Chandan Katora
A central row of fountains culminates in an eight pillared palace-pavilion. A subterranean structure below was the cool summer retreat of the Orchha kings. An ingenious system of water ventilation connects the underground palace with Chandan Katora, a bowl-like structure from whose fountains droplets of water filtered through to the roof, simulating rainfall. WikiVoyage
. The tehkhana was cooled by a cleverly constructed Persian cooling unit, which was made up of two adjoining Dastagirs (wind-catching towers). The towers were named after the two spring months in the Indian calendar - Sawan Bhado.
The towers were perforated on the top, to allow them to catch the wind, while their lower part was connected to a reservoir of water. The towers, the aqueducts, and the underground reservoir of water were ingeniously connected to a Chandan Katora (fountain) in the pavilion above the retreat. The water from the underground reservoir was pushed up into the Chandan Katora, from where it rained on the roof of the retreat to cool the Tehkhana. This is perhaps the only example of the Persian system of cooling in India. M P Tourism
A stone vessel stands right in front of the palace. According to local folklore, the vessel was filled with chandan (sandalwood paste) every morning. By evening so many people would have come to Orchha and used the chandan as a tilak that the humongous vessel would be emptied. Orchha Travel Guide by Eicher Goodearth.
