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Places to visit in Tikamgarh district
1. Garhkundar
Once known for its invincibility, the fort of Garhkundhar is both bold and beautiful. Its history, it’s beautiful and unique location and its architectonics all possess a certain amount of splendor and mystery about it. Situated in a small village of Niwari tehsil, Kudhar, the fort suddenly came into prominence when it was captured by Bundelas from Khangaras in 1539. The village Kudhar is 22 kms away from Niwari on Niwari-Sendari road.
Originally it was a small fort in Chandelas state. In 1182 the Nayab kiledar Khoobsingh Khangar established here an independent Khangar State after the downfall of Chandela power in the region. Again in 1257 it was captured by Bundela sardar Sohanpal and it remained under Bundela control till 1539. After the Mughal regime took hold of the north India, Raja Rudra Pratap Bundela transferred his capital from Garhkundhar to Orchha. Later on Maharaja of Orchha state Virsingh Dev started a renovation drive in Garhkundhar and also built a palace within the fort.
The mysterious past of Garhkundhar and the story of its capture by Bundelas are also very interesting though sad. Folk lore tells us that the Bundela raja Sohanpal (Mahoni) wanted to capture it and he conspired with Pawaras and Dhanderas of the region and lured the Khangar Raja Hurmat Singh Khangar to marry his son to Sohanpal’s daughter. When the Khangar baratis came in Sohanpal’s camp, they were welcomed with liquor. It is said that all the members of the marriage procession were killed by Bundelas in their unconscious state. But the most unfortunate aspect of this incident is that the family members, children and others in the fort were also killed. The ladies of the royal family committed “JAUHAR” to save their honor by burning themselves in the fire. Today the silence of the fort and its splendor seem to tell the sacrificing tale of Khangar princess Kesar Devi’s Jauhar.
Garhkundhar is geographically located between hills and forests of picturesque beauty. Surrounded by hills on all sides its position is similar to a kund. The fort plays a sort of ‘Hide and Seek’ with the approaching traveler. One can see it from miles away but as one approaches near, it suddenly vanishes from the sight and one has to think where the fort has gone?
The fort of Garhkundhar displays the rich amalgam of Mughal, Rajput and Bundela style. Its ramparts cover the area of 4 hact. But the main fort is built on an area of 1hact precisely on the top of a hillock. There are plinth structures on both sides of the rampart entrance which itself is double storyed and 40 feet high. The main gate to the fort is simply built and tower like structure are seen on all four corners of the fort. It looks same from all sides, stately and majestic. The interior of the fort contains numerous small rooms known as Kotar and galleries. The whole architecture here reminds one of Jahangir Mahal of Orchha. The system of setting the doors of various rooms against each other, and the sunlight coming from numerous spy holes is such that the security guards of the fort could be able to watch on any possible intrusion being themselves invisible. There are also some emergency doors in the main palace. Its courtyard is quite spacious and some rock and pillar inscriptions have been found in it.
As common with the fort architecture, Garhkundhar had a scientifically managed water supply system. Two Bawris (big wells with underground rooms and galleries) were built within the main ramparts and a well in front of the main gate. There are remnants of an ancient pond within the ramparts of the fort. A fable tells us that the name of Garhkundhar comes from Kundarka. Kunda means pond and Arka means sun. People used to get rid of their skin diseases after bathing in the pond. Three more ponds can be seen outside the fort wall, the most beautiful being Singhsagar.
Besides the main fort there are various other structures of historical and religious importance scattered all over the village of Kudhar. There is an ancient temple of Gajanan Maa, the kuldevi of Khanagars. Another temple is the temple of GiddhaVahini Devi near the fort. Two Masjids of medieval period are also found in the village.
Besides its glorious and splendid past, Garhkundhar fort is known for the fusion of various cultures viz. Mughal, Chandelas and Bundelas.

