The Laxminarayana Temple sits on a hill about a kilometre NW of the village. The best times to visit are either first thing in the morning or late afternoon, especially if you are walking as there is no shade from the midday sun. The first stage of the walk, through the village, was a bit of a building site, with some fairly major roadworks going on. This was apparently all part of an ongoing plan to build a bypass around the village in order to avoid the bottleneck at the crossroads. Accompanied by several small children who didn't want pens or chocolate (surprise, surprise!), we eventually reached the flagstone road that leads up to the temple. The views across the countryside are impressive, and from this vantage point it is possible to get an idea of just how big an area the old city covered. Ruins can be seen sticking out of the trees in all directions for as far as the eye can see.

The temple itself contains the most exquisite paintings in Orchha. There are three rooms inside with murals on the walls and ceilings. Although painted between the 17th and 19th centuries, the colours are really fresh and vibrant. There are scenes from the battle of Jhansi and other local historical events, as well as illustrations of the life of Krishna. On a lighter note, there is also an amusing drawing of two British soldiers who are quite obviously drunk. If you are visiting the temple and you want to see the paintings, then get there before closing time at 5pm. If you do miss the interior, well, the sunset is stunning. There are also several walks leading from the temple to smaller ruins in the fields to the north. The Laxminarayana Temple is included in the Orchha 'day passport' ticket, which for 50 rupees gives access to all the main monuments in the area.