You are six hours early. The first bus to Mandu comes at seven,” said the traffic controller at the Indore bus depot, with the finality of a judge passing a verdict. Buses are not allowed to climb uphill to Mandu from 6 pm to 7 am. It was 1 am and it was drizzling. Looking into my purse I realised that I could not afford the comforts of a clean and dry room. So I went to a chair nearby and dropped my bag and myself on it. After a long wait of five hours, I got the bus to Mandu. As soon as I touched the seat of my bus I went of to sleep and the only memory I have of the next three hours is a feeling of sitting in a merry go round and drops of rain hitting my face with hypnotic continuity. With blurry eyes full of sleep the first thing I noticed outside the window was the overwhelming presence of the color green. As my eyes cleared slowly I realised that I was looking at the ravines of Malwa.
One of the last sites of Indus Valley Civilization in the East, Mandu, is one of the most evocative sights in central India. An isolated outcrop cut in deep ravines, the hill range is endowed with very attractive natural scenery, which is at its best in the rainy season.
On reaching Mandu, the first thing one notices is the colossal structure of the Jami Masjid, which is said to have been designed after the great mosque of Damascus. After inquiring at the travellers lodge (which was unclean) and hotels (which were expensive), I remembered reading about an old Jain temple in Mandu, in some obscure travel magazine.
Upon inquiry I was guided to the beautiful Jain temple, which provides rooms at Rs 150 for 24 hours. After eating my meal at Jain Dharamshala I went to take a look at the only street with some activity in Mandu.
I saw hawkers selling colorful fruits and berries exclusive to Mandu. I bought Yellow berries which the villagers called ‘Bair’ and a fruit which the hawker said Jahangir had gifted Noor Jahan, whenever she was angry.
Upon inquiry I came to know that there are no other modes of transportation apart from hired cabs (which are expensive) to cover all the historical monuments in the radius of 8 kms. I also came to know that sunset in Mandu and moonrise at Rupmati’s Pavilion is something one should not miss. I bought a hand torch and started walking towards the sunset point.
The sunset at Mandu is poetic. One discovers something new each time one blinks his eyes. No human interference, no network towers, no cables and wires, no pipelines, no roads, just mountains and the shivering sun in the distance.
Walking back to the room, though drowsy, I promised myself to read the book on Mandu, that I had purchased earlier in the day before sleeping. I started my next day with the Jami Masjid. The enormity of the monument makes one feel small and insignificant. A few lines of poetry, written during the reign of Akbar kept ringing in my ears as I walked along the walls of the monument.
The next destination was the Tomb of Muhamad Khilji also known as Asharfi Mahal. It’s a funny story how it was named as Asharfi Mahal. It was said that in order to keep the ladies of the harem fit and in shape the king devised a method. It was said that the king kept coins of gold or asharfi on each step and since the ladies had to bend to pick up coins and to climb it made them fit. The monument was supposed to be bigger than Jami Masjid but only a heap of stones is what remains of it now.
Walking a bit I reached a structure that looked like Taj Mahal, the Tomb of Hoshang Shah. It is said that the inspiration for building Taj Mahal came from this structure.
There is also a place known as Hindola Mahal or Swinging Palace. The name is given due to the peculiarly sloping side walls. It is said that in the rainy season the king saw the women playing in the rain on the swings tied to the pillars of the open fort while sitting on an elevated platform. Champa Baodi is another important landmark, where women of the harem came to rest. The rooms are built in such a fashion that they are not visible for a person seeing from the top.
Trekking through the area from Jahaz Mahal, which is another important monument, one reaches Baz Bahadur Palace. The palace close to it is called Rupmati’s Pavilion. It is said that it was Baz Bahadur who won Rupamati from a Hindu king as he fell in love with her. In the end of the journey it is not the place which one discovers but oneself.