2. Prithvipur
The headquarter town of tehsil Prithvipur is situated on the Tikamgarh-Jhansi road. The name of the town is derived from the name of Maharaja Prithvi Singh. Near the town lies Radha Sagar Tank. The Important temples of the town are Somnath temple, Ramjanki temple and Atan ke Hanumanji.
The town possesses a fort which was built by Orchha ruler Maharaja Prithvi Singh in 1744-45. Most of the parts of this fort are in a ruined state. Within the rampart of this fort one can see the temple Of Lord Dhanushdhari, Lord Hanuman, and Baradwari Palace and Athala beautifully built by brick and sandstone.
3. Achharumata
It is a Village of religious importance situated about 3 Kms west of Madia Village on Tikamgarh-Niwari road in the Prithvipur tehsil. The village stands on a hill located between natural greenery. There is a well known temple of the Goddess of Achharoo Mata. It is famous for a kund which is always filled with pious water and never dries irrespective of number of users. It is believed that after eating the Prasaad that come out of this Kund spontaneously, all the wishes of devotees get fulfillment. Every year on the occasion of Nav-Durga festival falling in the month of March-April (Chaitra), a fair is organized under the supervision of Gram Panchyat.

4. Madkhera
Indian culture is famous for the devotion and faith in Nature Gods like Sun, Moon, Earth, Air, Water etc. Sun God is one of the prominent deities in Indian mythology and various temples celebrating his powers and glory are scattered in various parts of India. Surya Mandir of Madkhera is one of these temples from Bundelkhand region.
Madkhera is the name of a village that lies 22 kms away from Tikamgarh on Tikamgarh-Mohangarh road. The inscription on the temple shows that it was built by Vakataks or Vardhan Kings in 638 AD. The temple's comparatively smaller form does not detract a passerby from looking at this beautiful temple which has been carved upon a large rock by highly skilled architects of ancient India. The travelers can see some beautiful statues of various Indian Gods, carvings of flowers and vines and hanging gongs. On the very threshold of the temple the Sun God "SuryaNarayan" is sat on seven horse's chariot which is majestic in conception and sublime expression of the then architectural genius. This temple is one of the most important tourist places in Tikamgarh district.



5. Tikamgarh
Tikamgarh is a district Headquarter in Madhya Pradesh having great sights of tourists' interests. It is a historical city as it was the capital of Bundela rulers. The original name of the town was Tihri. In 1783, the ruler of Orchha Vikramajit (1776–1817) shifted his capital from Orchha to Tihri and renamed it Tikamgarh in 1887 in the honour of Lord Krishna as Tikam is one of the names of Krishna.
Places of interests
1. Tikamgarh Fort: A rock fort built majestically and served as the main palace of various bundela rulers of Tikamgarh province. It was built by Maharaja Vikramjeet Vijay Bahadur Singh when Maratha Power demolished his previous capital Orchha. Maharaja Pratap Singh (1874-1930) celebrated silver jubilee of his rule and built a Balakhana Jubili Hall, Motorkhana and a grand secretariat building. The fort is a fine example of Giri Durg and is still in very good condition.
*2. Nazarbaag temple: It was built by the Daughter-in-law of Maharaja Vikramajeetsingh, Garai Sarkaar, in 1902. She also built a kilakhana and Bagghikhana near Nazarbag.
3. Jaankibaag temple: A beautiful temple of Lord Rama built by Bundela rulers.
*4. Hanumaan Chalisa: A minar like temple of Lord Hanumaan situated on the Tehri Pahadi. A fair is also organized here every Monday.
5. Rauraiyya Lake: A small and beautiful lake on the side of the Rauraiyya temple and renovated by the local administration.
*6. Taalkothi: One of the most beautiful historical buildings in the city, Taalkothi was built for the purpose of bathing of Queen and other members of the Palace. It is situated on the bank of Mahendra Sagar Lake.
*7. Lake Mahendra Sagar: One of the biggest and beautiful lakes in the region. In the middle of this lake there is a little island like land formation on which a building called Lanka was built by the rulers of Tikamgarh.
8. Bauri temple: A Hanumaan temple.
9. Jhir ki bagiya: A famous temple of Lord Hanumaan painted black on the bank of a beautiful tank.
6. Kundeshwar
An important village situated 5 Kms south of Tikamgarh on the bank of the Jamdar river. This place is famous for kundadev Mahadev temple. It is believed that Shiva Linga has emerged from Kunda. According to ethics, Banpur was the capital of Banasur the king of demons and a great devotee of the Lord Siva Mahadev. Her daughter Usha Devi was also a dedicated and regular devotee of this Shiva Linga of Mahadev in midnight. Usha Devi was married to Aniruddha, the grandson of Lord Krishna and son of Pradumna. It is also believed that the Shiv linga here increases every year. In the south of it there is beautiful picnic spot known as 'Barighat' and a beautiful waterfall known as 'Usha Water Fall'. The village possesses Archeological Museum and Vinoba Sansthan. Maharaja Bir Singh Deo established the Keshava Sahitya Sansthan which was patronized by Pandit Banarsidas Chaturvedi and Yashpal Jain during their stay at Kundeshwar.

