From the Ruins of – Mandu

The ruins of Mandu and the story of its Afghani Architecture.

Psst! There are affiliate links in this post. If you click on those links, I may get a small commission at absolutely no cost to you. And don't worry, the links are all safe!

About a 100 km away from Indore, in the heart of Dhar district lie the ruins of Mandu! From being the capital of multiple dynasties, to being a modest reminder of its glorious past – ancient city of Mandu has so many stories to tell that I literally struggled to flesh them all out for this month’s ‘From the Ruins of’ post. Today Mandu is a quiet, almost forgotten fort with dilapidated structures but since around the 6^th century A.D., this place has seen ups and downs of such magnitude that it would make you gasp in wonder, and question why it all ended.

Roads of Dhar, leading to some ancient era.

Crossing the semi-arid plains of Dhar, you barely anticipate a drastic change in landscape. And just when you start admiring the rugged parched hills of Malwa, the hills greet you with a number of gates or Darwazas, all part of the historic Mandu Fort. Soon after you enter the fort, you see dilapidated houses and gate posts, all telling you of a bygone era with Islamic roots. But the ruins also tell you that this ancient town has seen destruction and desolation more than once.

The massive Darwazas welcoming you to Mandu

Even though ancient records mention Mandu as a prospering city since the 6^th century, it apparently became a prominent city as the capital of the Paramara Dynasty in the 10^th and 11^th century. Its fame attracted a lot of attention during the Delhi Sultanate rule, and after years of attacks, when Allaudin Khilji finally annexed Malwa, Parmaras were overthrown Mandu became a part of the Sultanate. The Parmara foundation of the city was almost destroyed and replaced with a fort housing numerous structures of Afghani architecture. After, Khilji dynasty’s fall, Dilawar Khan declared his suba – Malwa a free kingdom and built Mandu again as his capital.

Gada Shah sure knew how to make an impression?

By the time you try and imagine what the place might have been during the Parmara period, you come face to face with a huge, structure that looks bigger and different from the structures you have seen so far; you come face to face with Gada Shah’s house and shop. Gada Shah is believed to be a Rajput nobleman-merchant who used this structure as his house, trading station and also general meeting place for public. Due to being owned by a Rajput in an Islamic territory, this building has features of both architectural styles – no domes, but hanging arches, open courtyard with a central podium, etc.

You could shop in here back in the days!

Right opposite Gadaa’s Shop and House are two step wells Andheri (dark) Baodi and Ujala (illuminated) Baodi. And while you are searching for steps to lead you to the actual well of Andheri Baori, you would get a view of a long narrow building. This is probably the most famous and the most interesting palace of Mandu – Jahaz Mahal.

The beautiful Jahaz Mahal aka Ship Palace

With that thought, enter the Royal Complex of Mandu Fort, and stare at Jahaz Mahal long enough to observe that it really looks like a ship stuck between two ponds. Before you start admiring the brilliance of Jahaz Mahal, you should know that Mandu was built at an elevation of 2000 ft from ground and far away from River Narmada’s belt. Also, till date no one has found any aquifer in this section of Vindhya’s which means people of Mandu, only had the four monsoon months to rely on for their water needs. And they did a brilliant job at harvesting rain water in the numerous Baodis and around forty manmade ponds in the fort – such as the ones fencing Jahaz Mahal (Munj and Kapur Talao).

Inlets and outlets of water in Jahaz Mahal's swimming pools.

Jahaz Mahal, apart from its visage as a ship on land, might not seem that fascinating with its two floors of pillared halls, floral windows and terrace. But look closer, you will see two massive swimming pools on the top and the ground floor of the palace. Right next to these pools, you will see spiral ridges, seemingly ending at the walls. Look even closer, you will notice they don’t end there, but continue through the walls, and the spirals itself have narrow slits at regular intervals. These spirals worked as pipes to the pools and were filled with sand to filter and also monitor the flow of water. The lakes below acted as reservoirs and water was sent up to the pools with simple piston-based hydraulics! The pools also have multiple strategically placed niches that allowed slow passage of water out of the pools, and back to the reservoirs when required. This water management system was mimicked in multiple structures of Mandu, but in the present state of the fort, Jahaz Mahal is your best shot at realizing the ingenuity of engineers of that era.

Gather around everyone.

While still in awe of Jahaz Mahal, make your way to Hindola Mahal, the royal meeting hall. Hindola Mahal’s exterior looks interesting with sloping walls and intricate windows, while the interior is beautiful with its array of hanging arches. Like other major buildings, there is a step well near Hindola Mahal also, called Champa Baoli. Aparantly Champa Baori had mechanism to provide cold and hot water for bathing.

