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Rani Rupamati's Pavilion on the top of the hill.
In  this "City of Joy" I still hear the Rani Roopmati’s lyrical voice across the Narmada, which remembers me the love tales of the poet-prince Baz Bahadur for the beautiful Rani Rupmati. Mandu, the fortress of joy, rises 634 meters high in the Vindhya Range and is enclosed in battlements 37 km long. With-in this well-defended plateau is wealth of palaces, pleasure pavilions, mansions, tombs and mosques.

The hill range is endowed with a very attractive natural scenery, which is at its best during the rainy season, when on all sides, it is clothed in green with a number of brooks and torrents, rushing down into the ravine winding about its sides below. The beauty of which is further enhanced by about a dozen lakes and ponds interspersed on its top. The romance of Bazbahadur with Rupmati blossomed here.

Emperor Jehangir who journeyed all the way from Delhi to spend time here wrote " I Know of no place so pleasant in climate and so pretty in scenery as Mandu during the rains." It was called by the Muslim rulers as Shadiabad, " The City of Joy".

Each of Mandu’s structures is an architectural gem and the monuments were raised in the period of hardly 125 years, between 1401 A.D to 1526 A.D; some are out standing like massive Massive Jami Massjid and Hoshang Shah’s tomb, which provided inspiration for the master builders of the Magnificent Taj Mahal centuries later.

Sultan Ghiyasud-din Khilji also built the Hindola Mahal, or the Swinging Palace. It got this name from its sloping walls which looked like the trestle supports of a swing. It was a great audience hall of the King of Mandu.

Roopmati’s Pavilion: On the lofty crest of the hill to the south beyond the place of Baz Bahadur stand the pavilions associated with the romantic name of Roopmati. The Pavilion was originally built as an army observation post. From its hill

The Enchanting Hindola Mahal.
Baz Bahadur Palace: The 6th century palace is situated on the slopes of a hill in the midst of picturesque natural scenery with a wide courtyard and encircled by halls and high terraces.

Hoshang Shah’s Tomb:- Retains the masculinity and majesty of the Afgan ruler and is one of the finest example of Afgan architecture. It has a beautiful dome, marble lattice work, porticos, courts and towers. An


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perch, this graceful structure with  its two pavilions was a retreat of the lovely queen, from where she could see Baz Bahadur’s palace and the sacred river Narmada,the stream of which is seen is from here on a clear sunny day, winding about like a white serpent on the plains below. To enjoy the romantic beauty of the site one should visit at the time of sunset or in a clear moon-light when he will surely feel himself to be in a fairly dream-land of the past, an experienced he might never forget. Mandu's great mosque seen from the Ashrafi Mahal. inscription on the right jamp of the tomb’s door gives the details that Emperor Shahjahan have sent his four master craftsmen in 1659 to study it before starting the Taj Mahal at Agra.

Jami Mashid:- Built on the lines of the great mosque of Damascus this grand mosque stands on a high ground with a porch protruding in the center. Its construction was started by Hoshang and completed by Mahmud Khalji in 1454 A.D
Asharfi Mahal:- This "Palace of gold coins" opposite the Jami Masjid was built by Mahmud Khilji. Intended to be a "Madarassa" or an institution for boys its classrooms still remain intact.

Rewa Kund:- Today respected as a sacred spot this is a reservoir built with an aqueduct to provide water to the palace of Rani Roopmati.

Jahaze Mahal:- A 120 meter,. Long double-storied pleasure palace built between two lakes Munji Talao and Kanpur Talao, resembles a ship and during monsoons it resembles a ship sailing in a great lake. Sultan Ghiyasud-din Khilji who reigned for 31 years from 1469 built this Palace for his large harem of 15,000 women.

Mugal emperor Jahangir and his beautiful wife, Jahaze Mahal, built in the shape of a ship.Nur Janhan, lived here often and held memorable lantern-lit parties and functions, about one of which the emperor writes: "It was a wonderful assembly.In the beginning of the evening they lighted lanterns and lamps all round the tanks and buildings and a lighting up was carried out like of which has never been arranged in any place. The lanterns and lamps cast their reflection on the water and it appeared as if the whole surfact of the tank was a plain fire. A grand entertainment took place and the drunkards indulged themselves to excess".
One can just imagine the original beauty of the construction and the joys of life it witnessed from the above account.

Lohani caves

There are no ancient monuments standing in Mandu fort at present with the exception of the Lohani caves, not far from the royal enclave area. They were excavated in about the eleventh or twelfth century A.D. In plan they represent a few rock-cut cells meant primarily for residence, perhaps for "Shiva Jogis" ( Yogins). In their front is a rock-cut cistern. Their premises were once filled with Debris, which when cleared yielded some 80 sculptures or carvings now in the local museum at Dharmasala attached to Hoshang’s tomb.

 

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The love story of Baz Bahadur & Rupmati :-Mandu was originally the fort capital of the Parmar rulers of Malwa. Towards the end of the 13th century, it became the pleasure resort of the Sultans of Malwa. In 1954 Malik Bayazid titled himself as Sultan Baz Bahadur was independent ruler of Mandu, after the disgraceful defeat by Rani Durgavati he almost forswore fighting. He gave himself up to the science of music, in which the famous and beautiful Roopmati proved to be his most favourite associate and consort. The selfless and devoted love between them is favourite theme in the folk-songs of Malwa. It was in this state of affairs the King Akbar’s general, Adham Khan, invaded Malwa in A.D 1561, and routed him near Sarangpur. Baz Bahadur fled from battle, but Roopmati fell into the hands of the invaders. The faithful lady, however, committed suicide instead of falling victim to the allurements of the enemy.

The balladees of Malwa still sing of the romance of these royal lovers, and high up on the hill, Roopmati’s pavilion still gazes down at Baz Bahadur’s palace a magnificent expression of Afgan architecture.