As per the legend, the Raja Ram Temple was once the palace of Queen Ganesh Kunwari, the wife of Madhukar Shah, the then king of Orchha. The ‘Ram Lalla- Ram in child form’ idol appeared in her lap while she was worshipping Lord Ram in Ayodhya. On Queen Ganesh Kunwari’s request, Lord Ram agreed to move to Orchha but with a rider that the first place where she will seat Him will become His final place to stay. Madhukar Shah was constructing a temple to be the seat of Lord Ram but by the time queen reached Orchha, temple was under construction. Therefore, she went directly to her palace (Ranivaas or Rani Mahal) and put the idol in the kitchen of the palace. Hereinafter, Lord Ram took over the queen’s palace that eventually became the Raja Ram Temple of Orchha. Owing to this reason, the building is not an ornate North Indian style architecture rather the Raja Ram Temple resembles a palace. The significance of the Raja Ram Temple can be gauged by a popular belief that Lord Ram resides in Ayodhya by day and sleeps in Orchha at night.
One of the most notable aspects of the temple is that after morning & evening ‘aarti’ a battalion of local police personnel offers Guard of Honour (armed salutation) to the presiding deity Lord Ram, the reigning king of Orchha, much in the manner of a king. There is a very beautiful painting of Kuwari Ganesh and Lord Ram sitting in her lap. Either sides of the pathway leading to the temple are cluttered with lot of shops selling flowers, Incense sticks and ‘prasadam’.