By Shobha Rao Smilemaker

Mar 14: The first thing I noticed in our drive towards Madhavgadh or Mandu was the odd looking Baobab trees with the thick trunk and being almost bare of leaves. The seeds of these trees were brought by the ancient traders from Madagascar in Africa, and it is surprising how Mandu is the only place in Asia where this tree can be found! And I just had to buy its white tamarind like fruit from an old lady selling it under the hot sun.

We entered this city through 3 of its 12 impressive gates on a narrow curved road, a tactic used to slow down possible enemy attack. The ruins of the ancient walls and structures caught my attention, it was an added security feature to build this huge fortress on top of a hill.

Mandu is an ancient town in the Malwa area of central India. 

In the 6th century it was under the rule of the wise Gupta dynasty king Vikramaditya. Later in the 11th century it was under rule of Raja Bhoja who, as a patron of arts constructed structures with excellent sound systems. Later between the 13th to 16th century this region was also under the rule of Ghori dynasty Aghan rulers or Khilji dynasty Arab rulers, so the architecture has a mix of both Indian and foreign influences, before finally coming under the Moghul dynasty rule.

In this hilly terrain, many step wells, lakes, canals and tunnels were created to manage an excellent water storage system, air cooling system, and even a message transmitting sound system..

It was also called the city of joy or Anandgiri, though some locals would nickname it as the city of ghosts or bhootgiri. It is the 2nd biggest fort in India and we drove past the impressive Jami Masjid here!

Our first stop was outside the palace complex gates. Our guide gave us a briefing about Mandu just below tge Taveli Mahal which once wasa stable and guard house and now is a museum that is temporarily closed for renovation.

In front of us was an artificial water body called the Kapur (used to be filled with camphor) talao and on the other side was the Munj Talao, the water of which has receded because of Irrigation usages. And in between the water was a palace that literally was shaped like ship and aptly called Jahaj Mahal. This structire with bakconies, terraces and pavilions was built to house the 15000 women who were part of the Harem of Sultan Ghiyaz ud din Khilji, and with wind flowing in all directions, it remains cool even during the hot summer days.

We next went to the Hindola Mahal which recreates the history of Mandu with a Light and sound show in the evenings. The structure looks like a swing because the side walls are sloping due to Egyptian architecture influence. There is also a Greek and Roman style influence visible in the details. And amazingly this centuries old structure has been standing erect without any foundation for the building. It was used as a Diwan e khas where the king would meet special people sitting on his majestic seat on the top level, while the ladies could peek from behind the windows at the sides. Absence of steps meant that lephants were used to haul up the people to the top level.

We next went to the Champa Baodi which literally means a large well with the fragrance of champagne flowers. It connected to hot and cold water

The hamam or bathing enclosure was really impressive. Imagine 15000 ladies of the harem living together, so a lot of arrangements were made for facilities like steam, Jacuzzi, massages, baths etc, all by the stone structures that have withstood the test of time. Wood or charcoal were burt at lower levels to give out steam, that emitted from small holes in the wall at the higher level. The ceiling also had impressive designs of cut stars for additional light.

We walked through the ruins of the original palace and wondered about the maze of underground tunnels in the complex. Recently the depth of some tunnels were reduced because to strengthen the foundation of the upper structures.

Our next stop was at the Revakund, the water body constructed by Baz Bahadur bring the sacred Narmada waters to his Rani Roopmati. The ancient water storage system of Mandu is worth emulating with special Aqueducts constructed to supply precious water from the water bodies to the palace ramparts.

At his Baz Bahadur palace We were amazed at the brilliant acoustic system, where songs sung in one corner were heard with amazing clarity at another distant corner. As a patron of the arts, a number of musicians,singers and dancers were encouraged to showcase their talents here. The rulers encouraged competetions among artists, highlighting their songs with a good sound system.

We also went to nearby hillytop, where Baz Bahadur built a special pavilion for his beloved Rani Roopmati, from where she could see and worship her holy Narmada river, before starting her daily singing ritual. The Nar_Mada signifies the union between Man_ Woman or Shiv _ Shakti and the city of Mandu is witness to their famous romance.

News of her melodious singing reached the ears of Moghul King Akbar, who sent his troops with Adham Khan to bring Roopmati to his court.

In the 6 month long battle that followed Baz Bahadur was killed, along with her brothers, and the melody queen Rani Roopmati finally committed suicide by poison, thus ending the tragic love story between the two.

Akbar later got Roopmati's body buried at a samadi/ makhbara in Saharanpur next to that of Baz

Bahadur. Akbar did not want this place to flourish, so purposely he destroyed it from all the 12 side gates.

We drove past the Ashrafi Mahal, a place constructed for the queens to be fit. If they climb the long flight of steps they would be rewarded with ashrafis meaning gold coins. We also drove past the ancient traveller's resting place called caravan serai.

There are around 54 other smaller ancient structures seen in the midst of the fields which seem like echo points but were used to earlier serve as sound receiving towers to pass messages across the fort areas.

We drove past freshly painted walls of local houses in tribal art style, since the delegates of G2 meet were expected here. We had a wonderful thali traditional meal at the hotel of our local guide Mr. Vishwanath Tiwari.

As I bid adieu to Mandu, I imagined those days of singing and romance and I smiled to myself with a sigh!

Shobha Rao Smilemaker has a vision of living in a world where people use their ability to find and make smiles in any situation. She is a lawyer by qualification, a soft skills trainer by passion, a motivational speaker, a freelance journalist, a bestselling author, an avid traveler and founder of 'Smilemakers Trainings'. She can be contacted at www.shobhasmilemaker.com.