Three big Melas (fair) are held at Kundeshwar annually. An important fair attended by 50,000 persons is held in Poush/Magh (January) on the occasion of Sankranti. Second fair is held on the occasion of Basant Panchmi and the third on the Kartik Ekadasshi in the month of October/November.


7. Papauraji
Papauraji is famous place of Jain pilgrimage and its archeological and cultural heritages are very great. It is 8 kms away from Tikamgarh on Sagar-Tikamgarh road. More than 100 Jain temples of modern times are scattered in about 3 sq km of area. Ancient statues belonging to samvat 1016 are placed in these temples. Statue of Lord Bahubali is very large and worth seeing. The sight of the top of these numerous temples is very eye-pleasing. The Chaubeesi (the groups of six temples in all four directions) of Papauraji is nowhere found in India. There are various Dharmashalas here for visitors and renowned Jain munis visit this place at regular interval and deliver their preaching.


8. Baldeogarh
Baldeogarh town is known for its beautiful and majestic fort and the natural scenery encircling the fort in the form of three Tanks. The town is a tehsil headquarter of the same name. It is situated on the Tikamgarh-Chhattarpur road at distance of 26 Kms from Tikamgarh. The fort of Baldeogarh, in itself, is one of the most glorious and biggest military Fort in the Bundelkhand region. The very entrance to the fort from Kila Darwaja (Gate) is very enticing because of the great height of the hill on which the fort was built. This fort was built when Maharaja Vikramajeet Singh transferred his capital from Orchha to Tikamgarh in 1783 in view of the Maratha terror. *Baldeogarh fort was built for the storage of military arms and ammunitions and the architectonics and safety measures of this fort show that the fort would never have disappointed its creators. On the one side there is a great trench and on the other side there is GwalSagar, a tank, which kept the fort safe from invaders for years. Within the main fort one can see the beautiful Deewankhana a building standing on 24 pillars, Rishala Darwaja, Chaupara Mahal (for the purpose of bathing), Ashta Madiya. Various Guns are scattered and found in various places within the fort. The biggest gun is GARBH GIRAVAN Gun which is said to be fired only once and made up of ashtadhatu (eight metals). A local tale goes on to say that when the gun was fired it brought several cases of miscarriages to the local women. Within the fort one can see both Hindu temple and Muslim Majar. Hanuman temple and Baba kapoorshah Majar are placed within the fort wall side by side. On the meeting point of the borders of the fort and GwalSagar Tank is Beautiful Chaturbhuj Temple.
The bank of the *GwalSagar Tank seen from Alha Munda presents one of the most eye pleasing sights in this region. The sight of those rock chains starting from Alha Munda and bordering the Tank is really beautiful. When seen from a far place some of these rocks coming of the ground abruptly look like the caps of some ancient warriors going for the battle. There are not one but three inter-connected tanks that encircle the fort area, GwalSagar being the biggest. The fort is a very fine specimen of its class and one of the most picturesque in the region.
The town Baldeogarh is known for its betel-leaf cultivation. The importance of the town also lies in its famous temple of 'Vindhya Vasini Devi’ one of the many incarnations of Goddess Durga. An annual seven days Vindhyavasani fair is held here in the month of Chaitra and attended by about 10,000 persons.

