In one of the darkest of my days, the only beacon of light was this 3 weeks trip with my parents to Madhya Pradesh. If I am very honest, I had the lowest of expectations when my parents were busy planning the trip. I didn't have any inputs because because it was surprise for me. This is by far one of the longest trips and if I may say so, one of the most satisfying trips of my life. Satisfaction came from the simplicity of being in Madhya Pradesh, a state I never knew could hold such wonder for me.
I will try and list out the places we visited in this 3 week journey, but it's been a while and I may skip through a few places. If I look through my photos though I am sure, I will relive this journey again.
Itinerary
https://www.google.com/maps/d/drive?state=%7B%22ids%22%3A%5B%221AZ3npEvcW7xgvQwBNWk3KCuREC-TR7W0%22%5D%2C%22action%22%3A%22open%22%2C%22userId%22%3A%22107852364240794951442%22%7D&usp=sharing
Indore- Mandu- Ujjain- Maheshwar- Omkareshwar- Gyarasspur- Bhopal- Sanchi ( Vidhisha)- Bhojpur- Bhimbhetka- Bhedaghat-Panchmarhi- Chittrakoot- Khajuraho- Chhatarpur ( Raneh Falls)- Orchha- Shivpuri- Gwalior ( Lastly a train back from Jhansi) ( In no particular Order)
Now as I sifted through my photos , I had to google a few names because I clearly don't have a memory as good as I had thought. There is no way in a million years I am going to be able to write about all the places I visited in that 3 week tenure in one post. So I will try and break it down as best as I can. The reason I am picking Mandu is because I enjoyed it the most. I have the most photos here and for me it set the mood for the entire journey as we went to different places following Mandu.
We landed in Indore, okay so when I say landed I don't mean by flight, we went by train like an old fashioned middle class family. That's how our vacations always were, and we kept to it even this day and age. Apart from the fact that train travel was cheaper, I always felt that, trains bring with it a different nostalgia making it memorable and special. We actually booked everything through MPTDC office in Pune, yes the entire trip. We got a private car and driver to be our guide in MP. After half a day exploring Indore , we left for Mandu.
Mandu in its turn greeted us with rains and clouds everywhere. We drove through narrow roads , with the clouds whistling around us. The banks of the rivers/ lakes all over flowing to make sure we knew what monsoons here felt like, really felt like. The architecture in Mandu will leave you amazed at all that it has to offer. There are tales of Dai Khana, where sounds echo, the elephants stables, the palaces with refined water ducts that were way ahead of their times. Apart from the usual touristy places the atmosphere here is just worth exploring silently. We were here for almost 2 whole days and I must say it was totally worth it, infact given an options I would have stayed there longer. While we were put in one of the MPTDC resorts, they were not luxurious and the one we stayed at was even less so. Inspite of which I still remember the wonderful Indori poha and Chai. For the first time in my life I voluntarily had tea because it was what the weather called for.
One of the star attractions here is the Rani Roopmati palace,and if you get a guide, they will tell you about the love story between Rani Roopmati and Baz Bahadur! You can view the Baz Bahadur Palace from the Roopmati Pavillion and vice versa, there even is a story that goes with this.
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Rani Roopmati Pavillion
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We made two visits here because of the closing times we managed to landed just in time to see the Jahaz mahal, but didn't have the time to explore the ruins of the Mandu fort and Hindola Mahal just adjacent to it.
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| Jahaz Mahal |
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| Baz Bahadur Palace ( background view of the Rani Roopmati Pavillion) |
Hindola Mahal
Within the boundaries of the Mandu Fort you will find this structure which plays with the wind.
Ashrafi Mahal (ruins)
Just opposite the Jami Masjid are these ruins. It wasnt a big crowd puller but there are some persian inscriptions and part ramparts of the fort still there to be seen.
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| Ashrafi Mahal (ruins) |
Hosahang Shah's tomb
Just along the Jami Masjid are two tombs with a small baodi.
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| Hosahang Shah's tomb |
Jami Masjid
Darwaja ( various ones)
There are many gates and you drive towards Mandu. One such gate is the one that points in the direction of Delhi. From the Delhi Darwaja you can also see another Darwaja.
Echo Point ( Dai-khana)
Our driver told us about this one. They say, when a child was born the dai ( Midwife) would shout out and there were different tomb like structures places at regular intervals, where the sound would reflect and carry forward. If this were true think about the engineering forethought of our ancestors. There are a smattering of them all over Mandu.
Ujala Baodi
One of the step wells at Mandu. Its mostly a ruin now though, it was deserted when we visited, so I am not sure if it is even open to the public. There is an elephant stable also close to this.
Songargh Fort ( Gate)The ruins of Songargh fort entry gate because that is all that remains here. we came across it as we were exiting Mandu and heading towards Maheshwar.
Our MPTDC Hotel overlooked the valley, so was also a perfect spot for a sunset, which we couldn't take advantage of due to the rain. On one of the nights we had a fright, supposedly a leopard had visited the premises and taken a dog prey. Fortunately we were leaving the same day, but it chilled us to the bone , just imagining it. The resort had a few rooms, a basic restaurant and a couple of tents as well to stay. They food was very basic but good. You can also find small local eateries.
After exploring Mandu, we headed towards Maheshwar, our next destination in the 3 week long trip.
<3 Rich
