The Magnificent Mandu

The guide told us to turn our camera into selfie mode. May be he wanted at least one pic with him in the frame-as a memory! I did as told. Then he took us to a spot and told us to click a selfie and surprised we were! We were looking into the screen in a way that the roof of the monument too was there. what an awe-inspiring site it was! a dome like architecture with a beautiful pattern ,which enabled sunlight to sieve through- was the roof of the royal Hammam where Noorjahan is believed to have taken shower while her stay there in 1617. And this was just a tiny gem in the beautifully carved jewel of the medieval history of #Mandu in #Madhya Pradesh. The Hammam was a part of #Jahaz Mahal which was made to accomodate 15000 women which constituted the harem of Ghiyas-ud-din Khilji. Supposedly he was inspired by the Hindu God Krishna!
A quaint, sleepy , tiny hamlet amidst the Malwa plateau – Mandu fort-though not far from Indore- doesn’t see much tourists and that perhaps is the reason that it’s still clean and green.
The architecture of Jahaz Mahal which was named thus because it was surrounded by beautiful lakes on the three sides , giving the occupants of the palace the feel of a ship in the water-is a beautiful amalgamation of Afghan, Hindu, Mughal and even Roman styles. And of course the sound system too seemed far ahead of its time.
Mandu stands tall in the world of romance. Rani Roopmati Pavilion stands as a testimony to that. Baz Bahadur and Rani Roopmati’s story is perhaps one of the oldest love stories.
Today Mandu can at best be called a ruined, uninhabited ,ancient city. Still it’s a place where history seems to be beckoning from close-very close proximity…the kinds which I have not experienced anywhere else. You can close your eyes and feel the swish of the expensive clothes, can hear the jingle of the bracelets and smell the fragrances metaphorically!
A rendezvous with our own history-could there be a better way to rejuvenate the soul , to break free from the mundane!

With a perimeter of 82 kms, Mandu fort is the biggest fort of India and the pieces of medieval history are strewn all around in the form of temples, mosques, palaces, pavilions. I wouldn’t be exaggerating if i call it our own ‘Machu Picchu’ – rather better than that. Only thing- we just do not care because its not ‘foreign’!