Not an incomplete pyramid, it is the Hindola Mahal

After soaking yourself in the beauty of Royal Complex, head to the heart of Mandu. As you enter this section, you will notice the influence of Pashtun architecture getting stronger and then you are in presence of the massive structure of Jami Masjid and its neighboring Hosang Shah Tomb. 

Jami Masjid and Hoshang Shah Tomb complex

Jami Masjid, with its fifty-eight domed and pillared sections around an open lawn making it a one of its kind mosque of that period was built by Hosang Shah (son of Dilawar Khan). Hosang Shah’s son built Hosang Shah’s tomb, which is the only marble structure in entire Mandu, and is considered to be the inspiration behind Taj Mahal.

Pillars and pillars topped with many a dome - Jami Masjid

In front of Jami Masijid, is Ashrafi Mahal, or the little that remains of it. Ahrafi Mahal, which is believed to be the favorite palace of Jahangir and Noorjahan. Not only did Jahangir spend some of his Monsoons in Mandu, he also assigned Mandu as one of the four prime cities of Mughal Empire. Which reminds me, I never told you how Mandu came under the rule of the Mughals!

What remains of Ashrafi Mahal

During the early years of Akbar’s rule, when he was more focused on expanding his empire, he sent his foster brother, Adam Khan to invade Malwa, which was then ruled by Baz Bahadur. When Baz Bahadur was defeated, his queen Rani Roopmati committed suicide. This marked the ending the Sultanate’s rule of Mandu and it became a part of the Mughal dynasty. All that remains in Mandu from Baz Bahadur’s time are his Palace and Roopmati’s Pavilion. While Baz Bahadur’s palace is not as impressive as the other palaces of the fort, Roopmati’s Pavilion is a completely different story.

Baz Bahadur Palace

Roopmati’s Pavalion marks the end of Malwa Plateau and start of Mewar Plateau and thus this structure was a very important stretch of wall and watch tower of the fort. This pavilion is in clear line of sight of Baz Bahadur Palace and has a clear view of the Malwa-Mewar valley, which meant it gave the Sultan enough time to prepare his army. Its ground floor not only had a shallow channel of water, but also dedicated space to store ration for days, which ensured the place was never unmanned.

Roopmati Pavalion

Though Roopmati’s Pavalion, marks the end of the fort, it is not the end of your tour of Mandu. Make your way towards the Delhi Darwaza, and along the way you would see many more structures reminding you of everything you have seen so far, but one big surprise is yet to come. 

Mandu has a number of Mosques...

A Shiva temple in an Islamic structure with Urdu and Pharsi inscriptions – Nilkanth Mahadev Temple. Built by Akbar shortly after his victory over Malwa, this temple is believed to be a peace offering to the locals who, despite belonging to different religions, had always stayed in harmony in Mandu.   

...But it has temples too. Nilkanth Mahadev Temple

With the thoughts of peace and harmony, you would finally exit the fort; but Mandu would have left a permanent impression in your hearts and minds by then.

One a palace, now just a pile of stones. That is what this former capital of Malwa has been reduced to.

How to Get to Mandu and Where to Stay:

Indore is the closest international airport and railway station to Mandu, and it is about 300 km away from Bhopal. The most convenient way to get to Mandu is to hire a cab from the Indore and cover it along with Dhar and Maheshwar in a one-day trip. Also, monsoon is the best time to visit Mandu!

Sarai Kothari - just another structure in the fort.

Some Important Tips:

-   During summers, carry a cap, scarf or umbrella, a damp towel/scarf and a lot of water because the place does get hot and dry (around 40+ deg. C). There are drinking water stations at all major sites, but carry water just to be safe.  During rainy season and winters carry a good jacket, and check for weather alerts before heading there.

-   For food and washrooms, there are a handful decent options near Hoshang Shah Tomb and Jahaz Mahal. If you carry food, there are benches in the Royal Complex where you can eat.

-   Visiting hours for the temple are from 6am to 6pm.

-   Unfortunately, guides are not available everywhere, so read up and research before you visit Mandu.

-  Madhya Pradesh Tourism does have a festival in Mandu called the Malwa Ustsav, but since neither I nor anyone I know has ever attended it, I don’t really have a lot of information around it. You can check the details HERE though.

Aren't ruins beautiful and interesting?

Liked the post? Pin It!