What's intriguing about Orchha's Ram Raja Temple is that it's the only temple in India where Ram is worshipped not as a god, but as a king. Ram sits on his singhasan (throne) in full durbar, surrounded by Sita, his brothers, Hanuman and his courtiers. Symbolically, an armed guard stands vigil in the inner sanctum.
Make it a point to be done with your sightseeing, shopping and sloshing in the Betwa to return to the temple precincts by 7 pm in winter and 8 pm in summer. Devotees file into the already tightly packed mandapa. After the emotional aarti, you receive the prasad a special paan.
The temple becomes the focal point of hectic activity during Ram Navami, when the birth of Ram is celebrated by lakhs of people from the surrounding villages. Even more colourful is the Vivaha Panchami (in November-December) which dramatises the marriage of Ram and Sita. This includes the pre-wedding breakfast feast and the arrival of Ram in a splendid palanquin to wed Sita at the Janaki Temple. The palanquin stops at the doorways of sundry townsfolk for a tikka ceremony. It's an astonishing sight and affords some really unusual photo-ops.