Labyrinth of History: Exploring the Mysteries of Mandu Fort
Another day, another fort. Seriously, India is so full of them, that I sometimes wonder if I’ll ever get fed up with it. Not yet though! Every Fort is different and Mandu Fort definitely has some treasures one just has to explore!
I had found some cheap private taxi service the evening before in Maheshwar and the boys picked me up in a surprisingly new and comfortable car. I had expected something really cheap and not so professional!
On our one-hour drive, I came across the most rural India I have experienced so far. No sign of tractors but only men and women plowing their fields with oxen and hand plows. The houses I saw were mostly clay huts and a few stables made of wooden sticks with a basic roof of hay and clay. Another thing I noticed was that the horns of animals were painted blue, cows/oxen and goats alike. Later on, someone told me that there had been a cattle fair for which they had painted them. Once again, I felt a bit sorry to have come during this time of the year when everything was brown and rather burnt. One fine day, I would love to do the entire trip again after the monsoon season, when everything is lush green and the lakes and tanks are filled with water.
After some time, we reached a hill, and up we went, passing through some ancient gates. It was only later that I realised that it was the fort walls I saw. I had not really done much research on the place and wasn’t sure what to expect since I had changed my entire travel itinerary only a few days before in Khajuraho. The only thing I had prepared was a list of places to see.
I find the name “Fort” slightly confusing as you never know what to expect. There are those which are mainly built on a hill and big like Amer Fort in Jaipur or the Mehrangarh in Jodhpur. As big as they might be, it’s something you can see from afar in its entity. The one in Maheshwar was very small and nothing in comparison to those, that too not even on a hill. But then there are others – like Chittorgarh and the Kalinjar Fort near Khajuraho which I had just visited a few days before –, which are so huge that the only thing you see from far is never-ending fort walls. There are whole towns inside including fields, multiple water tanks, and big palace and temple complexes which are so far away from each other that you need a vehicle to commute in between. Mandu belonged to that last category.
We started with a Shiva shrine and Nilkanth Mahal, a palace constructed for Akbar’s Hindu wife. It was nothing special and could easily be skipped. You get a good view of the valley though.
We passed Darya Khan’s Tomb on the way to Bahadur’s palace, so I asked the guys to stop for a bit. There are lots of other ruins on the way but this one looked a bit bigger and worth taking a look at, especially with its Kund (tank) in front of the wall. It was constructed between 1510–1526 AD by a government official in the court of Sultan Mahmud II – in comparison, a bit after the construction of the monuments and tombs in Lodhi Garden in Delhi, around 50 years before the construction of Humayun’s Tomb and 100 years before the Taj Mahal in Agra.
To get some better shots, I went on the roof of the walled complex that surrounds the square tomb. My vertigo got the better of me unfortunately and I had to come down sliding on my bum, step by step 😀 I was glad that I was the only visitor, either because it was off-season or because it was generally not a well-visited place.
There are a couple of other buildings around it, like Darya Khan’s Mosque with its many arches and Lal Sarai with its garden. I assume it was the caretaker and his kids who right away spotted me and came for a picture with the gori mem.
Some of the main attractions in Mandu are Baz Bahadur’s Palace and Roopmati Pavilion due to a popular love story. It’s a wonder that there’s no movie with Deepika and Ranveer yet. I guess death by fire was more dramatic than poison, otherwise, Padmaavat might have become Roopmati instead.
It kind of sets the mood for this pace, so make sure you read the love story of the Sultan of Malwa, Baz Bahadur, and the singing shepherdess Roopmati who should become his queen. It’s not only a story of a royal wedding without motives like lust or a political alliance, but also of a tie between Hindus and Muslims.
By the way, if you are interested in more of such stories, visit my new section Folklore. There are so many stories like this that it would be a good way to collect them.
Let’s continue now to Baz Bahadur’s Palace, built in 1508. It’s famous for its large courtyards encompassed by large halls and high terraces. It’s not a very large place so it doesn’t take very long to cover it.
The reservoir Rewa Kund, where Roopmati spent a lot of time, is just next to it. It also supplied water to the Pavilion on top of the hill and it’s considered an architectural marvel due to this.
Rani Roopmati’s Pavilion is a bit further up the hill, around 15 min by foot. I decided to walk since I spent so long in the car which turned out to be a good decision. I passed some of those mud houses on the way and could finally get a closer look. Some kids came running and once again, gori mem was back in selfie action.
The place was originally built as an army observation post – I guess it saved Baz Bahadur time to just change this into a small palace so that he could make that marriage happen as soon as possible. The view from there is amazing, once again I wished that it was green. One can see his palace from up there as well as the Narmada River – as requested by the Queen.
This part of the Fort complex was finally covered and we drove to the main part of the town where the main attractions were waiting.
I started with the Jami Masjid, an extremely impressive mosque with an entirely different architectural style than what I have seen so far in India. The main features are undoubtedly the never-ending arches wherever you turn, surrounding a big courtyard. Without any major stone carvings or gold, it’s rather simple yet grand! Apparently, the design was inspired by the great mosque of Damascus.
Just next to it and only accessible through it is Hoshang Shah’s Tomb, one of the biggest attractions in Mandu. It’s the first marble structure in India and was an inspiration for Shah Jahan, who sent some of his architects before starting the construction of the Taj Mahal. It was, by the way, Hoshang who made Mandu one of the most impregnable forts of India. He was also the ruler under which the mosque was built. The tomb was only finished in 1440 after his death.
