Mandu
Heerlijk rustig plaatsje in de provincie Madhya Pradesh op een hoogvlakte bomvol Afghaanse Moghul ruines, bij aankomst direct verjaardagslied gezongen voor 28-jarige Stefan (en Denise), errug leuk Nederlands stel.This fortress town on a rocky outcrop about 100 km (60 miles) from Indore is celebrated for its fine architecture. Mandu celebrates in stone the life and love of the poet-prince Baz Bahadur for his consort, Rani Roopmati. The balladeers of Malwa still sing of the romance of these royal lovers. High on the crest of a hill, Rani Roopmati's pavilion gazes down at Baz Bahadur's palace, a magnificent expression of Afgan architecture.
Mandu's old name was "Shadiabad" meaning the city of happiness(Anand Nagari), the name was given by then ruler Allauddin Khilji. During its time of prosperity, there was nobody poor in the city. Any poor permitted to stay in the city was donated a brick and a gold coin each by the residents of the city so as to bring him / her at par with others. The live example is "Dai Ka Mahal" which was built by a poor old woman on joining the city. Mandu is also famous for its special kind of tamarind known as Mandu ka Imli, the fruit looks like a papaya. The second famous fruit of the Mandu is "Khirani", a yellow coloured fruit also knon as "Mandu ka Mewa".
So where's Mandu?
Mandu is located 3 hours north of Indore. Right... that probably didn't help.Check google maps here for an idea.
Photo's
First of all... Sorry for the huge amount of pictures!Now let's get down to business :)
Michaël on his roaring Enfield.
If you see an Enfield in India, it's usually being driven by an Israeli.
If you see an Israeli in India, his Enfield is usually very near :)
While Mei was phoning her brother I sat on a porch enveloped in darkness. I could easily pry on all activities while remaining unseen. I thought this was a wonderfull dollhouse picture...
an Indian family getting ready for bed, man of the house brushing his teeth, woman already lying in bed with her children.
It's awesome how public private life is here in India.
Two proud waiters, the eldery holding on to the sling which powers the mechanical bellow for the fire under the chai kettle.
Me munching a donated samosa
(LtR) Michaël "Ben Zona", Stefan (the birthday boy) and Denise
The Royal Enclave Jahaz Mahal
'This 120 mt long "ship palace" built between the two artificial lakes, Munj Talao and Kapur Talao is an elegant two storeyed palace. Probably it was built by Sultan Ghiyas-ud-din-Khilji for his large harem. With its open pavilions, balconies overhanging the water and open terrace, Jahaz Mahal is an imaginative recreation in stone of a royal pleasure craft. Viewed on moonlit nights from the adjoining Taveli Mahal, the silhouette of the building, with the tiny domes and turrets of the pavilion gracefully perched on the terrace, presents an unforgettable spectacle.' quoted from travelmasti.com
Basically this big palace was the Hugh Heffner Mansion of those days...
I can assure you the amount of swimming pools, sauna's, romantic balconies, elephant garages and terraces shows that this Sultan knew how to party :)
The sauna basement
Batmomma holding on to batjunior
This picture is a story for the intimate and/or the unethical
The wealth of these sultans and mughals was enormous
We found out the cheapest thali is usually also the best thali, this place boasted 25 rupees for an unlimited thali. This greying baba - owner of the place - sped to his kitchen to handroll our chapati's.
(FtB) Pakora, samosa's and jellaba
It might be a bit strange to admit, but we were kind of uncomfortable sitting there, the place was obviously only frequented by locals, flies buzzed around, the water for the handwash was offered to us from a big blue dirty barrel, seeing the black and grubby hands of the chai assistant had us worrying over hygiene, all in all the place looked quite filthy. But in the end we had a really good time, the thali was firy and delicious, the owner very friendly and the deep fried sweets as desert were awesome. Did we get sick? Nope.
I will make it my duty to go (or sit) wherever my head tells me not to go...
Mei sipping her chai, on the background you can see part of Hoshang Shah's Tomb
Hoshang Shah's Tomb; India's first marble edifice, it is one of the most refined examples of Afghan architecture. Its unique features are the magnificently proportioned dome, marble lattice work of remarkable delicacy and porticoed courts and towers to mark the four corners of the rectangle.
Many of these beautiful Indian women work in the construction business carrying rubble and sand on their powerful necks
Stephan and me hitting the ol' jews harp
Afghan ruins wherever you go...
Inside a small deserted mosque
Somebody taught the children of Mandu a weird way of saying "hello" to tourists...
Wherever we went they all said or rather screamed "bye bye!"
Me out in the field with my trusty mechanical Cronan steed. It felt so good to sit on a bicycle again!
We kinda pushed the limits of these bikes though... at a certain moment we found ourselves cycling over stone-riddled paths where even the locals scratched their heads wondering what we were doing there...
Life is primitive but as you can see... they enjoy their day
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Wanna know more?
Mandu infoMandu WIKI
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