Mandu: Ship landed on a city

There are so many unique places on the earth. Some are naturally unique while others are man made. Ships are common in the coastal cities and even some of the cities on riverside if the rivers are big enough. But can you imagine a ship in a city on a plateau which is not a coastal town and neither is near to any river. Moreover, the ship lands at the center of the city. This is the perfect description of Mandu. This city is built around a large ship. Let me be clear, this thing what we are calling ship till now is actually a large fort built as the shape of a ship.

The location of Mandu is easily accessible from Indore. From Indore one has to go through the Indore-Mumbai highway. After around 80km from Indore, take the right turn towards Mandu which is around 25 kms from there.

Mandu has a long history which dates back to around 11th century. It was ruled by many dynasties over many periods. It has monuments built with mainly persian architecture. Whole town is on a plateau and has significant number of historical monuments.

Jahaz Mahal

This is the most significant monument of Mandu. This palace emulates the appearance of a ship which seems to be floating gently on the surface of the water from some distance. This place is an amalgamation of Afghan, persian and hindu style of architecture.

Hindola Mahal

As the name suggests, this palace seems to be swinging because of its design.

Roopmati Mahal

This palace is a symbol of a love story between the king Baz Bahadur and Queen Roopmati. Queen was so fond of Narmada river that Baz Bahadur created this pavillion on a hill top so that Narmda river is visible from here when Roopmati sits on that. A river or a lake can be seen from the top of the pavilion but I am sure that is not Narmada river as the Narmada river is at least 50-60 kms from Mandu. Nevertheless we can get some amazing views of the Narmada valley which is at the south of the Mandu. The situation of Mandu also makes it unique. At one side are the Vindhya ranges and the other is the Narmada valley.

There are many more places in Mandu to be visited like Rewa Kund, Baz Bahadur Palace, Jal Mahal, Jami Masjid etc.