Directly opposite Jami Masjid is Ashrafi Mahal or the Madrasa. It’s basically two buildings in one: the lower one was the madrasa (college) with its large arcade corridors built under Hoshang Shah between 1405–1422 – the guy apparently had a thing for arcades. One part was later converted into a seven-storeyed victory tower by Mahmud Khilji (1436-1469) who later also used the madrasa as a platform for his grand marble tomb. It was richly decorated with carvings, calligraphy, and panels of different shades of marble and had a huge lofty dome. The entire thing is now in ruins due to hasty and faulty constructions and one can hardly imagine how it had looked.
There is a rather funny folklore about how the place got his name: When his harem in Jahaz Mahal started getting obese, Ghiyasuddin Khilji thought of a method for his queens to reduce weight: to climb up and down the stairs of Ashrafi Mahal regularly. To encourage the number of steps taken, he would gift them gold coins (Ashrafis), one for each step climbed. Hence the place got the name Ashrafi Mahal.
It was the only place where I had a bit of a negative experience with a couple of creepy kids who kept following me around. Especially down there in the arcades with nobody else around, it really spoiled the fun… I roamed around in the market for a bit as well.
Before continuing to the huge Royal Complex, it was time for lunch! There weren’t many options so I went to the first available restaurant, Shivani. It was rather basic but good. They didn’t have that big of a menu as it’s rather rural there.
It was time for the last stop. The royal complex is so huge that it takes hours to cover. If I had done my research before, I would’ve known and covered it early in the day. Some of it, especially the part further behind, gets extremely confusing and I really regret not taking a guide! I did buy a booklet though but other than in Khajuraho, it was way too hot to read it properly. So it was more of a wandering around, hoping not to get lost.
Mandu gets incredibly hot in summer, up to 45 degrees. Even in March, it was quite hot already and I had made the mistake of coming in the afternoon at the hottest time of the day. If you ever go there, don’t make the same mistake and visit this complex in the morning hours. You should also definitely bring enough water, my second biggest regret. If it wasn’t for that, I would’ve spent more time there, sitting in the shadow reading the guidebook.
The main and most impressive building in the complex is the 120 m long Jahaz Mahal, the so-called ‘ship palace’. It got that name because it is constructed between the two artificial lakes Kapur Tank and Munja Tank and makes it look like it’s floating in the water. It was most likely used by Sultan Ghiyasuddin Khilji (1469–1500) for his large – and apparently slightly obese – harem, by some accounts up to 15,000 women! Try to imagine so many women walking up around the Ashrafi Mahal 😀
The Afghan architect who constructed it added many water structures like various pools on the ground floor and even a roof so that the royals could cool down. Unfortunately, the pools were empty and there was no relief for me to be found here.
Next to it is the Taveli Mahal, which was simply a stable with apartments for the guards. Now the ground floor is used as a museum.
The two lakes stored rainwater and also helped cool down the surroundings. There are many baolis (wells) to store drinking water. One of those you can find just a few steps away from Jahaz Mahal.
A bit further inside is Gada Shah’s Palace, a two-storey building including a fountain and two paintings. ‘Gada Shah’ means ‘beggar master’, which was obviously just a nickname for some rich guy. It most likely belonged to the Rajput chief Medini Ray who lived in the early 16th century.
What I wasn’t able to figure out was what the big building right next to it was where only the foundations survived. I really need to take a guide next time!
One thing I missed is Gada Shah’s Shop as it’s not on the map at the entrance. It’s somewhere further behind. It’s definitely on my list for next time as it’s quite an impressive building, almost resembling a Gothic cathedral. It used to be a warehouse for saffron and musk, obviously only for wealthy people.
The Hindola Mahal is the second most impressive building in this huge complex. Since I didn’t know what to expect, I was stunned to suddenly find myself in this huge hall with its beautiful arches reminding me a bit of a church. It was most likely used as an audience chamber. It got its name ’Swinging Palace’ due to its sloping sidewalls.
After wandering around for quite a bit, I found myself in the Dilwar Khan Mosque with its uncountable pillars. Pillars seem to run in the royal family of Mandu, I’ve never seen a place with more of those! It’s the oldest building in the Royal complex, built in 1405 AD by the first Muslim king of Mandu. Though a mosque, it’s influenced by Hindu workmanship.
There were some other buildings close to the mosque but I’m not sure what they were. The old wall paint is in good condition there.
Close by are the ruins of some royal palaces, which was extremely confusing. It’s at times hard to say if you are inside or outside a building. They are connected with subterranean passages to the base of the Champa Baoli, a well. The whole complex was constructed in such a way that all rooms were still cool, even in the worst of summers. Again, I wished it would still be like that…
Nearby is also the Hammam, the bathhouse, which included a sauna and even provided hot and cold water for bathing. It has a pretty ceiling with stars cut into it.
The last place to see was Jal Mahal, the Water Palace, which lies at the right end of the corner of Munja Tank. It was apparently a private retreat for noble couples including various stepwells and pools. As I had run out of water and was close to a sunstroke, so I only saw it from afar and left. I think I finished a whole bottle of water in only one minute after getting out of there.
It was a two-hour drive back to Indore. On our way, we met an elephant on the road.
I had a few hours waiting for the sleeper bus which would bring me to the next destination, Ellora, close to Aurangabad. Although Indore had a lot more to see, I was too exhausted for any further action and spent the last couple of hours in a fancy restaurant (O2 Cafe de la Ville) indulging in an amazing Oreo milkshake and decent dinner.
Instead of a comfortable hotel bed, my day ended in a bumpy sleeper bus. See you in Aurangabad!
The Summary
Commuting
Taxi Maheshwar – Mandu – Indore (122 km): 3000 INR / ~ 37 EUR
Food
Lunch Mandu: 370 INR / ~ 4.50 EUR
Entry Fees
Baz Bahadur: 300 INR / ~ 3.50 EUR
Jami Masjid: 300 INR / ~ 3.50 EUR
Jahaz Mahal: 300 INR / ~ 3.50 EUR
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