Mandu

Mandu crowns a rocky plateau in the Vindhya Range, overlooking Malwa to the north and the Narmada valley to the south. Its heights made a strong royal refuge for the Paramara kings, who called it Mandapa-Durga. Inscriptions record it as their residence before the Delhi Sultanate took Malwa in 1305. Its palaces, mosques and gateways recall the splendour of the sultans who later made it their capital.

Hoshang Shah moved the capital of Malwa from Dhar to Mandu, and the Khalji dynasty that followed him enlarged its courtly city. Ghiyas-ud-din built the Jahaz Mahal, the “Ship Palace,” during his long reign. In 1531 Bahadur Shah of Gujarat conquered Mandu, and a succession of contests followed. Akbar's army defeated the Malwa ruler Baz Bahadur at Sarangpur in 1561; he briefly recovered Malwa before another Mughal expedition drove him out. His consort Rupmati is remembered in legend for taking poison when Mandu fell. The Marathas took Mandu in 1732, and the seat of power returned to Dhar.