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Mandu: You can take part in the tour con­ducted by Vijayant Travels, « 39771 and other organisations from Indore every Sun­day, taking you to Mandu and the Bagh guha. The bus leaves from the rly stn in the morning and returns in the evening. You can also take the 8-30 service bus from Indore to Mandu, do your sight seeing there and return to Indore by the 17-00 bus. Autos can be hired at Rs 60 for taking you to Mandu and for Rs 25 you can hire a guide. You can see around Mandu in about 5 hr. You can also hire a.taxi to and from Indore to show you around in Mandu. The tourist season is throughout the year, barring the summer but the ideal time is between October-March though it is actually during monsoon that the gorgeous land of Mandu appears at its best, when tourists come from far and wide to see the rains in Mandu. In winter ordinary wool­lens will do for your Mandu trip.

 

Mandu lies on the Bombay-Agra National Highway, 19 km from Gujari and 95 km from Indore. There are regular bus services along the beautiful highway between Mandu and other cities. Buses ply both towards Mou and Dhar in the opposite way. There are buses to Mandu from the capital city of Bhopal, 285 km away, in 7 hr. From Mandu buses go to Bhopal at 5-30, Indore at 7-15,11-30 and 17-00, at 15-00 to Ujjain, 146 km away. There are regular buses to Dhar. The nearest rail stations are at Mou 66, Indore 95 and Ratlam 105 km away. Bus services connect the trio and there are also bus services between Man­du and Ahmedabad and Baroda of Gujarat via Dhar, 35 km away. The nearest airport is at Indore.

 

Mandu, the city of forts, extends over 20 sq km at an altitude of 2000 ft in the valley of the Vindhyas. Jehangir called this beautiful city Shadiabad or City of Joy. However, to­day tourists will find Mandu to be a ghost city surrounded by mountains and drained by mountainous streams. The gorgeous land of Mandu looks even more exotic during mon­soon. The aquatic birds search for mates by the side of the lake and it is not impossible to hear the roar of tigers at night: from the town though you may not see the big cats. Mandu, which revives the faded glory of the past, is a must for all Madhya Pradesh travellers.

 

It was founded in the 10th century by the Hindu king Bhuj (1010-1042) as a retreat. In the 11th century when the Parmar kings de­veloped Malwa as a separate state, the gorgeous town of Mandu became its capital and was called Mandabgarh at that time. In 1304 Malwa passed into the hands of the Ghori and Khilji kings. In 1401, when the Mughals conquered Delhi, the governor of Malwa, the Afgan Chief Dilwara Khan de­clared Mandu to be a separate state. Mandu owes its progress to the reign of, Dilwara Khan when houses and buildings were con­structed in the Afghan style.

 

When Hosang Shah, the son of Dilwara Khan assumed power in 1405, he moved the capital back to Mandu from Dhar. Hosang Shah took the title of Ghori and declared himself emperor. During his reign from 1405 to 1432, he built the gate to the city-Delhi gate, the Jami mosque and his own tomb which bear witness to his artistic genius. Hosang Shah's son Muhammad sat on the throne for a year only after which Mahmud Shah poisoned him and usurped power. Dur­ing his reign of 33 years, Mahmud had to en­counter many crises whereas his son Giyasuddin, who came to power in 1469 at the age of 47, spent 31 years in debauchery before being poisoned in 1500 by his son Nasiruddin, who had been pldtting against his father. It is said that Nasiruddin paid for his sin when he died an unnatural death in 1510. After Nasiruddin's death his son Mamud assumed power. In 1526, taking advantage of the internal feuds, Bahadur Shah of Gujarat occupied Mandu and in 1534, Humayun, the Mughal emperor, defeated Bahadur Shah and occupied Mandu which, however, was occupied by an army official of the Shah kings.

 

 

After several vicissitudes, Malik Bayajid, the son of Shuja, well-versed in music, came to power in 1554. After assuming power, he changed his name to Baj Bahadur. The new king- appeared fonder of music than statecraft and fell in love with the beautiful shepherdess Rupmati, a Hindu subject equally well-versed in music and called the Lady of the Lotus. Akbar too is said to have been enchanted by Rupmati and conquered Mandu for her sake in 1561 when several beautiful buildings and memorials were des­troyed in the war with the Mughals. Later Jehangir tried to patch up the damage but the power soon changed hands, and Mandu fell to the Marathas, when the capital was again moved to Dhar and Mandu became a deserted city. Its astonishing history and past feats have made Mandu a place of glory even today.

Asrafi Mahal

Jami Mosque

Hosang Shah

Lohani Caves

Rupmati Pavilion