MAGICAL RUINS & MONSOON
Mandu’s sepia-toned beauty lies in its ruinous state that glows even more under the monsoon showers
There’s something about rains that
instantly re-energises you. The lush green, bright happiness hits you as you
take the road to explore lesser known terrains. One such rainhappy city is
Mandu in Madhya Pradhesh, the ancient fort city situated in the Malwa Plateau.
Monsoon and Mandu have a deep connect as the city of ruins sees water as an
integral part of design and theme. The monsoon winds here tickle and play
hide-and-seek with the ravines and abandoned palaces.
This medieval city, once known as
Mandavgarh, is an architectural storehouse that encompasses ancient stone
walls, darwazas, tombs, mosques and a caravanserai. Strolling alongside rain
clouds in Mandu is perhaps as romantic as it gets. The striking structures of
this place was best described by Mughal emperor Jahangir, who wrote, “I have
never known about any other existing place on earth like Mandu before, which
can be so exciting in terms of its adorable climate conditions and that too in
rainy seasons.” The forgotten ruins of Rewa Kund still echo the love tales of
Rani Roopmati and Sultan Baz Bahadur. The kund is till date one of the finest
networks of water supply built on terracotta and ceramic pipes.
RAIN &
RUINS
The scenic beauty of Mandu gets
magnified in the monsoon as architectural classics like Jal Mahal and Jahaz
Mahal come to life with rain showers filling the adjacent waterbodies. The
magic of water is unique to this place, as not many historic cities have been
conceived with water as a defining element of design. One of India’s finest
examples of Afghan and Turkish architectural style are the carefully crafted
water channels here. Mandu also sees the presence of Persian wheels that
arrived here around 13th century to draw water from the wells.
The picturesque Narmada flows down
delightfully during monsoon through the Nimar plains and the classic Roopmati
Pavilion set between the green plains tells a tale of the bygone glorious era.
Mandu, once a powerful kingdom, still woos you with its tales of love and
valour and leaves you humbled.
Ayandrali
Dutta
TL 5AUG18
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