Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Almost resembling a Gothic cathedral, this looks more like an emporium than a mere shop. It was a warehouse for saffron and musk, imported and sold at a handsome profit when there were enough wealthy people to buy. Its owner's name, meaning ‘beggar master’, is thought to identify him as Rajput chief Medini Ray, a powerful subject of the early-16th-century Khilji sultan Mahmud II.
It's an intriguing building with numerous rooms, spaces and arched doorways and niches.
0.29 MILES
The Royal Enclave is the largest group of monuments, with several beautiful buildings from the 15th- and 16th-century Ghuri and Khilji dynasties set near…
17.81 MILES
Down to the right of the ramp descending towards the ghats are the chhatris (cenotaphs) of Ahilyabai and Vithoji Rao, a Holkar prince who was trampled to…
17.83 MILES
Running along the banks of the holy Narmada River and shadowed by the daunting walls of the fort, the ghats are the life and spiritual soul of the town…
3.22 MILES
A pleasant 4km cycle south of Mandu village brings you to the Rewa Kund tank and the two monuments of the Rewa Kund Group, Baz Bahadur's Palace and…
0.64 MILES
This group, straddling the main road in the centre of the village, comprises three grand edifices constructed in the 15th-century by the Ghuri and Khilji…
3.37 MILES
Standing at the top of an escarpment falling 366m to the plains, Rupmati’s Pavilion has a delicacy of design and beauty of location unmatched by Mandu's…
0.63 MILES
Entered by a flight of steps leading to a 17m-high domed porch, this disused red-stone mosque dominates Mandu village centre. Hoshang Shah begun its…
0.25 MILES
Dating from the 15th century, this is the most famous building in Mandu. Built on a narrow strip of land between Munja and Kapoor tanks, with an upper…
0.05 MILES
Unlike many of Mandu's step-wells, this one is open to the sky. With care you can walk down the steps to the water level and get a closer look at the fish.
0.14 MILES
This was the dwelling of a powerful merchant chieftain whose 'shop', on the main road outside the Royal Enclave, is even more impressive.
0.22 MILES
Just north of Ghiyas’ stately pleasure dome is the Hindola Mahal, so-called because the slope of its walls sort of resembles that of the ropes of a swing…
0.25 MILES
So-called because its water supposedly smelled as sweet as the champak flower, the Champa Baodi is a circular step-well with vaulted side-niches. It was…
0.25 MILES
Built by Dilawar Khan in 1405, this is Mandu’s earliest Islamic building. It was built mainly with material from earlier Hindu temples – particularly…
0.25 MILES
Dating from the 15th century, this is the most famous building in Mandu. Built on a narrow strip of land between Munja and Kapoor tanks, with an upper…
0.26 MILES
It's worth wandering up to the north end of town to the Delhi Gate, which was the main entrance to Mandu. You can walk up on top of it and along a short…