one night only. The Jehangir Mahal was the ultimate flattery to the 17th Century Mughal Emperor as he only stayed there for one night!
The palace is a grand, four-storey affair with arched entrances and balconies. Lewis the Lion’s particularly loved the entrance with carved elephants greeting you. Elephants symbolise good luck in Indian culture.
He also thought that the pictures painted on the bedroom walls telling the story of Lord Rama (the reincarnation of the God Vishnu) was delightful, especially in the days before the internet! This was visual story telling at its best.
The Hindu epic – the Ramayana
Being the adventurous Lion that he is, he loved just exploring this uninhabited palace, wandering up the steep narrow staircases to wonderful views overlooking Orccha. From here, he could see in the garden, the house of a clever courtesan who managed to persuade the Emperor Akbar to let her return to her home town – something that was unheard of in those days. From the top floor of the palace, blocking his path, Lewis the Lion bumped into a bold monkey who luckily was more engaged in eating nuts!
As he was leaving Orccha, he passed by a holy man, a sādhu, on the street. Sādhus often wear saffron-coloured clothing, symbolising their sanyāsa – giving up their worldly possessions to follow the spiritual life. There is thought to be approximately 4-5 million sādhus in India today so Lewis the Lion wondered if he was likely to encounter any more on his journey through India?
Lewis passes an Indian holy man on the street
Lewis thought that the notion of a palace being built for one night to impress someone was opulence at its very best! He thought that it was funny that he then bumped into the holy man who symbolised the exact polar opposite: someone who had given away all his worldly possessions.
Do you think that you could ever live like a sādhu and give away all your possessions? What item would you miss the most and why?