9. Jatara

Jatara is the name of a tehsil headquarter in Tikamgarh district. It is situated on the Tikamgarh-Mauranipur road, at a distance of 40 Kms from Tikamgarh. Jatara is a historical town where both the major religions of India, Hindu and Islam co-existed, a rare example of Ganga-Jamuni culture of India. There are different notions given by the historians about the name of this town Jatara. Some say that the name Jatara was given because of the people of Jatav caste. Some others say that Muslim religious persons visited this city frequently and because of these visits (jatras), it was named Jatara. This town gets mention in Aain-e-akbari. It was ruled by Chandela raja Madan varma (1129-67), Sur sultan Slamshah, and Bundela rulers in the later period.
Chandela King Madan Varma built a beautiful lake here between two hills and named it *MadanSagar Lake. The canals of the lake flow through the heart of the town. Afgan sardaar Shahburi built a small fort on the hill east to the lake in Afgan tradition. Bundela sardar Bhartichand defeated and captured this place from Shahburi and named it Jatara. Bhartichand built a small but beautiful palace in Rajput-Mughal tradition. In the middle of this palace there is Rambag, a garden with a temple of Lord Shiva and Lord Hanuman in dancing posture. Near to this there is a Muslim Majar of Saiyyad Abdulla. The whole Jatara fort lies between beautiful gardens and hills and present a very rare sight of a palace built in Indian Moghul architecture. Within the rampart of the fort there is a *Majar of Sufi saint Abdurpeer who lived here till 1678 AD. He was a popular Sufi Saint whose preaching was based on the welfare of all, Hindu and Muslim alike.
Besides these places there are some other places of tourist’s interest like Kila Masjid built in the period of Shahjahan, Loha Langar ki Bavri (a big well), and Bajne ka Math.

Photographs are attached


Other places to visit


Bagaj Mata
Bagaj Mata is a famous temple of Goddess Bagaj that lies on the Tikamgarh-Budera road, 12 kms away from Tikamgarh. The ancient temple of Devi is 1100 years old and near to it a beautiful temple has been built by Rajsthani architects. The whole place lies between natural hills and greenery and presents a very pleasing sight. The temple is famous for the local belief that the goddess here cures each and every person who comes to her, bitten by snake and dog. A big Mela (fair) is also organized here during Navaratri procession.

Aharji
A Village of Baldeogarh tehsil Ahar lies on the side of Tikamgarh-Chhattarpur road at a distance of 25 Kms from the district headquarter. It is evidently an old village said to have been populated by Jamalpur Ahars, which was once an important Jain Centre. Followers of Jain religion come here every month for Darshan of Jain Tirthankaras. Several ruins, Old images and temples are located here. The Village contain three old Jain temples one of these temple have an image of Shantinath, having height 20 feet. This image of Lord Shantinath from 12th century ad arouses spiritual calm in the minds of the visitors. Trikaal Chaubeesi of the past, present and future of Jain Tirthankaras has been beautifully created on three sides of the temple area. A tank of Chandela days with a fine dam stands here.

Umari
Umari is a Village in Tikamgarh District besides Madkhera which is known for its Surya Temple. Umri is 27 kms away from Tikamgarh. This temple of Lord Surya seems to belong to the Pratihara period in the 9th century A.D. It is an east facing temple consisting of Garbhgriha, Antral and Mukhmandapa. The elevation is in Pancharathi scheme and consists of Plinth, Jangha, Varandika and Shikhar. The pillars of Mukhmandapa are decorated. A sculpture of Lord Surya is installed on the flank wall. The lovers of Historical and religious places cannot overlook the beautiful aspects of this ancient temple.

Palera
It is an important municipal and tehsil town of Tikamgarh district at Tikamgarh-Nowgaon road, at a distance of about 27 Kms from Jatara. Buses are available to reach this place. The town was originally given to Dharaman Rao, son of Bhagwan Rao, first chief of Datia. An annual fair is held on the occasion of Ramnavmi.

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